We want to do everything possible to ensure that your program is a complete success. The following “helpful hints” come from our years of experience working with speakers, facilitators and campus programmers.
Getting In Touch with Your Speaker or Facilitator
Our staff can answer most of your questions. Your speaker or facilitator will contact you about two weeks before your event to talk about the specifics of the visit, travel plans and any special needs you may have. If you need to reach your speaker or facilitator sooner, an e-mail address is on appendix of your contract.
Promoting Your Event
Most everything you need is available for downloading on our website. Simply visit your speaker’s or workshop’s webpage for photos, introductions and additional promotional materials. If you need additional information or don’t find it on the website, please give us a call. Additionally, all speakers have promotional posters available for download on their individual webpages.
Meals and Other Special Arrangements
Our speakers and facilitators do not expect you to feed or entertain them, but sometimes event sponsors like to plan a reception, book signing or meal in conjunction with the event—speakers and facilitators enjoy these informal opportunities to spend time with you. Please understand, however, that it is not an expectation. If you have an interest in planning something along these lines, please let our staff know and we will work with your speaker or facilitator to set this up in advance. We will need to make sure that these plans will not conflict with travel schedules. Be aware that some of our speakers and facilitators prefer to eat a meal after, rather than before, the event. Call us and we can talk about your speaker’s and facilitator’s preferences.
Information Tables
If your event deals with social issues—AIDS, sexual assault, alcohol abuse, etc.—you may want to invite local agencies, co-sponsors or other campus groups to set up tables at your event. A good location for these would be in the back of the room, or just outside the presentation site. Be sure to call attention to these in either the introduction or closing remarks. You may also want to make the speaker or facilitator aware of these resources, so he/she can mention them in the context of the keynote. This is a great opportunity to maximize the educational benefit of your event!
Getting There
Your speaker or facilitator will typically arrive several hours before your event. He/she will usually get settled at the hotel and get some rest until the scheduled time to meet you. If you are within 30 minutes of the airport, you may be asked to pick up your speaker or facilitator at the hotel. If your speaker or facilitator will be driving to campus, maps and driving directions are appreciated. In all cases, your speaker or facilitator will contact you and work out these details well in advance of your date.
Your Speaker’s Introduction
A prepared introduction is available for download on your speaker’s webpage. You should designate someone (preferably a student leader) to read the prepared introduction. It is fine to add additional text, and we encourage you to mention the sponsors of your event in your opening comments. If you have someone who wants to make very brief closing comments when your speaker is done, that is okay, but urge him/her to keep the comments brief. Audiences are usually pretty itchy to leave after sitting for an hour or more, so do not torture them! Your campus and community may have resources related to the event and the closing comments would be an appropriate time to mention them.
Filming and the Press
In some cases, videotaping of our speakers and facilitators is allowed. It is very important that you check with us first, however, as our speakers and facilitators have varying requirements concerning press coverage and taping. We would like this arrangement to be beneficial for you while also respecting their wishes. If you record your event, a copy must be sent to our office. Most of our speakers and facilitators are happy to meet the individuals from the press prior in advance for phone interviews. Please make arrangements with us if this is something that interests you. If an article appears about your speaker or workshop, please send us a copy.
Evaluations
You may wish to distribute an evaluation to attendees. Evaluations are useful to you (to show co-sponsors and administrators on your campus that your event was a success) and to us because we share feedback with our speakers and facilitators so they improve upon their keynotes and workshops. Evaluations are completely optional.
Our Follow Up Call
Someone from our office will contact you for feedback a day or two after your event, either by phone or email. These follow up calls are part of our commitment to you. We want to be sure that you received service that exceeded your expectations from our agency, speakers and facilitators. You may also want to write a letter of recommendation or serve as a reference for you speaker or facilitator. Please give us a few moments of your time to offer us feedback so that we may serve you better in the future.
Payment of Fee
Please be sure all necessary paperwork required by your school or organization is in progress long before your actual event date. If you have any forms requiring our signature, please send them to our office as soon as possible. We send an invoice with every contract, along with our Federal ID Number. Per the contract signed by you or your organization, payment is due no later than two weeks following your event. Please mail the full amount directly to our office at the address on your invoice, and make the check payable to CAMPUSPEAK, Inc. Please do not give the check directly to your speaker or facilitator.
