DIGG IT! At MAX 2007 speakers will encounter some changes. Having spoken at prior MAX events myself, speaker treatment and benefits were not on par with other events. The MAX team has rewritten the book this year on speaker benefits and overall treatment at MAX. These changes will change MAX inside out as an event and allow us to attract the best speakers in the Web, Design, and RIA marketplace.
New MAX 2007 Speaker Benefits:
1. Complimentary Hotel at MAX 2007
2. Upgraded Speaker Ready Room - Larger area, Food/Drinks, Quiet Area
3. Dedicated staff for speakers
4. Exclusive Speaker Dinner
5. Speaker gifts
6. Simplified agreements using Digital Signatures (PDF)
Speaking at MAX will be wildly different this year for both internal and external speakers. We need to recognize the hard work that goes into preparing original content for MAX. Speaking at conferences is hard work and at MAX 2007, Adobe will be putting out the red carpet for speakers.
More to come!
Ted :)
Sounds great. Sign me up! ;)
This has certainly seemed to be a sticking point for some people in the past, so this can only be good news. I'm looking forward to MAX more and more all the time!
Sounds great!!! But how does one become a speaker?
Speaker proposals for MAX 2007 is now closed and speakers have been finalized. Speaker notifications will be going out very soon.
MAX typically does a call for speakers 6 months before the MAX event. Speakers are selected from the proposed sessions.
Regards,
Ted :)
Ted, I'm glad you're involved in the conference now. However, to be "on par" with other conferences I think it's fair to say that "most" conferences pay travel expenses (hotel and air) plus a small to medium to large honorarium. Of course some conferences pay 0 too.
In the case of Adobe Max--I saw other complaints about the quality of speakers. In my opinion this has never been a real pitfall of Max... but, if you do pay speakers I think you naturally cause everyone to take it a little be more seriously. Both the party who pays and the one receiving the money.
Also point in fact: for the last several years Max has NOT had a call for speakers! Rather, they have a "call for topics". Basically you enter a title for a presentation... no room for an actual proposal. If the conference wasn't so great I'd probably give you all more advice... but it is good.
I will say this, having spoke at every Ucon/Max from 1996 - 2003 the BEST conferences were those after that year... probably because I had time to actually attend the sessions.
Thanks,
Phillip Kerman
Phillip,
Great points here. It is important to highlight that Adobe is changing in regard to how we handle speakers. The changes this year are a great start to restoring MAX as an event but we certainly are not done. To make MAX great we will continue to listen and adjust.
Thanks for your feedback, More to come!
Ted :)