The Process for Organizing an Event

The process for organizing an event is as follows:

1. Have a look through the other pages of this website (esp. the "Videos" page) to see whether you think I might be a good fit for your event.
2. Read the section below concerning "Honoraria."
3. Make an initial inquiry concerning my availability via iainprvn@gmail.com.  If your preferred dates work, then:
4. Settle on a topic and a format - if you need help, look at the "Public Speaking" page.
5. Fill out ONE of the speaking engagement forms that can be downloaded from the foot of the page, and send it to me by email.

I will get back to you with either confirmation or regrets as soon as possible after receiving your completed form.

Please note that as of January 2023 I do not permit any kind of recording - audio or video - of any of my events.  I want to be fully present with the particular people who have gathered together for a specific event in a specific, embodied location.

The question of honoraria is a vexed issue.  There are widely differing ideas about how it should best be handled, and what an appropriate scale of payment looks like.  Because of this, the question can be the subject of much embarrassment and frustration on all sides.  

In order to minimize these difficulties, a number of my colleagues and I agreed among ourselves a while ago on what appeared to us to be a reasonable fee structure, and we have adhered to it ever since, "Reasonable" means "fair recompense for all the (hidden) hours that go into preparing materials for an event and then the time spent participating in the event," while taking account of the fact that I am engaged in ministry rather than in business.  There is also the fact that, as of December 2022, I am retired and no longer drawing a salary.

Here is the fee schedule in US and Canadian dollars (for the sake of simplicity).  It is based on the number of $500 "sessions" involved in an engagement:

1. $500: a sermon in church, for example, or a single evening talk, or a two-hour consultation with a board of elders or with pastoral staff.
2. $1000:  a sermon plus an afternoon talk, for example, or a conference taking up around 4 hours over a Friday evening and a Saturday morning.  
3. $1500: A weekend conference, for example - but the fee might be higher depending on how much work is actually involved.

We believed when we discussed this topic that many groups and churches would be able to afford such fees, especially if they were to sell tickets for an event.  The cost per person would typically work out to be quite small in such cases - which is already true of the fee per hour for the speaker.  In my experience selling advance tickets for events, even at a low cost, is in any case a wise thing to do, because it increases the likelihood that attendees will actually turn up "on the day," even though there may be competing attractions (as it were).    

HOWEVER: I am well aware that for some groups of limited means the issue of honoraria is problematic - even for conferences and public lectures where ticket sales are a possibility. THEREFORE: any group requesting my help is welcome to explain their financial circumstances to me, and I will always try to accommodate them as best I can.  There is space for this explanation on the speaking engagement forms that are downloadable below.