Speaking, conferences, seminars

I am regularly invited to speak at conferences, webinars and lunchtime seminars on a range of topics relating to local and national climate action. I enjoy it and want to keep doing it. However, as an independent consultant, speaking is work: preparing a talk and travelling somewhere to deliver it usually takes a full day or more, and I am not able to take on multiple days of unpaid work every year (which would easily be the case if I accepted all the speaking engagements I get asked to do!)

To keep things simple and transparent, I have a standard approach to charging for speaker engagements (note, this is for conferences and events, and 1 hour seminars.  For full training courses, please see the separate training page):

Full rate: £750 per day (£375 per half day)
For local authorities, central government and civil service bodies, national charities with an annual income greater than £1 million, Town Councils with more than 5 full-time staff, and commercial organisations.

Community rate: £375 per day (£190 per half day)
For community-based and voluntary organisations, such as community energy groups, volunteer-led networks, Parish Councils, and small local charities. I set this rate to be accessible, and I'm happy to talk about what works for your group. 

Travel and accommodation are charged in addition at both rates.

A 45-minute talk isn't really a 45-minute commitment.  The fee covers preparing and tailoring a presentation for your audience, any briefing conversations beforehand, travel time and delivery. For most events this comes to a full day, and where the journey is long, more than that. I can confirm the time involved when I quote.

While online sessions take less time than travelling to an event, they do still involve more than the hour on screen. A one-hour webinar typically means at least 3 hours of preparation (tailoring content, building a slide deck, a briefing conversation if needed), plus time for technical setup, delivery and questions after the event.

For a talk where the materials are very similar to one I have already given, the Full Rate is £250 and the community rate is £125.  Where the talk needs to be written from scratch or heavily edited, I can consider the work involved and provide you with a quote.

Recordings and repeat or on-demand use of a session, are by agreement, as they are a separate use of my work. 

I live in a rural area without practical access to a railway station, so I normally travel by electric vehicle. Where rail isn't a realistic option, this is usually both the most cost-effective and the lowest-emission way for me to reach an event.

• Mileage is charged at 55p per mile, in line with the HMRC rate.
• I will use public transport where it is practical and good value, or where I feel sure it will significantly reduce emissions.  I will work this out when I quote.
• If an overnight stay is needed to avoid very early starts or late returns, I'll ask for accommodation to be covered.

I am self-employed.  My day rate has to cover all of the costs that a salaried employee may take for granted, such as sick pay, holiday pay, business development costs, accountancy costs, business insurance, pension, etc.  As a result, I can't take on unpaid work regularly. That includes invitations from well-resourced registered charities with paid staff and events budgets.