Should conferences compensate their guest speakers?

ABSOLUTELY!

I recently had an interaction with Terrapinn , the organizer of #Identityweek. In the past, I had reached out to them for a potential collaboration, and things went smoothly. We conducted a video interview and I also contributed an article, all without any compensation.

Terrapinn subsequently inquired whether I had an interest in speaking at Identity Week in Washington, D.C. I was initially intrigued, but upon discovering that the flight duration from my current location alone would be 22 hours, I made the decision not to participate.

Nonetheless, they extended an invitation for me to speak at Identity Week Asia in Singapore, a location much closer to where I am situated.

We had a Zoom meeting to discuss the matter, and everything seemed to be in order. However, there was a prolonged period of silence from Terrapinn that lasted for several weeks.

Consequently, I sent a reminder, inquiring about the arrangements for covering my flight and accommodation as a guest speaker.

The response was, "Our budget for speakers is quite limited, and unfortunately, we cannot cover the expenses for speaker travel and accommodation. Would this pose any challenges for you moving forward?"

Absolutely, it certainly does!

Consider this for a moment: I am invited to participate in their conference, but they expect me to personally cover the costs of my flight and accommodation?

Why do organizers like Terrapinn subject their guest speakers to such unfair treatment?

The "empty kitty" excuse is becoming less convincing by the day.

Especially when an organizer can generate up to $45,000 from sponsor packages and charge $995 for a two-day ticket, it's perplexing that they can't allocate a minimum budget to cover, at least, transportation and accommodation for a guest speaker.

What's even more astonishing is that they addressed this matter only at the very last minute, and only because I raised the question. Therefore, their communication on this issue was also quite vague. These kinds of concerns should be openly, clearly, and promptly discussed, saving time and effort for both parties involved.

My network tells me often that these conferences just repeat themselves with no or little new innovation/excitement. If you are a market leader, you have to be at these events - no matter what.

I'm a individual passionate expert in passport history and a collector of vintage passports, with no business motives, simply requesting to have the basic expenses covered.

Numerous event organizers do not provide compensation to their speakers, and sometimes, individuals proudly declare their non-payment of speakers, assuming their organization is so exceptional that speakers will willingly participate.

However, what individuals are failing to recognize is the connection between payment and value. Payment is the means by which we demonstrate value, and it's a fundamental aspect of how both the economy and society function. Essentially, when we don't provide any form of compensation to our speakers, we are essentially conveying that there's no value in their contributions.

Some individuals are content and willing to speak at events without financial compensation, often considering it a natural part of their professional responsibilities. For instance, those in leadership roles within their companies might view speaking engagements as integral to their job and receive compensation from their organizations.

The same is valid if a speaker hails from a company that is already participating in the conference. Their time and contributions are supported and compensated by their own company, and they have the opportunity to promote the company and/or its products.

However, many individuals who participate as speakers at conferences operate within small organizations or are self-employed. Despite this, they invest substantial time in researching their chosen topics to deliver valuable content to their audiences.

This research is not something that happens overnight; it involves days, weeks, months, and sometimes years of accumulating knowledge, crafting thoughtful pieces, or conducting extensive research.

IF YOU DON'T VALUE YOUR TIME, NEITHER WILL OTHERS. STOP GIVING IT AWAY LIKE IT'S FREE!

Therefore, if we aim to feature high-quality content at our events, it's essential to provide compensation to those who contribute to it!

The same concept remains applicable when it comes to creating expert articles, as the idea of writing solely for exposure without compensation is now outdated and no longer valid.

Nevertheless, the subject of passport history is gaining heightened attention within the security printing industry, as evidenced by the growing number of requests I receive from market leaders seeking collaboration on this subject.

More on passport history on passport-collector.com or my LinkedIn profile... Take a look also at my references.

#marketing #eventsindustry #eventindustry #mindfulness #motivation #fairpay #speaker #conference #events #writingcommunity #tipsforsuccess #passporthistory #passport