There is no doubt that conferences and traveling are stressful. They can also be frustrating. For you as an advocate, it’s a job, and as a great advocate, you have to take them seriously. Every single one of them. If you can’t take an event seriously, don’t speak there. As with everything about advocacy, the success of your conference depends on your excitement.
You should have prepared your speech and researched the audience. You should have looked at what other speakers are doing and talking about to avoid duplication. That’s why it can be frustrating when others use a conference as a “time out from the office”. And it gets worse when you find yourself in an almost empty room due to organizational problems. Try to avoid this. Be as excited about the event as the organizers and attendees are about you. The fact that every great advocate should always remember is this:
People have paid money to see you, and the organizers are relying on you to entertain, inform, and educate. If you are not present at the event, you are cheating both the organizers and the attendees. You’re not a rock star who can sing one song and then leave under the cover of security guards. You need organizers and attendees to do your job. This starts with planning your trip to the event properly.
Be in touch with the conference organizers and ask the right questions in advance so that you can get to the venue on your own and be in the right place at the right time. Offer to be flexible, but make sure you don’t need someone to hold your hand. Give yourself enough time to be there when you need to be in the conference. Nothing causes more stress for an organizer than not being able to find a presenter.
Conference organizers are the best people to ask about their event. They will know the best modes of transportation and have booked the right accommodations for other speakers and their staff. Ask them about these things instead of guessing on your own.
Who pays what?
This can be a controversial topic, and I’ve had some pretty heated debates with companies and conference organizers. This is also an important topic. For me, conferences are like concerts: without a band, there is no concert. This means that the organizers should treat you well, and you should treat them well. No one likes a prima donna, no matter how beautiful you are. No one likes a miser either.
If the conference budget does not include money at least for speakers’ accommodation and travel, it is a terrible budget. Being at an event means that you devote your time, dedication, and effort. This should be recognized and paid for. If you are traveling on your own, you are actually paying for the event you are speaking at. This may be necessary in the beginning or if the conference is a big opportunity for you. In the long run, this is neither professional nor serviced.
You are more likely to work for a company if you are a lawyer and the company can cover some of the costs of your participation in the event. It can also be part of a sponsorship package – we pay for our speaker’s expenses and get coverage. But for you, as a defense attorney, there are several dangers in this.
Essentially, you have to be yourself on stage. You don’t want to be the fool representing the company because he or she has to do it. This means you have to be somewhat independent of both your company and the conference organizers. Neither of them will be able to tell you what to cover, instead trust your professionalism to do the right thing. If it’s not possible, you need to work on it first. It’s trust both ways. Many companies will want to pay for your presence so that the organizers can’t tell you what to do. This is nonsense because it means that your company wants to be in that position.
This is not for lawyers. It’s for salespeople. And no one wants them. The audience is annoyed when something is clearly a veiled advertisement. Speakers know that people expect them to be hot air with sparkle in these talks. Sponsored talk slots should go down in flames. They are a product of times past and only exist because of convenience.
In a best-case scenario, try to achieve the following:
- Ask the conference organizers to pay for your travel and accommodation – after all, they know best.
- Give back to your company by representing them and giving a talk after the event – how was your speech received? What did the competition do? Which contacts should you follow up with? Did you meet a potential hire?
- Split the difference – your company can cover additional hotel days and travel expenses. This makes it cheaper for the conference organizers.
- Clearly separate your presence at the event from any form of sponsorship – you shouldn’t turn into something to be traded for. You should choose the events you go to and shouldn’t go because a speaking slot was part of the package. That’s insulting to anyone involved and won’t help you or your company.
This is going to be something that you have to define hard and fight for. Being a speaker who paid to get into a conference is a reputation killer. Don’t try to get yourself in that position. Your reputation is that of an independent technical person, not a marketer.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many people earn their living by attending conferences. For them, not charging them to be there means they lose money. Don’t be the person who underestimates them and creates enemies for yourself.
