Talk about timing. Two days after I posted about speaking at local events vs. national conferences, Jenn Lukas published her helpful post on speaking fees, including a formula for determining fees, tips for managing requests, and how she determines the events she speaks at.
Jenn did a great job describing her process for managing speaking requests, detailing the time invested with email correspondence, preparing the talk, practicing, and traveling for the event.
I really liked how she addressed requests for speaker fee and non-speaker fee events.
If you’ve been asked to speak at a local event or conference, Jenn’s follow up questions to learn more about the event will help you make a better decision:
- How large is the audience?
- What is the cost of the conference? How many speakers are there?
- How long are the sessions?
- Are talks recorded?
- What is the speaker fee?
- Were you looking for me to speak on a topic I’ve already covered or create a new talk with original material and slides?
- Are there pre- or post- conference events to consider for travel planning?
Manage Expectations
Based on past experiences as an event and conference organizer, I’ve learned there are several additional items to consider as you confirm the speaker.
Being clear in your expectations as well as the speaker’s expectations will lead to a more successful event.
- Clarify if you expect the speaker to promote the event on their blog or social media
- Confirm expectations for covering plane travel, food, transportation expenses to/from airport (Jenn touched on this in her post)
- Verify any specific requirements for the presentation
- Ask if the speaker will attend the entire event, leave after their presentation, or have time to interact with attendees. Many organizers expect the speaker to attend the entire event, but it’s not always possible.
Hopefully these tips will help you as you plan your next event. I know they’ve helped me in my event planning over the years.
In 2012, I invited Molly Holzschlag to speak at our Refresh Detroit group. We had never invited such a well-known and respected web professional to speak at a Refresh Detroit event.
Molly was easy to work with, quickly providing her expectations for presenting.
Thankfully, we were able to meet her expectations. I was thrilled she accepted our invitation to speak!
She gave a wonderful presentation to our group. After the presentation, Molly spent time with attendees chatting about the web and Detroit.
Our Refresh Detroit members still comment about how much they liked Molly’s talk.
And I know by understanding expectations, the event ran smoothly.
Are you a speaker for events and conferences? What other tips do you have? Share them in the comments.
