Awards programs. If you’re in professional services or business more generally, you may have a sweet tooth for entering them. I know that I do, and we nominate our Ruby Assembly clients for awards as often as we can.
Why? Well, awards - whether you’re a finalist or the winner - give your business the ring of legitimacy. They also look pretty good at the base of a website, or in your email header. And they can give you lots to talk about and share across social media, too. So there’s much to recommend participation in awards programs to you, the professional service business Principal.
But… AND HERE’S THE BUT… awards programs can feel like a bit of a rort, with full business models built around their existence, sometimes costly application fees and expensive ticketed eventing requirements. And their most rort-like characteristic is an unwillingness to pay their speakers. Particularly as they are for-profit events built solely around servicing the needs of the industry they’re celebrating excellence within. They require a carousel of legitimate speakers with quality insights to share, people who are at the top of their field. The speakers are the talent and the drawcard. So why the cheapness around paying for talent?
The days of being paid in ‘exposure’ are far behind us, as exposure doesn’t pay the BAS, #amirite? Without a doubt, being asked to speak does feel like an honor. It’s a kind of recognition, and an opportunity to showcase your skill. But it is fair that experts are paid at the very least for their time. If you were a lawyer, would you elect not to invoice your client for time spent on advice? I’d guess not. So why make an exception for an awards organisation?
When failure to pay talent is at its most Trump-galling is when it occurs at women-celebrating events. In an environment where discussion takes place around the elevation of female and female-identifying voices, refusing to pay for your expert women speakers is at best hypocritical, and at worst, misogynist. I know we’ve all been to events which are celebrating women in business where keynote speakers are men, or panels are packed with blokes. I understand, as a marketer, that money needs to be made from an awards program and that sponsors want their moment in the sun. But surely those sponsors have female talent that can speak to their service’s benefits?! I’m alway bewildered when a man takes the stage. Isn’t there enough spaces for corporate male voices to be heard?
My favorite part of awards programs - apart from winning them of course …. - is the conference that is usually adjoining them. It’s an opportunity for networking, showcasing your brand, having your face seen and… getting out of the office. Whenever I attend or participate in conference programs, I definitely build my database courtesy of our library of free resources, and I further solidify my reputation in the category I’m prospecting - whether that’s law, energy, allied health or accounting. So I’m not suggesting that awards events are to be popped in the bin.
What I’d ask from you, the reader, is solidarity around asking for payment from organisations who’d like you to speak. And from event organisers, to offer the dignity of providing payment for skilled contribution. The sum is a different matter … but surely, the entry point should be an appreciation for talent and honoring expertise. Particularly if you are running an event that’s gender-celebrating.
