There is much more leverage to be gained if the speaker and your supplier partner work together at your meeting. Here are some things for meeting professionals to consider as they broker a speaker sponsorship:

 (1) Make sure the speaker is versed in the vendor's product or service. If appropriate, the speaker might be able to use the company as an example during the presentation. For instance, in addressing an audience of law firm administrators, I spoke about how important it is that the right work is done by the right people. The sponsor, Pitney Bowes, handled printing and mail room services for the firm in a cost-effective manner. Therefore, Pitney Bowes served as a great example of a strategic alliance for me, and I was able to give the sponsor additional exposure.

(2) Use the speaker for both a keynote and a breakout session. Many speakers charge a daily fee, which means that a planner can use them for more then one session.

(3) Ask the speaker to write an article that can be reprinted with the vendor's logo and given away at the vendor's booth. The speaker can be in the booth, autographing the article.

(4) Ask the speaker to sign books and greet people in the vendor's booth. Give away the speaker's book at the booth to the first 100 people to drop in. Split the give-away into morning and afternoon.

(5) Work with the speaker to use either her core message or the speech title as part of the background in the booth.

(6) Suggest that the sponsoring vendor print a postcard with its company information and the speaker's key learning points. Mail it after the trade show to everyone who attended the conference.

(7) If the vendor has permission to e-mail attendees, consider hiring the speaker to write an article or newsletter that the vendor can send out to attendees after the event.

Speakers can increase traffic onto a trade show floor when they reference booths, products, or even people from the platform. At a national health care conference, one vendor was giving out tiny plastic martini glasses that could be worn around the neck. When you pressed a button, the martini glasses started blinking.

When I stood on stage, gazing out at the flashing martini glasses, I solemnly announced, "Even XYZ company knows that health care is on the blink." It not only got a laugh, but got attendees out in the exhibit hall at the next break in search of their own martini necklaces.

These tips should be used for informational purposes and not be considered legal advice.

° The National Speakers Association (NSA) is the leading educational organization for professional speakers. NSA's 3,500 members include experts in a variety of industries and disciplines, who reach audiences as trainers, educators, humorists, motivators, consultants, authors, and more. As a service to meeting professionals, NSA provides resources and information on finding and working with speakers. Please visit NSA's Web site at www.nsaspeaker.org.

° Popular keynoter and consultant Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE, has authored numerous books, including Work for a Living and Still be Free to Live and The Resilient Spirit. She is also a radio commentator and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association. Visit her Web site at www.EileenMcDargh.com.