Greg Cagle writes:
>"Stan Sieler" <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message
>news:399b1964$1_2@skycache-news.fidnet.com...
>> Hi all,
>>
>> The opening keynote speaker at HP World 2000 is Al Franken.
>>
>> Hmmm... http://www.speaking.com/speakers/alfranken.html
>> indicates that the cost of getting Al Franken as a speaker is in
>> the $20 K to $25 K range.
>>
>> That's 20 *THOUSAND* to 25 *THOUSAND* dollars.
>>
>> Why in the hell is Interex spending our money this way?
>
>Stan, you obviously haven't tried to book a large conference keynote
>speaker lately. It is the GOING RATE.
>
>> Who's having a power-trip ("I/we must be important, we've got
>> a big name speaker)?
>
>HP World is an industry-leading conference. This is par for the
>course. No power trip involved, just competitive reality. Perhaps
>you remember Scott Adams, one of our previous keynotes. Why don't
>you go check HIS rates and then get back to us.
Hmm... I haven't heard this defense before: It costs lots of money to do
something dumb, and if you remember the dumb things we did previously,
this is a bargain by comparison.
Maybe I'm being too harsh. Let me check... here it is, Webster's Ninth
New Collegiate Dictionary:
keynote address, n. (1908): an address designed to present the issues
of primary interest to an assembly...
So Al Franken is going to talk about meeting service expectations in a
24x7 world, perhaps? The end of Saturday night downtime? What can this
guy possibly have to say that would be of primary interest to a group of
HPWorld attendees?
At least in years past, Interex made an attempt to get recognized IT
professionals for keynotes. A fair number of them didn't actually have
anything of importance to say once they got there, but we could give
Interex half-credit for trying. Now you pay $25K for an entertainer at a
user group conference. That's absurd. Or isn't Interex a user group any
more?
Jerry Fochtman tries to defend the indefensible by saying "The attendees
made us do it." This defense doesn't even have the advantage of novelty.
I remember that survey, and I also remember that it didn't say, "If we're
going to spend upwards of $25,000 on a speaker, should that person
be...". Interex should be assessed a fifteen-yard penalty for withholding
information. Most attendees know that these speakers are paid. I doubt
that many of them suspected the size of the speaking fees involved, three
or four months' salary for two hours' work.
Come on, Jerry... if they want a recognized entertainer, how about
getting Larry Wall on structured programming? Carly Fiorina on rewarding
customer loyalty? Ron Zambonini, CEO of Cognos, on the merits of the open
source model? Or even, given the location, Janet Reno on how Carnivore
will protect privacy? Any of these should be at least as entertaining as
Al Franken is likely to be, and they might actually be "of primary
interest" to the assembly.
I have attended big conferences in major cities -- in the same venues as
HPWorld uses -- with admission prices less than a third of what Interex
charges. They get good, relevant keynote speakers -- even famous ones --
and they beat Interex for information rates, both in bits per dollar and
bits per hour. Maybe, if you'll can the entertainers for a year, you
could actually provide a superior product.
-- Bruce
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