The conference speaking business, results from the survey
A few weeks ago I was writing content for my speaking information for conference organisers page and I wondered about other speakers’ ‘terms of business’ and how much—if anything—they charged. To get a feeling for how people approach the business of speaking, I set up a quick survey.
I included questions about contracts, fees, reimbursable expenses, and payment terms. I’m by no means a professional researcher and I’m positive that I could improve these questions if I run this survey again in the future.
The questions
- How long have you been speaking at conferences?
- How many times per year on average do you speak at conferences?
- Do you charge a fee to speak at conferences?
- If you charge a fee, how much do you charge on average?
- Do you adjust any fee depending on the conference’s ticket prices?
- Do you waive any fee for non-profit community events and meet ups?
- Do you charge a non-refundable ‘booking fee?’
- Do you insist on organisers signing a contract?
- How quickly do organisers pay your fee?
- Do conferences commonly arrange in advance and pay for?
- Do you insist on premium or business class air travel and train fares over a certain duration?
- Do you have information for conference organisers available online?
A summary
- 237 people responded over 7 days
- Majority have been speaking for between 2–5 years
- Most speak between 1–3 times per year
- Majority charge no fee to speak
- For those who charge a fee, the average is between $500–2,500 USD
- 90% don’t charge a booking fee
- Majority don’t sign a contract
- Most fees are paid within 30 days
The results
I’m presenting the answers to my questions without a commentary. I’ll leave how I feel about how people approach the business of speaking at conferences to a separate post.
How many years have you been speaking at conferences? |  |  |  |
| < 1 | 2–5 | 6–10 | > 10 |
|---|
| < 1 year | 8.7% |
|---|
| 2–5 years | 40.6% |
|---|
| 6–10 years | 26.9% |
|---|
| 10 years > | 26.9% |
|---|
Majority have been speaking for between 2–5 years. ⤒
How many times per year on average do you speak at conferences? | | | |
| 1–3 | 4–6 | 7–10 | 10 > |
|---|
| 1–3 times | 52.1% |
|---|
| 4–6 times | 26% |
|---|
| 7–10 times | 12.8% |
|---|
| > 10 times | 9.1% |
|---|
Most speak between 1–3 times per year. ⤒
Do you charge a fee to speak at conferences? | | |
| Always | Sometimes | Never |
|---|
| Always | 8.3% |
|---|
| Sometimes | 33.9% |
|---|
| Never | 57.8% |
|---|
Majority charge no fee to speak. ⤒
If you charge a fee, how much do you charge on average? (USD)| < $500 |  |
|---|
| $500–2,500 |  |
|---|
| $2,500–5,000 |  |
|---|
| $5,000–10,000 |  |
|---|
| $10,000 > |  |
|---|
Fees converted to US Dollars. If someone gave a range, I included the higher amount. ⤒
Do you adjust any fee depending on conferences’ ticket prices? |  |  |
| No | Yes | I don’t charge |
|---|
| Yes | 28.6% |
|---|
| No | 21.4% |
|---|
| Don’t charge a fee | 50% |
|---|
Half of people don’t charge a fee. Of those that do, 21.4% charge a flat fee and don’t change it according to the ticket price. ⤒
Do you waive any fee for non-profit community events and meet ups? | | |
| No | Yes | I don’t charge |
|---|
| Yes | 43.2% |
|---|
| No | 8.3% |
|---|
| Don’t charge a fee | 48.4% |
|---|
Majority charge no fee to speak at non-profit community events and meet ups. ⤒
Do you charge a non-refundable ‘booking fee?’| No |  |
|---|
Overwhelming majority don’t charge a non-refundable booking fee. ⤒
Do you insist on organisers signing a contract? |  |
| Yes | No |
|---|
Majority don’t insist on organisers signing a contract. ⤒
How quickly do organisers pay your fee? | | | | | |
| In advance | On the day | < 7 | < 30 | < 60 | 60 > |
|---|
| In advance | 19.1% |
|---|
| On the day | 11.8% |
|---|
| < 7 days | 10.9% |
|---|
| < 30 days | 46.4% |
|---|
| < 60 days | 10% |
|---|
| 60 days > | 1.8% |
|---|
Most fees are paid within 30 days. ⤒
Do conferences commonly arrange in advance and pay for? |  |  |  |
| Accommodation | Air or train travel | Transportation | Hotel wifi/internet |
|---|
| 93.3% | 73.8% | 41.8% | 37.6% |
Do you insist on premium or business class air travel and train fares over a certain duration?| No | |
|---|
Do you insist on premium or business class air travel and train fares no matter the length of time it takes to travel to an event. ⤒
Do you have information for conference organisers available online?| No |  |
|---|
Only a fraction of speakers have information for conference organisers available online. ⤒
A conclusion
I’ll leave how I feel about these results and how people approach the business of speaking at conferences to a separate post. Until then, are you surprised by them? Let me know what you think. (You can blame Errol for the bananas.)
January 23, 2018
•
Andy Clarke
•
business •
conference