Hosting a Speaker

Background

Here are some helpful hints for hosting a speaker at GXSA

There are several pieces of information that we need to collect from speakers:

1. Contact Details
   1. Email Address
   2. Phone Number
   3. Home Town (so we know roughly how far they’ve come, and how much inconvenience they’ve gone through to visit us)
2. Content for GXSA Website
   1. Title of their talk
   2. Some Photos (1-3, ideally)
   3. Any topical websites that they would like to promote (their own website, websites related to their topic, etc.)

It may be appropriate to use several emails over a period of time to maintain communication with your Speaker.

It can be unnerving creating your first communication letter to a speaker, and knowing what to say.  Here is an example that you may like to tweak, tailor, or use as-is 

Introductory Email

Hello <speaker>

One of our members attended a reacent lecture that you presented and was very impressed.  I’d like to talk to you about the possibility of presenting a similar talk to GXSA.

Gerrards Cross Sailing Association (GXSA) bill ourselves as “The Off-Season Club for Boating Enthusiasts”.  We meet for 20 sessions between October and March each year.  We’ve been doing this since 1965, so GXSA has established an excellent reputation amongst the “Speaking Fraternity”.  You can see our website at https://www.gxsa.org.uk, and a history of (recent) talks at https://www.gxsa.org.uk/index.php/weekly-programme-of-events.

We have around 200 members with an average weekly attendance of from 75 to 85. Many are active sailors; some have by now, as they say, swallowed the anchor; some have never been near a boat. But we all have an interest in anything that floats – or has floated.

Talks are always on a Wednesday evening, in Gerrards Cross Memorial Centre Colston Hall (SL9 7AD) which has good, modern facilities.  The hall and bar opens at 1930, with the talk commencing at 2015 and a break at around 2100, restarting at 2115 to complete and take questions.

We suggest that speakers arrive between 18:00 and 19:00 to setup, and get familiar with the arrangements.  Our host for the evening will usually take the speaker (and guest) to dinner as our guests around 19:00, returning at 20:00 for final preparations before the lecture begins (at 20:15).

With 50 years experience of organising talks at GXSA, we’ve learnt that. advance planning works.  We’re currently planning for our Spring 2017 schedule; I know it’s a long way in the future, but good planning pays off, as they say! 

We have all the usual facilities:

• Computer (with Microsoft Office 2013)
• Projector
• PA System, with loop for the hearing impaired
• Wireless microphone, headset
• Laser pointer
• etc.