Dr. Perrodin founded two major school conferences and thoroughly understands the teacher professional development industry. David is keenly aware that school safety conferences geared toward school administrators, school boards and teachers has devolved from showcasing best practices to a cash-grab exposition of the latest, greatest, flashiest safety gizmos and doodads. GONE ARE THE RESEARCHERS. Ten years ago, safety conference keynotes were reserved for motivational speakers and researchers. The strategy was to share an empowering story and then turn the stage over to people that were fluent in educational research. This wasn’t always perfect, but it often ensured empiricism over rhetoric. School safety conferences are sprouting up across the country and the presenters are now primarily on the response side of safety - and not specifically school safety. Conference seek folks from the FBI, Secret Service and the military. These folks are not school safety researchers, but their credentials are mesmerizing and they share interesting stories that seldom have anything to do with school safety. HOW CONFERENCES GENERATE REVENUE. A market savvy conference coordinator will exploit numerous revenue streams. Here are four common sources of revenue: (1) Attendees registration fees; (2) Vendors; (3) Sponsors; (4) University credits or Continuing Education Units (CEUs). University credits have waned in recent years, but were very popular around 2011 and before when teachers could ascend the pay schedule by taking university credits. EXPENSES OF OPERATING A CONFERENCE. Running a conference of fewer than 300 people is often more expensive, per person, than running a larger event. Bulk is better. Here are seven primary expenses of operating a conference: (1) Exhibition space; (2) Meals; (3) A/V equipment; (4) Presenter fees and expenses; (5) Marketing; (6) Staff to organize the event and process registrations; (7) Agency overhead. TEN THINGS YOU CAN NEGOTIATE AS A CONFERENCE PLANNER. A charismatic, keen conference planner will find ways to maximize profits. Here are some strategies: (1) Finding keynote presenters that are already paid by their employer. This often applies to people working for the government. You can pay them a smaller presenter fee as they are double-dipping. Ironically, many of these folks have this feature built into their employment contracts. might double dip; (2) Promote the presenters books or products as marketing is valuable; (3) Buy their books in bulk and include them for drawings or to the first 100 registrants. Event coordinators will typically receive a discount of 25% off retail price when you purchase 10 or more books; (4) If 200 or more people to stay at the conference center’s lodging accommodations, a discount if often applied to the use of the exhibition hall - or even waived; (5) Comp the table space of nonprofit or start-up vendors if they will bring value to the event; (6) Require vendors to “donate” for keynote sessions prize drawings; (7) New or local presenters might agree to waive their fee for exposure as they seek to “break into” bigger circuit of presenting; (8) Selling breakout sessions to vendors; (9) During the off-season, the local chamber of commerce might offer incentives, such as dining or shopping coupons to attendees, to encourage hundreds of people to visit the community; (10) Turn attendees loose for lunch - works well if conference center is near restaurants. BOTTOM LINE is that SAFETY CONFERENCES ARE CASH GOLD MINES! There is no research to back that attending a school safety conference results in safer schools. Vendors are paying thousands of dollars to buy access to educators. A 2-day conference attended by 400 people can generate a net income of $100,000 or more. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com This is episode 104.
Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: Schools of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America
Joe Dolio | Assessing the Situation | Body Cams | Mustering Member Checks | LIVESTREAM 7-6-2020
Philipp Heinrich - Face Validity from Germany | Crowd In Theory | The Psychology of Security | LIVESTREAM 6-29-2020
Ex-Convict Larry Lawton | Situational Awareness in Prison | Livestream 6-23-2020
A Tree Fell on My House And Crushed My Bagel | Seattle TAZ | LIVESTREAM 6-11-2020
America is Burning - FACE VALIDITY with Bacon & Doc: LIVESTREAM 05-31-2020
Homeless in San Francisco | Videographer Juan Cabrera | LIVESTREAM 5-28-2020
Cognitive Offloading: How the Internet is Increasingly Taking Over Human Memory
Pandemic Lingo | Shaking a Contact Tracer | Bacon Maldito Interview
Is Special Ed Dead? | Dystopian Back-To-School Videos | Livestream 05-10-2020
Return of Chuck Mak: Face Validity from Pittsburgh
Schools Won’t Open This Fall - Here’s Why | LIVESTEAM 04-30-2020
The Dunning-Kruger Effect | What it is and how to fight it | LIVESTREAM 4-24-2020
Escaped Prisoners Near My House | Humans' Finite Voltage of 100 Days | Civilian Morale | Pranking Steve | LIVESTREAM 4-16-2020
Coronavirus is our Chernobyl (not our 9/11) | LIVESTREAM 4-11-2020
Sir Bryan Bowden | NYC Pandemic Epicenter Face Validity | Protecting Your Right to Privacy
CORONAVIRUS CRUSHES CAMPUS | Interview with University Student Nick Schulaner
Drastic Austerity Measures for K-12 | How Coronavirus Changes School Safety (Livestream 3-31-20)
How Coronavirus Changed America’s Social Contract (Livestream 3-28-20)
My Quarantined Neighbors & Face Validity Update
Face Validity - What's Going on in My Town Today - March 21, 2020
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast