Some advice/suggestions for Meeting Planners
Peter de Jager is a provocative Speaker, Writer and Consultant. His primary focus in on how we manage change, technology and the future.
In addition to speaking at conferences worldwide, he's also written monthly columns for Municipal World and Computing Canada.
His goal is always to question what we think is so, and in so doing perhaps open up new opportunities.
If you'd like permission to reprint any of Peter's articles, please contact him directly.
You can contact him at
pdejager@technobility.com
Or sign the Guest Book and he'll get back to you.
1) Decide who you want to speak for your conference based on the value of their message and their ability to
enthrall your audience, not on their reported ‘fee’.
Once you’ve decided who you want as your keynoters, then negotiate with them.
Negotiation Lesson 101:
Make at least one counter-offer to anything that anyone proposes.
Negotiation Lesson 102:
If what they are asking is way above your budget, then come clean…
tell them your budget. Don’t be ashamed of it, just let them know it
your budget will NOT insult
a professional.
Remember, fees are not cast in stone (regardless of what anyone says), they aren’t ‘rules’ they’re more like ‘guidelines’. Believe it or not, speakers value
other things besides money, but remember even though ‘exposure’ does
have value, it is not always the strongest selling point. People can die from exposure.
2) Stick to the schedule. You’ve paid the speaker mega-bucks to speak for you for an allotted time. If you want them to do the best possible job for you, give them the time you promised them.
Professional speakers will never make your job more difficult than it already is: They will never speak past their allotted time. Please, please, please do the same for them. Protect the time you gave them, to do their best for you they need that time. (Although they’ll do their best with whatever time you actually give them.)
That said... professional speakers WILL respond to
the situation, even if their 90 minute keynote is cut to 15 minutes (don't
laugh... it's happened) they will do a great job... they just have to cut
out the additional 75 minutes of great value they wanted to provide.
3) Hand out speaker evaluation forms, read them, and pay attention to what they have to tell you. Feedback is gold, never miss the opportunity to bend down and pick it up.
4) Within reason, extract everything you can from your professional speakers.
a. Are they willing to meet with your breakout session speakers the night before
and offer some speaking hints and tips from the expert?
b. Are they willing to do an executive breakfast/dinner session with key members?
Board members? Student members?
c. While they’re with you, could you get them to give an additional presentation for
the local board of trade?
d. Will they do media interviews before the conference?
e. Will they provide a follow-on article for your newsletter? Web site?
f. Will they contribute books and materials for draws?
g. Will they do a book signing at one of the vendor booths?
Not all of the above will be possible, not all of it will be for free, but a speaker who wants to create a long term relationship with your association will be more than willing to do one or two or three of the above. It costs nothing to ask.
5) Even though I speak for a living… here’s a dark secret. Speakers
by themselves do not make your meeting a success; they merely add an experience for your people to discuss. Make sure you include enough networking time in your conference. Running from speaker to speaker is not a conference, it’s a marathon.
6) Google is your friend. When anyone gives you client references they offer you the names of clients who are certain to provide good feedback; this is not a secret, it’s obvious. So… get onto the Internet, Google the speaker. Speak to some folks they haven’t provided as references.
7) And finally? If a speaker has done a great job for you? Write them a knock your socks off letter of thanks/reference, and spread the word to your peers on how they helped make your meeting a success.
© 2008 Peter de Jager – Peter is a keynote speaker focused on management issues, with special attention to issues relating to change management.
You can contact him at pdejager@technobility.com
For
reprint permissions click here.
I'd appreciate reading your comments
regarding this article... please take the time to respond.
Resources: