I had purchased a ticket last fall to attend the BlogHer conference this year, but was approached to sit on a panel and speak on Google+ (so the conference refunded my ticket cost). As a professional trainer and speaker, most of the events I participate in every year are paid. I do choose to go to about 3-4 a year that I wave my fees for, as all but the top keynote speakers are compensated. I do it because most of the events I do I can’t publicize, and it is usually at events or in genres of industry that I know people and want to make more connections in. This particular review of the BlogHer conference is from my point of view as a speaker.
As a Pro Bono Speaker
I love seeing and talking with other speakers that have a deep understanding of their area of expertise and gain recognition from both professionals and peers by speaking publicly. Over the years I’ve seen some amazing people too shy to stand up in front of a room of people now grace the ‘main stage’ with professionalism and poise all because they were given a shot to speak at a conference. I saw a lot of those ladies at BlogHer. I am quite aware that not paying speakers is a way to keep ticket prices down at a conference. As an attendee, please understand this and be kind and supportive regardless if it was that person’s very first time speaking in public or an A-Lister that normally charges an arm and two legs to show up. No matter what the path to the stage was, every speaker has a desire to share their knowledge and help others. I did see quite a lot of support by attendees to the speakers at BlogHer and they were genuinely treated with respect. (I can’t say that for all conferences I’ve attended.)
As a Professional Speaker
This may be my most critical piece, and I do apologize for that. Part of what I do for a living is “speak for pay” – but usually for training seminars or keynote-style motivational pieces. I allot a handful of events a year pro bono and mostly even cover my own expenses of travel and hotel out of my own pocket. Many of the events I speak at I cannot publicize, so in the case of BlogHer I get to talk about it online and use it as a way to meet others in my industry in person. I do NOT normally get business from these events as there are usually very few attendees looking to hire a strategist and trainer at what I charge per month. They are usually looking for free speakers or advice themselves. I encountered more people and brands/businesses at BlogHer that fell into this category than any place else I have ever spoken. I realize it might be because a good number of the bloggers are new, aren’t treating their blog as a business, or aren’t running a business. I had many people grab me in a hallway or message me and ask that I sit with them and basically tutor them on the spot or if they could set up a phone call with me after the conference and ‘walk them through’ all the things they need to do in order to _insert goal here_. Mostly I smiled and told them that there are plenty of resources available on the Internet, but my time and knowledge is at a premium. Most people pushed a bit when I didn’t cough up anything other than fairly generic information on the spot, but understood. One person had a very nasty response, and I’m sure she was unexpectedly shocked by how fast I spun on my heels and walked away. I’m pretty sure I saw her drunk in the elevator later that night. {karma}
Takeaway on this: if someone is speaking at a conference, please don’t assume their responsibility extends to personally assisting you off the stage – for free. I really don’t want to come across as a bitch on this one, but as someone that makes their living via professional services, time is money and we are already giving away a chunk of our time and expertise for the good of the community. My rule is that 75% – 25%. I need to focus 75% of what I work on for pay, and leave 25% to help out others out that don’t have the means or as something I do as a speaking or teaching engagement. The paid part has to come first though. If someone is really hellbent on having me work for them for free, I’ve offered up the idea that they can help get me three new clients to offset their piece. Not many have wanted to actually work for the ‘free’.
My Thoughts on $100,000 Keynote Speakers
EDIT: BlogHer has confirmed that no speaker was compensated for an appearance, including Katie Couric and Martha Stewart. For the record, although I have no idea if the keynote speakers waived their fees for BlogHer, it is generally known via speaker bureaus that both Katie Couric and Martha Stewart charge $100,000+ EACH for an appearance. While it was very validating that they were both there in person to address the 5,000 attendees (that comes to $20 per attendee for each speaker), I feel that the money might have been better spent to at least cover travel costs for speakers or to issue more ‘scholarships’ for attendees. Again, I don’t know if BlogHer actually paid $200,000 to have these ladies show up. BlogHer did disclose that the cost of an attendee ticket didn’t even cover 1/3 of the cost to feed an attendee and that the attendee ticket cost was basically subsidized by the vendors. I am not a professional conference organizer by trade, so I am looking at this as just a regular attendee, but something about this doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not just BlogHer, but a lot of other major conferences across all geners of business that try this tactic.
If the fees were waived for BlogHer, then THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I can’t imagine what the ticket prices would be if there were an additional $250,000 in costs.
All you have to do is ask, Lynette 🙂 We’re pretty open: We do not pay honoraria to any speaker, keynote or not. The ticket prices are subsidized for bloggers so heavily because we don’t want to become an elitist event that only those of a certain income level can afford…so many bloggers are not yet in the position to expense or tax deduct their participation, but they have stories to tell.
The reason it costs so much to host each attendee is because we do provide full breakfast, lunch and then light fare and some drinks in the evening. Food and beverage is our largest expense by FAR.This is pretty unusual for an event of our size, but we feel it’s important…again to contain costs for our community.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Elisa for responding. All in all BlogHer is pretty cheap to attend especially compared to other events I’ve attended that go for about $1,500-$2,000 a day. It actually grinds me to hear people attend conferences that are in this lower price range and complain. (Hotels in NYC are a different story…)
I help run Podcamp Philly / East where we charge $20-$50 for a full weekend of education and find sponsors to flip us breakfasts and drinks. It’s still too much money for some people to pay. I’m glad you wrote out what the money goes for.
I’m glad to see your keynote speakers waive their fee, so thanks again!
Wow, I’m even more impressed that Martha and Katie spoke knowing that they didn’t charge their usual fees. That’s a BIG DEAL!
Lynette, I’ve loved reading your recaps. As always, you have such a great perspective.
I really love that Elisa responded to this so quickly and that the speakers waived their fees.
And I know that while there are a lot of the speakers that were happy to do this for free, there were plenty, like you that do this for a living and need to make that living. I appreciate your honestly in this post.
I will say, though, that you speaking about google+ is a bit of an unknown platform that a lot of us really want to use. In theory, it rules. In reality, a lot of us find it to be a ghost town. I loved your panel and took feverish notes. The biggest thing I got out of it is that to get google+ to work for you, you really need to do the work. There are a lot of people on there, the community is alive there, but a little tricky to find, and you need to do the work and dig in. A lot of people want it handed to them. Of course, myself included. I actually did find community on google+ a while back, but then had some trouble with some key players that turned me off from it so I left. This session really got me excited to get back in there and I am ready to do the work to make it work for me (not to make money from it, as I’m not in all of this for that, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I really enjoy the community and connection of social media).
Thank you for your honesty and the information you provided at your panel to inspire and educate many of us to jump back in and see what g+ has for us.
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this brilliant blog! I guess for now i’ll
settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to new updates and will share this
website with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Lynette. . .I haven’t had the opportunity to speak before, but I am hoping to add that to my media kit someday. I can’t imagine approaching a speaker at any event. . .ever. . .other than to say thank you, perhaps exchange cards if it seems appropriate, and mention something I got out of their presentation. After being in business for 20 years, I am finding the speakers I encounter in THIS business – much more passionate and much more informative and entertaining. And you my dear, remain the High Priestess of Google+ =)
Hillary