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Conference or travel

Out of Office for a Conference, Training or Business Trip

Conference or travel

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SubjectOut of office

I am attending a conference from to and will check email only in the evenings. For anything that cannot wait, email at .

Professional · short · 1 of 2

Also for your time off

Where does it go?

When you travel for work, people mostly want to know how slow you will be, so say when you will look at email and who can act faster: "I am attending a conference from October 6 to October 14 and will check email only in the evenings. For anything that cannot wait, email Priya Nair at priya.nair@yourcompany.com."

It need not say which event, which city or which client you are visiting, it should be honest about how often you will actually look at email, and dry humor about airports lands well because everyone has been there.

All 12 replies on this page

Type your details in the writer and every reply below fills itself in.

Professional 4

I am attending a conference from [Away from] to [Back on] and will check email only in the evenings. For anything that cannot wait, email [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short
I am traveling on business until [Back on] and replies will be slower than usual. Thank you for your email; [Who covers] ([Their email]) can help with urgent matters while I am away.
Short
I am away at a conference between [Away from] and [Back on], and will have little time to read email during sessions. I will check messages once a day and reply to anything urgent; for everything else, expect a response after [Back on]. If your request is time critical, [Who covers] is available at [Their email] and can act in my absence.
Longer
I am on a business trip from [Away from] to [Back on] and working across time zones, so my responses may be delayed by a day or more. If you need a decision or an answer before I return, get in touch with [Who covers] at [Their email], who is covering for me and has access to the relevant files. I will follow up on all remaining messages when I am back in the office on [Back on].
Longer

Warm 4

Hello! I am at a training course until [Back on] and only dipping into email between sessions. If it is urgent, [Who covers] at [Their email] will be quicker than me. Thanks for your patience.
Short
Thanks for writing. I am traveling for work from [Away from] to [Back on], so replies will be slow but will come. [Who covers] ([Their email]) can step in if you need something sooner.
Short
Hi, and thanks for your message. I am away at a conference from [Away from] until [Back on], learning a lot and answering email in the gaps, which means you may hear from me late in the day or not until I am back. If your question needs a faster answer, [Who covers] is covering and would be glad to help at [Their email]. I will come back to you properly once I am home.
Longer
I am on the road for work until [Back on] and checking email once a day, usually in the evening, so please bear with me if my reply takes a little longer than normal. For anything pressing, [Who covers] knows my projects and is reachable at [Their email]. I look forward to catching up when I am back at my desk.
Longer

Funny 4

I am at a conference until [Back on], collecting lanyards and free pens. Email will be slow. For speed, [Who covers] at [Their email] is your best bet.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
Traveling for work from [Away from] to [Back on], mostly in airports. I will reply between gates where wifi allows. [Who covers] ([Their email]) is covering for anything that cannot wait for boarding.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
Attending a conference from [Away from] to [Back on] means I am currently in a dark room listening to someone explain slides, and my replies will be slower than usual. If you need an answer before [Back on], [Who covers] is covering and is reachable at [Their email]; they are not at the conference and therefore far more useful. I will catch up on everything else when I return.
Longer
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
My relationship with email is currently long distance: I am on a business trip until [Back on]. I will reply when I find wifi, coffee and a quiet corner at the same time, which happens less often than you would think. For anything urgent, please contact [Who covers] at [Their email]; they are in the office with reliable internet and a chair that does not recline. Back properly on [Back on].
Longer
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice

What to leave out

The client's name or the city if the trip is commercially sensitive; "traveling for work" is enough.
"I will respond as soon as I can". Say when you will check: once a day, in the evening, or not at all until you return.
A promise to join calls. If you can take meetings, the sender will book them; if you cannot, do not hint that you might.
Your hotel or mobile number in a reply that goes to every sender, including the spam.
Time zone math done for the reader; just name the date replies resume in your own time.

Filling it in

Enter the travel dates and the colleague who covers, then choose how honest the reply is about your checking rhythm: the professional versions promise one look a day, the warm and funny ones promise less. Copy it in before you leave for the airport and set it to end on your first day back.

Questions people ask

What should an out of office message say for a business trip or conference?

That you are traveling for work, that replies will be slow, and the day normal service resumes, plus one colleague for anything that cannot wait. Be honest about how often you will look: an evening check, or nothing until you return. As soon as I can is the phrase to avoid, since the sender will hear it as today. The professional items here promise one look a day; the warm ones promise less.

Should a travel auto reply name the conference or the client I am visiting?

Not by default. The event name is harmless for a public conference, but a client visit can be commercially sensitive and your reply goes to every sender, including competitors and recruiters. Traveling for work is enough. Leave out the hotel, the mobile number and any time zone arithmetic; just say on which day you will be answering again, in your own time zone, and let the cover contact handle the rest.