STC Conference Speakers

["Tom Johnson" <johnsont -at- starcutter -dot- com>]

I'm curious. Do conference speakers in other professions get free admission
into conferences? Do doctors and engineers speak for the prestige of
speaking, do they do it purely for the sake of spreading their gospel among
their peers? Is their some kind of intangible reward that comes from giving
a presentation. Is STC typical of other organizations when it comes to
slightly discounting registration fees for speakers?

Why do TWs present at conferences? I can see how it could be a resume
builder as well as a skill builder for our field. We're supposed to be
communicators and developing the skills to speak at a conference should be a
good thing. Other than that, why should a person go to the effort of
submitting a proposal, putting a lot of effort into preparation and
underwriting the expense of attending a conference? Many people put a lot of
time into this list and it doesn't cost much at all. Some people put a
tremendous amount of effort into offering excellent advice (probably as much
effort over a year's time as goes into a typical conference presentation).
It appears that people do it out of the goodness of their hearts or just to
be noticed.

What can STC do to encourage excellent speakers to give presentations? I've
been to my share of 'snoozer' presentations and when I calculate the cost of
each session (maybe up to $200 by the time you count air fare, lodging,
meals and registration) I have to really question how valuable the
conferences really are.

On the other hand, one really outstanding presentation could save my company
a few thousand dollars if I come back with some helpful techniques that save
me time or frustration. It seems like STC conference organizers need to
rethink their speaker recruiting procedures and get some high-profile people
to give presentations. Maybe it will take giving free registrations to
speakers. That in itself would give the organizers many more topics to
consider. Maybe attendance would go up if there were better offerings.
Personally, I find it difficult to justify the expense unless my company is
having a really good year. During good years I have the luxury of being less
selective how I spend company money. This year I wouldn't get it if I asked.

Another thing they ought to do is require potential speakers to give their
talk to a regional selection board before the presentation is selected. I've
been shocked by the inability of some speakers at national conferences. I
expect that at a regional event, but I think presentations should be
polished and professional at the national level.

Usually I'm not so cynical, but there have been way too many closed door
meetings this week and people around here are getting edgy. It smells like
layoffs coming.

Wondering if my boss will call me into his office,

Tom Johnson
johnsont -at- starcutter -dot- com
thomasj -at- freeway -dot- net



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