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SECOND-CLASS SPEAKER CITIZENS ?
Hayley Nicholson , event content specialist and owner of Nuff Said agency , shares her thoughts on the need for bigger investment into content and speakers – starting with covering the cost of attending events for speakers
Hayley Nicholson ver the last five years of working as a conference producer for various organisations , publications and clients , I see a huge disparity in the investment for speakers .
For many events , content is the key driver for attendance . We can say networking opportunities , exhibition halls , goody bags etc . are other reasons for attending , but generally , the audience comes to a conference to learn .
What is currently offered to speakers ? This entirely varies on the organisation , but I ’ ve never seen or heard of a clear policy . I ’ ve worked with a number of companies that set aside some added benefits for speakers : covered transportation , overnight accommodation , free tickets for colleagues , maybe a thank you gift following their presentation . But
generally , this is offered on a hush-hush basis . The content team , which drives the purpose of many conferences and meetings , will get a small amount of budget . And then , this is typically solely spent on a keynote speaker .
I have to ask , is that an effective use of budget ? I ’ ve seen anywhere from £ 1,500 to an astonishing £ 30,000 dropped on keynote speakers who share 30 minutes of witty insight and anecdotes . But asking for some budget to cover a £ 120 return rail ticket for a Manchester to London trip in the quiet carriage ? God forbid ! Why should a speaker come to our event if we make them incur the cost ?
How can we better support speakers ? Further appreciation of the time that speakers give us when we ask them to speak is needed , and that needs to translate into some support for them . We heavily rely on their involvement in our events , and they juggle their work and personal commitments to be there . We have to start factoring in childcare responsibilities , dependents , whether they ’ re self-employed or if their employer will approve their attendance . Not only that , but not every speaker ’ s employer will cover their costs .
Plus , what about all the hours beforehand preparing , creating slide presentations , practising their speeches , sitting on prep calls . It ’ s dedication and commitment to our work , not theirs . So , why can ’ t we cover their transport fees ?
What response are you seeing from speakers ? I ’ m seeing more speakers reject invitations to conferences , especially if the cost of transport is not covered . Their time is valuable , that ’ s why we invited them to speak .
I ’ m not saying we should start booking out the First Class carriage on GWR or reserve a whole floor at the nearest Novotel , but I encourage organisers and senior leadership to start allocating a little more budget to your content team to at least cover a minimum fee for transport costs for every speaker . We can do a lot with nothing , so imagine what we could do with something . CN www . conference-news . co . uk