SPEAKERS

Choosing speakers

  • Develop a list of potential speakers at least 10-12 months pre-conference

  • In making selection, monitor carefully the number of speakers requiring full support with regards to travel expenses, especially from distant locations. Speakers who can cover some or all of their own costs are especially valuable.

  • Brainstorm speakers that will fit themes, then approach your preferred speaker and move on to another if your first choice cannot make it.

  • Discuss how you think it is best to construct a letter to speakers. There are many different ways of doing this, it all depends on what aspects of the conference you want to highlight.

  • Research your speaker’s area of speciality before you write to them, so that you can say exactly what you want them to speak about and why you want THEM.

  • Maintain tight control over process of speaker selection and of communications with speakers to reduce risks of having too many speakers or too many ‘overlapping’ speakers; select keynote speaker but have in mind a last minute backup keynoter.

  • Several members of the Medsin network maintain a speakers database. This holds the name, contact details and area of speciality for over 200 speakers. Please click here to find out how to can view the database, or email Speakertips.

  • It is worth trying to attract the best speakers that you can think of. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

Liaising with speakers

Make sure you are ALWAYS CLEAR and CONSISTENT in what you ask from them - don’t have several people corresponding with the same speaker (even if they are also doing a workshop).

For them:

For both plenaries and workshop sessions, give clear details about what will happen and stick to them:

  • Date of talk/ workshop

  • Time that they will need to arrive

  • Where to arrive – if someone will meet them, if there are parking facilities, directions of how to get to the venue.

  • How long they should speak for

  • How many students will be present

  • What facilities will be available, e.g. powerpoint, etc.

  • Who can they contact with queries

  • Any dietary requirments

  • What accommodation they will be provided with

For you:

  • Request that each speaker email you their powerpoint presentation a week in advance of the conference, and ensure that it works.

  • Obtain speaker biographies and contact information well in advance - provide deadline for their submission; develop suggested format and word count so that biographies are not widely divergent.

  • It may be worth getting 1 person to coordinate with a group of speakers (eg. for each plenary). This person will be their main point of contact and this person will ensure that the speakers are well briefed, and well provided for during their time at the conference.

Afterwards:

  • It is good to give a small gift to each of your speakers and workshop coordinators to show your appreciate for their involvement in the conference.

  • Formally thank presenters at the conclusion of conference and arrange for thank you letters by appropriate person to invited speakers after the conference.

Click here to navigate back to the Conference Guide home page.

Last updated on Wednesday 14 May 2008 at 17:56.