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How to Find Speakers and Programming for Chapter Events

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One of the main reasons members join local chapters is to attend educational events where they can spend time with peers. Chapter staff and volunteer leaders do their best to plan high-quality events, but they often have trouble coming up with good program ideas and finding the best speakers.

Unfortunately, if chapters put on mediocre events with ho-hum speakers, members will spend their time and money elsewhere. Naturally, chapter leaders turn to you, their national association, for help with event programming and speakers. How should you help them? Should you create a speakers bureau? Would that help?

Before you start thinking about solutions, Peggy Hoffman, president of Mariner Management, has some advice. “Start by asking yourself, what is the real need here? Identify the problem, then create the solution. If it’s a programming problem, you’re going to have a different solution than a speaker problem.”

Ask your chapters questions that reveal their real need:

  • Are they having trouble finding speakers?
  • Is the problem finding free or inexpensive speakers?
  • Do they need help expanding their list of potential speakers?
  • Do they want you to provide speakers?
  • Or, is it a programming problem: Do they need help coming up with good program ideas?

A list of speakers won’t make a difference—and won’t even be used—if it doesn’t address the real problem. In a Billhighway webinar, Tips on Building a Speakers Bureau for Chapters, Peggy explained how several associations have helped chapters with program and speaker sourcing.

 

Teach Chapters How to Find Event Speakers

Before staff and volunteer leaders started working or volunteering for their chapter, how many of them had experience finding speakers for educational events? I think it’s safe to say we’re talking single digits here. Peggy said. “Rather than giving them fish to eat, let’s teach these folks how to fish. Instead of giving them speakers, show them how to find speakers.”

That’s exactly what the Association for Talent Development (ATD) did.

ATD hosted a webinar for chapter leaders on how to find speakers. They took them on a live web tour of sites where they might find speakers from outside the profession, for example, local chambers of commerce and through the Society for Human Resource Management chapters.

They also encouraged volunteers to think about programming from a different perspective. For example, consider teaching an in-demand soft skill that isn’t necessarily part of their licensing or certification requirements.

 

Provide Speakers & Programming to Chapters

“If we leave programming to chapters, many of them will go back to the tried and true,” said Peggy. “The small group of chapter volunteers in charge of programming are going to focus on what’s important to them or what someone suggested to them.”

Chapter leaders are stretched thin. They don’t always have the time and resources to stay on top of emerging issues. Consequently, chapter events might not keep members up-to-speed and prepared for the future.

 

Programs For Chapters

On the other hand, your national organization’s mission is to know and share what’s going on in the industry and what’s coming around the corner. You have the know-how to provide your chapters with ready-made programs and speakers. If you wonder how your association can afford to develop these programs for chapters, follow the lead of other associations and subsidize expenses with sponsorships.

Peggy advises CRPs to not go it alone. “Chapter programming is part of the larger educational programming you do as an organization. Bring in your education department to help determine the type of programming chapters need.” She shared several examples of chapter programming developed by national associations.

 

“Best in Class” Speakers

Every year, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) offers one “best in class” speaker to each chapter at no cost. These speakers received the highest evaluations from PCMA conference attendees so they have already been vetted. Chapters choose the topics and speakers that best fit their educational goals.

 

Programming Based on Research

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) provides a speakers series based on GBTA research at no cost to chapters, thanks to sponsorship. This speaker series helps GBTA get their hot topics in front of chapters. Peggy said, “Many chapter members don’t attend your national meetings or read your publications on a regular basis, so bring the research to them.”

 

Instructor Certification

The National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) runs a two-day certification program for members who want to learn how to become instructors for national programs. These certified instructors work throughout the country, not only at their own chapter.

Chapters choose topics that interest them from a list of courses and certified instructors compiled by NATP. “With this approach, you give your chapters flexibility,” said Peggy. “You’re also investing in members who are interested in becoming certified speakers—a fantastic member benefit.”

The Appraisal Institute has a similar approach. They put together a list of vetted programs that are taught by certified instructors and meet the profession’s licensing requirements. Like NATP’s program, chapters pick their own content and instructor. Chapters split event revenue with the national organization.

 

Competition

Peggy discussed a concern she hears frequently from national associations: If you’re helping chapters find speakers, aren’t you creating competition for your national programs?

The short answer is “No.” Think about it: only a percentage of chapter members attend every single one of your national conferences. Plus, bear in mind your organization’s mission which most likely includes something about professional development for industry members.

Your contribution to chapter programming has an additional benefit: brand awareness. Peggy said, “Programs and speakers are a walking billboard for your organization—so don’t worry about it.” In fact, you’ll build trust as well as a better relationship with your chapters if you provide this type of support.

How to Help Chapters Find Speakers For Their Events

What is your association doing to help chapters find speakers for their events? We’ll share examples of what other organizations are doing to help chapters with speaker lists and speaker directory. Learn next steps to building your own speaker directory.

 

Curate a Speaker List

Instead of building a chapter speaker list from scratch, the American Marketing Association (AMA) curated a list of speakers based on recommendations from chapters. They’ve since gone to a more formal speaker directory but started out with their Speaker Share tool, a simple Excel spreadsheet.

Twice a year during chapter leadership meetings, AMA asked chapter leaders to share the contact information and areas of expertise of their favorite speakers. AMA staff entered this information along with the submission date and chapter location into the Speaker Share spreadsheet.

In five years, they collected more than 200 speaker recommendations. They decided to keep the older submissions in the spreadsheet since they help spark programming ideas. And, there’s a bonus, said Peggy: “You don’t have to vet these speakers because they’ve already been vetted by the chapters who recommended them.”

 

Set Up a Speaker Directory

A speaker directory connects chapters looking for a speaker with people who want to speak. Before we go any further, we must explain why we’re using the phrase “speaker directory” instead of “speakers bureau.”

The phrase “speakers bureau” implies recommendations and ratings—you’re setting an expectation for vetted speakers. The phrase can also cause confusion with third-party professional speakers bureaus. In short, the word “bureau” sets unrealistic expectations.

If you do plan to vet speakers for your speakers bureau, you must be willing to exclude speakers who don’t qualify due to poor evaluations. And, you must be prepared to respond truthfully to members who have received poor evaluations and want to know why they aren’t listed in the bureau.

If you’re not going to vet speakers, use the phrase “speaker directory” which is understood simply as a list of speakers.

 

Create a Searchable Calendar

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) created a speaker directory based on chapter website sleuthing. They scanned every chapter website and created a searchable calendar of all chapter events, including speakers and contact information. Chapter leaders sort the calendar by location to find nearby speakers.

ATD says it only takes two to three hours a month to update the calendar. Chapter leaders consider the calendar a useful resource since it already contains information from two years of monthly events from 140 chapters. Besides being a great source of speakers, the calendar also provides valuable insight for national staff and chapter leaders into speaker and topic trends.

 

Staff-And-Volunteer-Managed Speakers Bureaus

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has two speakers bureaus. In both cases, speakers are recommended for inclusion so the word “bureau” is appropriate.

The GBTA Speakers Bureau is a list of recommended speakers from GBTA’s national events. Staff compiles and updates this list annually as a benefit for chapters.

A group of volunteer chapter presidents built and maintains the Chapter Presidents Council Speakers Bureau. Every month, this group updates the list based on recommendations of speakers from chapter and other meetings. Peggy pointed out a downside to this approach: “Volunteers certainly know a good speaker when they see one, but, remember, this is not their day job.”

 

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Before building anything, make sure you’re solving the right problem. Have enough evidence that chapters need your help finding speakers and will use whatever you build.

You could offer chapters an incentive to use your speaker directory. AMA offers a 5% speaker fee discount when chapters book a speaker via their chapter portal. If you use this approach, speakers would have to agree to give chapters a discounted rate.

Chapters won’t find your directory useful if it’s full of speakers who won’t travel. At the American Association of Diabetes Educators, only speakers who are willing to travel to local chapters are eligible for the Diabetes Educator of the Year Award. Can you create an award or incentive that will encourage speakers to work with chapters outside their region?

 

Ways to Build a Speakers Directory

The technology used for speaker resources by the associations we’ve discussed in these two posts ranges from a simple Excel spreadsheet to a customized website portal.

Here are several options to consider:

  • The Power BI Users Group uses the Higher Logic platform for their speaker directory. Members create a speaker profile to which they add their experience, areas of expertise, required fees and expenses, and presentations. Volunteer leaders search for speakers by location or expertise.
  • ReviewMySpeaker is a new white label option based on the same software used for the popular ReviewMyAMS Chapters can read reviews on speakers they’re considering in exchange for reviewing speakers they’ve worked with. Speakers or speakers bureaus who become sponsors receive premier listing at the top of search results.
  • Another option is customizing speaker directory software like SpeakerHub or eSpeakers.

Or, use an Excel spreadsheet. If many people will be updating it, turn it into a Google Sheet. When AMA had their Speaker Share spreadsheet, they posted it on their online chapter portal so people could access it 24/7.

 

Measuring the Success of Your Speakers Directory 

You must establish metrics to find out if your efforts are successful. To find the right metrics, think about the impact you want to see. The number of directory users or speaker profiles doesn’t tell you anything useful. Peggy said, “Your directory should move the needle in terms of event attendance or program evaluation. It must help chapters put on compelling events that make a difference to members.”

 

Building a Speakers Directory

1

Confirm what chapters need. Will you:

  • Build them a directory?
  • Give them a curated list of speakers?
  • Provide tailored programming?
  • Or, teach them how to find speakers themselves?
2

Review and consolidate existing speaker resources. Start by curating a speaker list. If you’ve got a chapter advisory group, ask them to make phone calls and get speaker recommendations. Put the list where chapter leaders can easily access it.

3

Experiment with a pilot. Before investing in off-the-shelf or customized software, see if your chapters will use a simple Excel spreadsheet. Peggy said, “Tell your chapters: we’re going to build something for you, but before we build it, we need to find out whether you’re going to use it and what kind of information you really need.”

4

Decide upon and track metrics that show whether your solution is meeting a need.

By stepping in to solve a big problem for chapter leaders, you’ll build their trust along with a better relationship. You’ll also help them provide education that makes an impact on their members’ lives.

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About the author

Charlotte Muylaert is the former Marketing Leader at Billhighway and greekbill. She oversaw the marketing and branding strategies for 10 years in the fraternal and association markets.