Who would speak at an event that charged speakers to do so?
These events may charge $2000 a head, but it doesn't cost them $2000, or even $5, to let a +1 watch your talk.
These events may charge $2000 a head, but it doesn't cost them $2000, or even $5, to let a +1 watch your talk.
It looks like the OP is an established consultant/teacher, so he probably only goes to conferences that invite him to speak (and my guess is, from what I have heard about you tptacek, that you are in the same boat), so he may be unfamiliar with the practice. But for us peons, with little to no name recognition, conference papers and talks can be a big resume booster, so it's not out of the question to pay-to-speak (you still have to go through the proposal process though). In my old industry, this was standard practice, and because almost everyone had their conference registration and travel paid for by their employer, it wasn't a huge deal.