In the Bizarro world of Alex Dali and Allen Gluck, keynote speakers don’t get paid to speak an event, they pay. A lot.
According to the official G31000 “partnership brochure” you can buy a keynote speaker spot for their doomed upcoming July conference for a whopping $10,000. If you’re a cheapskate, you can always opt for the plenary session speaker spot for $8,500.
If spending money like water isn’t “risky” enough, you can rest easy while tempting fate by buying a speaker slot in an event that is less than two months out, and has yet to book any speakers, vendors or even establish a schedule. At least the G3100o website doesn’t indicate anything. The Manhattanville College website isn’t listing the event either, and they were rumored to have sponsored the event until a few months ago, when they wiped all trace of Dali and G31000 from their website. (A request for clarification on this point sent to the Manhattanville President Jon Strauss and Dean of Graduate Studies Anthony Davidson went unanswered.)
Perhaps Alex and Allen should apply some of their alleged business experience, and learn that conferences pay their speakers, not charge them, and that asking a speaker to pay 10 grand is probably going to limit their choices just a bit.
I’m thinking of offering him $50. If he pays my airfare.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
