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LARRY GOINS AND SHAUN MCCLOSKEY<br />
payment for the Saturday workshop; how much is being charged;<br />
how the split will be taken in<strong>to</strong> consideration...).<br />
Remember <strong>to</strong> include in your comments that you must get a W-9<br />
form from the speaker if the association is, in fact, collecting<br />
payments and then paying the speaker his share later. W-9s are easy<br />
<strong>to</strong> get up front before payouts are completed. They're a lot harder <strong>to</strong><br />
get at the end of the year once everyone has been paid and gone on<br />
their merry way.<br />
Finally, about contracts—keep them simple. We've covered a lot<br />
here, but everything we've just discussed can be spelled out in a<br />
three- <strong>to</strong> five-page agreement. Don't make it more difficult than it is.<br />
I had one company invite me <strong>to</strong> speak and then proceeded <strong>to</strong> send a<br />
36-page agreement. It doesn't have <strong>to</strong> be so hard.<br />
Book Them<br />
We've now covered the essentials for finding effective speakers for<br />
your <strong>REIA</strong> event. We have attended hundreds of meetings and have<br />
collectively spoken at just as many. Over the years, I have seen<br />
wonderful events, and I've seen events which fell apart faster than a<br />
house of cards. Booking the right speaker is the first element <strong>to</strong> a<br />
successful event, but there is much more <strong>to</strong> consider.<br />
Once you've found your speaker, you will need <strong>to</strong> begin planning<br />
the event. Everything hinges on your ability <strong>to</strong> generate interest,<br />
promote the event, and get those tails in the seats! Without people in<br />
the seats, you will have essentially wasted your time. Worse yet, you<br />
will have wasted your speaker's time as well. There's nothing worse<br />
that planning for a big event only <strong>to</strong> have a handful of people show<br />
up.<br />
The following chapter will focus on this next step in the process.<br />
Promoting your <strong>REIA</strong> event is just as important as finding the right<br />
speaker. Next up, I'll present a number of different methods for<br />
increasing the <strong>size</strong> of your audience as well as honing in on a few<br />
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