When you’ve been working in a particular field for over twenty years, much of that as a specialist, say, in fashion, then you have a certain amount of knowledge and often, if you’re lucky, an audience who follow you.
Those things are your commodities, they’re what you trade in. So when a fellow professional asks you to spend some time sharing your expertise and audience for the benefit of their clients, surely it’s fair to think you’ll be paid for it.
Of course it is. There’s no credible argument for a professional to appear at a commercial event without a fee. And yet I’ve been asked to do just that several times in the last few months.
As digital retail continues to grow in-real-life events also become more important to brands – not just parties, but trends discussions, open studios, panel events, forums.
Do suggest those ideas to your clients, they can add a a new dimension to a brand and encourage customer loyalty.
But if you want to involve journalists also let them know that they’ll need a budget in place. I can personally assure you it will save on an embarrassing, thanks, but no thanks response later down the line.
