RE: conference fees

[jgarison -at- ide -dot- com]

I can't speak for the Society as a whole, but having had a long involvement
with the local STC conference (and a national for profit conference
organization as well), I can explain some of that rationale. Maybe it's
connected ...

One of the things you'll notice about STC conferences is that they cost
about half of what the for profit conferences do. They don't make a ton of
money, and they're not supposed to. They rely a huge amount on volunteers,
and the idea is to provide a low-cost, broad-based conference for all levels
and interests of technical writers. Here in Boston, our local InterChamge
conference is 2 full days and costs less than $300. Compare that to
WinWriters which, while a day longer, costs 4 times as much. WinWriters pays
their presenters, InterChange does not.  

Believe me, I am not advocating for charging the speakers - as a matter of
fact, I was known for challenging that practice just about every year. But
each time the argument was that we are a non-profit, we have about 30
speakers and 250 attendees - can we really afford to let 10 - 15% of the
people in for free (let alone paying them)? 

All of the arguments here were discussed - bolstering one's resume,
initiating contacts, etc. - and we opted to charge speakers a reduced rate
(usually about 2/3 of the cost for attendees). Any speaker who wanted to,
however, was free to come, speak, and leave without paying. If they chose to
participate in the rest of the conference, though, we asked them to pay the
reduced rate. Did it affect the quality of speakers? Not really - we get
some great ones, but then we have a large pool of qualified locals to draw
from.

I have also been on the other side of the fence as one of the principals of
Help University (RIP). We were among the first conferences to pay presenters
(even air fare to one of our first conferences!). The speaker cost is huge,
especially when you consider that not only do you take away income, but pay
additional funds. 

So, the choice is yours - attend your local low-cost alternative for very
little money, or blow a huge wad going to a non-STC event. 

I believe that both have their place.

That's my 2 ¢,

John

John Garison
Documentation Manager
IDe
150 Baker Avenue Extension
Concord, MA 01742

Voice: 978-402-2907
Fax:    978-318-9376
http://www.ide.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Bergen [mailto:jane -dot- bergen -at- usa -dot- net]
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 1:59 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: conference fees


I'm curious....has STC ever said WHY they require speakers to pay? I
certainly hope someone from the national committee is lurking here and
sees the discontent. This unusual arrangement may be the reason we
sometimes get speakers who are ...well, "not so hot."

Most of the speakers are pretty good, and consider that, as one consultant
mentioned, they not only have to pay their conference fees, airfare, and
hotel...but they are not getting paid for "time off" their regular jobs
either. Most lug along their own equipment and often arrange their own
printing for their handouts (*surely* they do get reimbursed for that,
right?).

Jane Bergen

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michele Davis" <michele -at- krautgrrl -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 10:12 AM
Subject: conference fees


> i spoke at stc last year for two seminars. i paid the $350 for the conf.
and the
> exorbitant rates for staying at disney. ,y logic was that i would get
writing
> opportunities from the seminars. lol! not one lead called me. i won't do
it
> again.
>
> --
> Michele


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver! (STC Discount.)
**NEW DATE/LOCATION!** January 16-17, 2001, New York, NY.
http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.

Take XML and Tech Writing courses online!  Our instructor-led courses
(4-6 hrs/wk) give you "hands on" experience at your convenience. STC members
get 20% off!  http://www.online-learning.com/index.html.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.