URL: http://www.esparzaspeakers.com/blog/index.php/view/12/Let_s_talk_contingency_plans
If you are a meeting planner or training director, your hands are full. I remember those days. So many details are involved in planning, preparing for, marketing and, ultimately, managing events. With barely enough hours in your days to handle all the details for which you are responsible, it can be unnerving to contemplate for any length of time the unlikely possibility that a speaker won't show up.
If you are a speaker, on the other end of this spectrum, you might not enjoy marketing yourself as a backup. Most experts don't set a goal of being "the substitute."
But we all get thrown curves from time to time. Weather, equipment issues, and such have kept many a flight from reaching the appointed destination. And, while it isn't a pleasant thought, even the healthiest speaker is subject (as is their family) to the usual human frailities that result in injuries, illnesses, or funerals. So wise managers give thought to contingencies . . . what will an effective meeting planner do to save the day when an audience is expecting a training session, convention breakout, or even the conference's keynote address?
The answer is: They should have one (or more) valued relationships which they can call upon to offer viable solutions to such a dilemma. And-hello-as the principal of ES, I am eager to assure you that we're ready and able to be just such a dependable and resourceful partner. Using our extensive and outstanding contacts across the country, we are willing to take on the challenge of filling that last-minute vacancy.
And to my speakers, I gently remind them of the obvious: Since grade school days, we all want to be "picked first." But being the backup isn't so bad . . . who doesn't love the hero who rides to the rescue of one in distress? And in the final analysis, what difference does it make how you got to the podium, once you get there?
So I sincerely hope that you begin your future speaker searches at the ES website. But if you don't and you find yourself dealing with a no-show or cancellation, please don't think twice about picking up the phone and asking for our assistance. ES, and each of our speakers, are honored to serve you whenever we can.