Melisa Bleasdale
Tel: (+1) 408 219 1969
Email: superheated.com

Q. With so many conferences going out of business, why would we devote our resources and time to the conference circuit?

Affected by the economic downturn and unable to produce continuously engaging content, it is true that many conferences have dropped out of sight in recent years.  However, each advance in technology brings the ability to spawn dozens of new events relating to its inception; spam control, computer forensics, and wireless communication, for example. As the high-tech industry continues to evolve, so will the quality and quantity of its events. Despite the lackluster economy, thousands of visitors attended industry events in 2003 - demographics that included key decision makers, media, journalists, analysts, and prospects.

Q. How do we know which conferences are worth attending?

A. Professional references are a great indicator. If companies you respect are attending certain events, it would be worth your while to investigate further. You can often tell the value of a show by the caliber of companies exhibiting there. Larger firms would not exhibit at shows that held no value. Sponsors are another clue to conference quality. Well-respected publications and analyst firms that sponsor events would not continue to do so if both attendance and value were low. Demographics are available from conference marketing teams and can assist you in making a solid decision about attendance. In addition, the past year’s attendee list can be a telling sign of whether a specific show would meet your company’s criteria. As a rule, I research the past year’s demographic, exhibitor and session information to qualify shows for my clients. These initial qualifications allow me to better assist clients in determining their level of interest.

Q. Aren’t most conferences pay-to-speak events?

A. While a number of high-profile events require companies to exhibit and/or sponsor prior to placing a speaker, this is not the status quo.  In many cases, sponsoring events directly increases leads, exposure and networking opportunities. I present my clients with all relevant opportunities related to their expertise, and work with them to determine which paying events meet their core objectives. Once the client has chosen how to allocate their conference budget, the focus of the program is further refined.

Q. We’d like to speak at Analyst events. Can you help?

A. The reality is that analyst events are closely guarded. They are also coveted speaking venues. While they can be extremely valuable in terms of exhibiting, they are very often closed to outside speakers. Speakers at analyst events are almost always the analysts themselves. If an analyst firm personally invites an executive to speak, it is often because the firm is following that executive’s company closely.

I am able to assist companies in developing key analyst relationships, working with the analyst firms to generate interest, and partnering with marketing and pr to determine the corporate value of individual events.

Q. We’ve secured several speaking engagements on our own. How can you add value?

A. I work with clients to develop a strategy for increasing the number and quality of the obtained engagements – General session instead of an end-of-day panelist, panelist in addition to breakout speaker, etc. Depending on your company’s goals, I also work to broaden my clients’ exposure by helping to secure speaking at new events, such as international or vertical market events.

Q. We have a public relations agency. Aren’t they managing our speaker program?

A. Though a full-service public relations agency will provide their clients with some level of speaker support, they are working to ensure company exposure in many ways that require their undivided energy and attention. In order to see results in a speaker program, the efforts must be frequent and focused: developing relationships, learning agendas, understanding conference demographics and knowing how speakers fit in to the overall event program.

Increased public focus and placement at high-visibility events is an important part of the public relations goal, but the size and scope of a speaker program make it difficult to effectively manage from within the pr framework.

Having a dedicated support person in this role provides the distinct advantages of expertise and program focus. Augmenting current pr efforts, a speaker program compliments parallel efforts to gain exposure for top executives and company managers. Another key benefit of a dedicated speaker program is the time that’s invested in creating strong business relationships with conference teams and event managers. Knowing the expectations of the decision makers, getting consistent feedback on speakers, researching conference audiences and taking the time to attend shows has allowed me to create measurable results for my clients. Valuable conference contacts know they can rely on me to provide high-quality speakers who are on topic, engaging, and provide a draw for their target audiences.

Q. Isn’t adding another relationship to our company a burden for our team?

A. The speaker program is almost entirely self-managed, requiring little action on the part of the client. I pride myself on providing an affordable, successful and well-managed speaker program designed to meet various corporate objectives. Having a singular point of contact adds a low-maintenance component to marketing, public relations and corporate communications.

My main request is a weekly meeting to discuss status and open requirements, ensuring that the team and I are continually aligned in our efforts. The overwhelming amount of deadlines, requirements, arrangements, content and submissions are handled as part of the speaker program and require little on the part of the company itself.

Q. How would you work with our public relations agency?

A. I work to create a symbiotic relationship with a company’s chosen agency. As I am not in the business of public relations, I do not compete for any public relations clients and/or workload. In fact, I work to augment pr achievements by focusing on placing client executives where they want, and ought to be speaking.

To maximize opportunity and exposure, the public relations agency often plans media and press outreach at the events where I have placed speakers. Working as part of a team, I provide written descriptions for conference brochures, create presentations that assist the speaker in staying on topic, provide speaker coaching to ensure a mutually positive experience for the speaker and attendees, and provide any writing/content support that the public relations firm might need at short notice to facilitate presence at the event.

In addition to providing this valuable support, I often offload writing work. This can include contributed articles, web content, ghost writing and editorial pitches when the agency is handling a launch, scheduling interviews, planning a press tour, or taking care of any other task that demands their resources. I develop close working relationships with the public relations agency to ensure that our mutual client is represented through consistent messaging, tone and strategy.

Q. What type of speaker programs do you offer?

A. As many types as there are companies. My efforts are customized to meet the corporate and budgetary objectives of my clients. I can manage national and international speaking efforts for technical and non-technical events.

I provide speaker program support for high-profile conferences such as RSA Security, Computer Security Institute (CSI) and InfoSec worldwide, as well as niche market events such as the Email Technology Conference (ETC) or VoIP Forums.

Non-technical events I support include CEO Forums, University seminars and programs, roundtables and business luncheons devoted to elite executives.

I secure keynote sessions as well as general and breakout sessions and also place client customers and partners as speakers where applicable. My programs are designed to be scalable, and can meet the needs of one key executive or an entire team of corporate speakers.

Q. How soon before we see results from the speaker program?

A. Upon inception of a speaker program, I work with existing conference contacts to introduce new speakers and their expertise. Depending on when the relationship started, there may be upcoming conferences that need speaker substitutes due to program cancellations or added sessions. I always offer my clients for these slots to generate interest as it’s a great way to introduce new speakers to the conference teams.

It is important to note that conference agendas are comprised of long lead times, deciding on topics and speakers six to eight months prior to an event. With the cyclic nature of conferences, it is realistic to expect to see results three to four months into a consistently executed program.

Q. How do I determine our return on investment?

Measuring the investment of an effective speaker program can be determined in a number of ways, some of which are subjective, and depend on where the company and its executives see themselves in the industry. Securing larger and more elite engagements would be a certain sign that a speaker program is effective.

However, speaker programs are intended to be an integral part of a company’s overall public relations, communications and strategic efforts. It is important that the efforts of the speaker program are measured not only by secured events and opportunities, but also in how they have helped to elevate the existing efforts of the pr agency and marketing team.

Q. What are your fees and contract arrangements?

A. Fees are dependent upon the needs of the client. I invoice on a monthly basis for contract services covered in the scope of work. The scope of work is determined by meeting with the client, discussing their goals, identifying key speakers and implementing either a full scale or piece-by-piece program.  As the company and their expectations grow, the scope of work can be scaled to accommodate expanding objectives. Dynamics involved in determining the monthly retainer are: number of speakers managed, geographic expectations (national, international, both), industry activity, number of conferences supported, speaker training and additional writing support required.

Q. Can you provide references?

A. Yes. I am happy to provide client references as well as written examples of my work and results.

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