Question:
My organization is a LERN member. I am seeking advise on organizing a Speaker Series for Fall. I have visited the LERN site and found nothing relative to Speaker Series, etc...
Does LERN have info on 1.) is it worth while to offer such a series, 2.) pricing and charges 3.) how to get started?
Answer:
Thank your for your question. Your question is complex, and not one that is easily answered. Here are some questions for you to think about:
- What is the purpose of your series? Is it a memorial series, a series on topics of current and highly relevant interest in your community?
- Would the series be targeted to a specific market segment?
- Are there other speakers' series offered by your institution?
- How would you market this specialized offering?
- Where would you get your speakers? Will they be celebrities? (Local or otherwise?)
- How many speakers will you sponsor?
- How will you test the community's interest in the series?
- Is the goal of the series to generate revenue or is it a community service?
- Can you partner with other organizations in the community to help build your potential market base?
- Is it possible to get sponsors to help pay for some or all of the costs of presenting the series?
- Would the series fill a need within the community? Is there a demand for the content?
- Have you done research to help determine whether there is a market for such a series?
- Will you allow people to attend individual sessions, or do they have to register for the full series? We recommend the former.
Typically, it can be difficult to generate strong revenue from a speakers series, and costs can be high if you have high-profile speakers. After you have found answers to some of the above questions, you will have a better sense of whether it is a good program strategy.