Re: Speaker Fees

**N* S* <N*@PlantSoup.Com>**

OMG Katie, those are ridiculously low fees!  

I think its important to let the venue know how much work is involved in presenting a high quality talk.  A contentious speaker spends many hours putting a talk together, wether it is PowerPoint based, demonstration, hands on, etc.  They have to develop a theme, collect images or items for the presentation.  Learn the talk, prepare their own notes, and so on.

Every good speaker produces a handout for the participants as well.  

Whether you travel five minutes or five hours, the preparation is the same.  The time on site is the same. 

Add to that travel time to and from the venue, arriving early to set up, giving the presentation, and hanging out afterwards for inevitable questions from the audience - especially if it is an inspiring talk. 

This is not a one shot or one hour deal.  Its a very time and labor intensive process even if its a talk that the presenter has given before.  

If you have books or other items to sell, the margin on those is so low that it doesn't pay for the time spent preparing and presenting.  

We have to get these folks to realize that we are professional speakers deserving of professional fees.  When we come to speak, we benefit them by bringing our audiences in to their facilities, and giving their audiences a reason to visit.    

For $50 or $125, they host a master gardener or the neighborhood do-gooder but not a pro.

Sorry for the rant but this topic really pushes my buttons ... 

On Aug 2, 2011, at 8:43 AM, Katie Elzer-Peters wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I've gotten several questions from Botanical Gardens lately about speaker
> fees. One garden is redoing their fees. Their current free structure is
> really low, I think. Right now, they give $50 to everyone and $125 to anyone
> outside of a 20 mile radius.
> 
> Would anyone care to weigh in on what their organizations pay, or ball parks
> for what they charge?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Katie Elzer-Peters
> 
> The Garden of Words, LLC
> "Business Writing for Busy Bees"
> http://www.thegardenofwords.com
> 317-313-8366
> -----------
> Great Garden Speakers
> Horticulture. Design. Ecology.
> Inspiring topics for every audience.
> http://www.greatgardenspeakers.com
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