From: John E. Smith, Project Manager

MEMORANDUM

[ The following "memo template" can be used to request attendance at the Fall 2008 Meeting. We hope it will help you justify your trip both technically and commercially. It should be revised to suit your individual needs and your membership status in the Committee; i.e. Regular Attendee and/or Committee Member, etc.]

April 16, 2008

To: Jane Doe, Manager

RE: Request to Attend Technical Meeting (October 5-9)

I request approval to attend the Fall 2008 Meeting of the IEEE Transformers Committee. This meeting will be held in the City of Porto, Portugal during October 5-9, 2008. I am a [member of the Transformers Committee and a] regular participant of this event, held twice each year.

Background

The Transformers Committee is a key technical component of IEEE. The Committee is comprised of technical and managerial representatives from manufacturers, consultants, and end-users of electrical equipment. The continuing scope of the Committee is to develop and maintain standards & guidelines for the design, testing, repair, installation, operation, and maintenance of transformers, reactors, and associated components.

Although IEEE standards are predominantly applied in North America, they are rapidly gaining worldwide recognition as superior governing documents due to their unique influence by consultants and end-users from a variety of international companies. Presently nearly 20% of our meeting attendees reside outside of the United States. Due to the global scope of standards development work, and the global nature of the transformer market, the Committee recognizes the value in holding a meeting outside of North America approximately every five years. Previous offshore Committee meetings were held in Austria (1997) and in The Netherlands (2001), and both meetings provided the opportunity for technical tours and continuation of progress in standards development.

Commercial Justification [or Value of Participation to Our Company]

I acknowledge that our company may be reluctant to support attendance at conferences outside the US due to the perception that such international travel may not directly contribute to our mission. This is far from true! Let me explain ...

Transformers supplied to the US are currently manufactured in factories located both in North America and abroad. It is expected that soon over half of all power transformers purchased for use in the US will be built outside of North America. Additionally, in the last couple of years, there has been an increase in the number of distribution transformers sourced from outside of the US. Participating in the development of standards used by foreign manufacturers, and developing relationships with attendees of this meeting is essential to our company’s effective participation in this international marketplace. IEEE standards are directly applicable to our business, and impact both the cost and quality equipment. Our participation in standards development provides us an opportunity to validate and contribute to the content of these standards and to understand and assess potential impacts on our business. In addition to the benefit I gain from direct interaction with industry leaders, [our Company] benefits through my participation in influencing standards development to incorporate our needs. Maintaining contacts within the industry also provides awareness of current advances in all aspects of transformer engineering and application, and provides opportunity for review of equipment and system issues/concerns.

The IEEE/ANSI C57 Transformer Standards are developed and maintained at these meetings, with focused project effort in over 50 working group sessions. At [our Company], we reference these documents often in our specifications to assure that our transformer purchases are technically adequate, reliable, and cost effective. As a result, it is in our best interest to consistently support this organization and assist in its scope of work.

In summary ... maintaining awareness of the international marketplace by thinking outside the "domestic box", and staying technically intelligent by actively participating in developing industry standards, is essential to our ability to make quality and timely equipment purchases.

Other Tangible Reasons to Attend This Meeting:

1. I am a "voting" member of the Transformers Committee. Regular attendance at Committee meetings is necessary for me to maintain my membership. Additionally, I judge my voice at these meetings is critical to maintain our voice in the standards documents.

2. I am the Chairman of the Working Group on XXXXXXXXXXXXX. This working group regularly meets at all meetings and will meet in Portugal. It is necessary that I attend this meeting to facilitate the meeting. I also participate actively in the following WG activities: a. xxx b. yyy

3. This meeting is an excellent opportunity for networking with the experts in the field of transformers. I have developed many professional relationships over the years while attending these meetings which have proven to be valuable technical resources. Also, there is no better way to stay appraised of changes in industry standards affecting transformer purchases.

4. As always, these meetings provide an opportunity for continued education. Along with 3-1/2 days of technical meetings, the following two technical presentations will be presented at the Fall Meeting in Portugal. These subjects are especially interesting when purchasing a transformer from a foreign source, and reviewing the factory test report. CEU certificates will be provided. -- "50 to 60 Hz Conversion Factors" -- "Sound Intensity Method of Measuring Transformer Noise in the Factory"

5. This Fall Meeting in Portugal will be hosted by EFACEC, a respected Portuguese manufacturer of large-core and shell-form transformers. In the last several years, EFACEC has delivered a significant number of transformers and mobile substations to US utilities. This past November, EFACEC announced they will build a new large power transformer factory in the State of Georgia. Ground-breaking is scheduled for this facility in May/June 2008. This meeting will include a tour of EFACEC's factory in Portugal. This is an excellent opportunity to evaluate EFACEC's manufacturing capabilities.

Attached is a summary of my expected time and expenses, compared to a typical meeting in the US.

Thank you for considering my attendance at this important meeting, as I look forward to continuing to supporting our industry in this critical area. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Comparison, Attending an IEEE Meeting in Portugal vs. a Meeting within the US (expenses shown in US dollars)

Typical Meeting Fall 2008 Meeting in the US in Portugal Comments

TIME/LABOR travel time, to Portugal none none will travel on Sunday during meeting 32 hrs 32 hrs 4 days of meetings (Mon-Thur) Friday social tour none none personal vacation time travel time, return home none none travel on Saturday or Sunday

EXPENSES meeting registration fee $225 (1) $175 (2) early registration fee, IEEE member airfare $550 (1) $1070 (3) hotel, 5 nights billed to $159/night (1) $186/night (4) company (120 €/night) taxes on hotel room $21/night (1) $0 (4) meals -- breakfasts included in meeting included in registration fee room rate -- lunches $75 (1) $75 -- dinners $100 (1) $100 -- Welcome Reception included in regist. fee included in regist. fee -- Speaker Luncheon $30 (1) $30 (2) -- Closing Dinner Social $65 (1) $60 (2) ground transportation, $50 (1) $50 taxis, etc. airport parking $50 (1) $60

TOTAL TIME/LABOR 32 hours 32 hours TOTAL EXPENSES $2,045 $2,550

NOTES (1) Costs based on previous meeting in Charlotte, March 2008 (or Minneapolis, October 2007) (2) Expected registration fee for Fall 2008 Meeting, pending approval of Committee leadership. (3) Actual airfare on XXXXXXXXX Airlines, round-trip from XXXXXX to Porto City, economy-class. Immediate purchase is necessary to guarantee rate. (4) Standard guest room rate, Porto Palácio Hotel, based on current 1.55 US$/Euro currency conversation rate. Room rate includes all taxes, all breakfasts, and high-speed Internet in the room.