Financial Justification to Use Training Budget for Lodging at CyberDefenseCon 2026

Because Training Is Free, Meals Are Included, and Self-Reporting CPE Credits Are Earned

To: <CFO Name>
From: <CISO Name>

Subject: Request to Allocate Lodging Expense to Training Budget for CyberDefenseCon 2026

I am requesting approval to use my annual cybersecurity training and professional development budget to cover lodging for CyberDefenseCon 2026. Although our travel policy typically limits hotel rates below $379 per night, this event uniquely provides over $3,000 in cybersecurity training at no cost, includes all meals, and provides self-reporting CPE credits required for maintaining key industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, CCSP, and CEH.

Allocating lodging to the training budget is the lowest-cost, highest-ROI path to meeting required training, CPE hours, and 2026 cybersecurity readiness objectives.

1. Training Value Exceeds Lodging Cost by a 7 to 10x Multiple

CyberDefenseCon delivers extensive cybersecurity training eligible for self-reporting CPE credit, which can be submitted to (ISC)², ISACA, EC-Council and similar bodies.  (Reference: https://cyberdefenseconferences.com/cpe-credits/)

Equivalent commercial training costs:

CISO-level strategic leadership programs: $1,000 to $3,500

Threat intelligence and incident response courses: $800 to $1,200

Governance, compliance and cloud security workshops: $700 to $2,000

Additional CPE-required training from outside providers: $500 to $2,500

Total comparable value: $2,500 to $6,700+
Cost to company by attending CyberDefenseCon: Lodging only

This represents significant cost avoidance, not a net-new expense.

2. All Food Is Included, Resulting in Zero Per-Diem Cost

CyberDefenseCon provides breakfast, lunch, snacks, and event meals at no charge.

This eliminates:

Meal reimbursements

Per-diem allocations

Food-related expenses

Receipt processing workload

The conference results in no food-related travel expense, reducing the total cost to the company to lodging alone.

3. Using the Training Budget Reduces Total Annual Training Spend

If lodging is NOT approved through the training budget, the organization will eventually have to fund comparable training courses separately at full price.

Two options:

Option A: Approve lodging now and avoid thousands in later training purchases

Option B: Decline lodging and later spend $2,000 to $6,000+ on equivalent training

Approving lodging through the training budget eliminates future expenditures for equivalent learning and CPE hours.

Estimated net savings: $2,000 to $6,000+

4. CPE Requirements Must Be Met Annually and Are More Expensive Elsewhere

Maintaining certifications like CISSP, CISM, CISA, CCSP and CEH requires annual CPE hours.

CyberDefenseCon provides qualifying sessions for self-reported CPE credits at no cost.

If we skip this opportunity, we would need to purchase:

Paid CPE training

Webinars

Courses or conferences priced between $500 and $2,500

CyberDefenseCon meets these requirements without added cost.

5. CFO Summary of Cost Avoidance and ROI

Total savings: $3,000 to $8,000+

Company cost: Lodging only (covered by training budget)

This yields an ROI of approximately 700 percent to 1,000 percent.

6. Training Directly Supports 2026 Cybersecurity Strategy and Reduces Risk

Topics at CyberDefenseCon align with our highest priorities:

Incident response readiness

Zero Trust and identity security

AI-driven threat defense

Cloud and SaaS risk management

Supply chain and third-party security

Governance, compliance, and executive reporting

Board-level communication improvements

The training provides immediate operational value and reduces systemic cyber risk without increasing spend.

7. Peer Networking Reduces Consulting and Vendor Assessment Costs

CyberDefenseCon brings together leading CISOs, analysts, researchers, and innovators.

Peer interactions often replace the need for:

Paid advisory sessions

Vendor assessments

External consulting

Strategy workshops

Further cost avoidance is realized through knowledge gained on-site.

8. Lodging Is Reasonably Classified as a Training-Related Expense

Since:

Registration fees are waived

Training is extensive and qualifies for self-reporting CPE credits

All meals are included

The material directly supports both my role and organizational risk reduction

The lodging expense fits squarely within the training and professional development budget.

This preserves the general travel budget while enabling essential education at minimal cost.

Conclusion

Approving lodging through the training budget for CyberDefenseCon 2026 provides:

Over $3,000 of high-value cybersecurity training at no cost

Self-reporting CPE credits required for certification maintenance

No per-diem or food expense

$3,000 to $8,000+ in cost avoidance compared to equivalent paid training

Meaningful improvements in our cybersecurity posture and leadership capability

The most cost-effective method to meet required 2026 cybersecurity readiness goals

This is a fiscally responsible and strategically aligned use of training funds, with measurable ROI and zero waste.

I respectfully request approval.

Very respectfully,
<Your Name, CISO>
<Your Organization>