Make the Case to Attend Scaling New Heights 2026 + Template

You've been thinking about attending Scaling New Heights 2026, and now you're ready to make it happen. The tricky part is asking for the budget and making a clear case for why it matters. If you have ever stared at a conference page thinking, this looks incredible, and then immediately pictured your practice leader asking, “What’s the return?” you are in good company.

Most practice leaders are not opposed to conferences. They just want to understand what you will bring back, how it will help the team, and how it fits with where the firm is already headed.

Why Scaling New Heights?

Scaling New Heights focuses on the areas of the profession that are evolving quickly. Technology, advisory services, client expectations, and workflow design are all shifting as practices look for better tools and more efficient ways to serve clients. The 2026 theme, “Strange New World,” reflects the rapid changes many practices are navigating today.

Attending Scaling New Heights is incredibly valuable, but the challenge for many professionals is explaining that value when it comes time to request budget approval. Let’s talk about how to approach that conversation in a clear, practical, and professional way.

Start with what your leader cares about

When you ask to attend a conference, the conversation tends to go better when you frame it around the needs of the practice rather than the excitement of the event. Practice leaders are thinking about efficiency, growth, team capacity, and client service. Connecting the conference to those priorities makes your request easier to evaluate.

Scaling New Heights focuses on the practical side of running and growing an accounting practice. Sessions cover both the tools and practices already relied on and the emerging technologies shaping the profession, as well as strategies for improving workflows, expanding advisory services, and adapting to rapid change.

Be specific about what you will learn

One of the most helpful things you can do in your request is to outline the areas you plan to focus on during the conference.

Scaling New Heights 2026 includes more than one hundred sessions covering topics that directly affect how accounting teams operate today. Many of these sessions focus on practical implementation rather than theory, which makes it easier to translate what you learn into improvements back at the office.

Some of the areas professionals might want to highlight in their request include:

• Applying artificial intelligence and emerging technologies within daily workflows
• Working more effectively with leading general ledger platforms such as QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho, and Sage Intacct
• Improving pricing strategies and strengthening client acquisition and retention
• Developing stronger advisory services in an increasingly automated environment
• Learning workflow strategies that can be implemented immediately within a practice

Outlining specific learning goals shows intention and demonstrates that you’re approaching the conference as a professional development opportunity rather than simply an event to attend.

Connect the experience to benefits for the practice

Your practice leader will naturally want to understand how the investment benefits the firm. Fortunately, Scaling New Heights makes this easier because so much of the content focuses on real operational challenges. Attendees spend time exploring new tools, listening to experienced practitioners, and learning how other firms are approaching similar changes.

That experience can translate into several practical benefits for the practice, including:

• Exposure to technology-enabled strategies that can improve efficiency and client service
  
• The opportunity to evaluate multiple tools and solutions in one place
• Access to experienced speakers and educators who focus on real practice scenarios
• Conversations with peers who are navigating similar challenges and opportunities

Explaining the value this way shifts the conversation from the cost of attending to the potential impact on the practice.

Share how you will bring the value back

Another way to strengthen your request is to explain how you’ll share what you learn once the conference is over. This step reassures your practice leader that the value will extend beyond a single attendee.

For example, you might offer to provide:

• A summary of key takeaways from the sessions you attend
• Recommendations for specific tools, ideas, or approaches worth exploring further
• If applicable, a short plan for applying relevant strategies within your current workflows

Really take the time to outline how you’ll share insights.

In addition, if cost is the main sticking point, there is another path. The Accounting Cornerstone Foundation offers a Scaling New Heights 2026 scholarship to help cover the cost of attending the conference for eligible U.S. bookkeeping and accounting professionals who have never attended an in-person industry event. To see all the details, visit their website here: Accounting Cornerstone Foundation

To apply, visit: Accounting Cornerstone Foundation Application

A simple way to make the request: The Make the Case Letter Template

Writing the request itself is often the hardest part. Many professionals know why they want to attend, but turning that reasoning into a clear and professional message can feel more difficult than expected.

For this reason, we created a ready-to-use request template designed to make the case to attend Scaling New Heights 2026. This template walks through the key points your practice leader will likely want to see, including the learning opportunities available at the conference, the benefits for the practice, and how you plan to share what you learn once you return.

1. Download it.
2. Tailor it to your role.
3. Send to your manager or partner leader.