Seminar Marketing: A behind the scenes look…
If you’ve been online for even 30 days you’ve no doubt been invited to a seminar or workshop. I’ve spoken at some of the best in our industry and am a strong advocate of getting out of the house and going to one for the specialized, cutting edge content and networking — plus, you can have a lot more fun than staring at your computer all the time.
But let’s take a look at Seminars (and workshops, bootcamps, etc.) from behind the scenes for a moment…
(Go here for an in depth behind the scenes look at the seminar business)
In the "Internet Marketing" niche tickets for these events usually are at least $500. I’ve spoken at several workshops that were $5,000 a seat, and also at Big Seminar, which is $1,997 and sells out every time (we’re talking 400 to 500 people, depending on the hotel size).
Others will put hundreds or even a thousand people in a room for free or like $97… and some will sell out exclusive events for $10,000 or more (this is especially true in investing and real estate niche markets).
Just play with your calculator and see what the potential windfall is for putting on a successful seminar. And then realize that at these events the speakers often sell something and the promoter of the event normally gets up to 50% of that money, too.
People gladly pay to go to live events like this because they know it’s one of the few ways to actually get to interract with experts in their field and network with potential Joint Venture partners. For all the money the promoter gets, savvy attendees ink deals in between sessions, in the hallways, and in the bar that far exceed the ticket price.
And there are seminars of some kind in just about any market you can name…
So, now you’re starting to see that seminars themselves are a business… a very, very lucrative business with windfall paydays in over just a few days when done right.
Let me give you just a glimpse of the different profit centers…
1) ticket sales (I’ve already shown you the numbers possible earlier…)
2) profit sharing with speakers ‘back of the room’ sales (this can turn even a free or $97 seminar into a huge pay day)
3) product creation (each seminar can be recorded and turned into a high perceived value home study course… John Reese’s Traffic Secrets was based on a $4500 workshop… and was the first ‘Million Dollar Day’ product launch)
And that’s just the beginning…
But, there’s a catch… I’ve personally watched several friends put on events, even small workshops, and go through a steep learning curve to pull off and profit from them. I’ve heard others tell horror stories of how they paid out the nose learning by ‘trial by fire’.
Here’s an example: perhaps your biggest variable is your cost for the location. If you don’t know what you are asking for, I can tell you from personal experience that the hotel you want to use WILL take every penny that they can out of your wallet.
If you know what cities to host events in, what terms to look for, and what NEVER to do, you can pay a WHOLE lot less than someone who just bumbles through it.
As with anything, you can be profitable your first time out if you follow a proven system. That’s because you let whoever developed the system make all the mistakes first 
Let me give you a prime example…
I’ve been to 7 Big Seminars and other events hosted by my friend Armand Morin and they run like a Swiss watch… from the promotion leading up to the event down to the pens and pads on each attendees table when they sit down to each session.
Over those 7 Big Seminars I’ve watched Armand and his incredible team perfect the system… and the reason I’m writing you this today is that he’s doing a free teleseminar training on how to profit from the Seminar marketing business.
I’m excited about this… there is really no one better to show you behind the scenes how it all works.
Check it out…
http://www.maverickmarketer.com/seminartraining
Make no mistake, you don’t just announce an event your first time and have people magically flock to your door… unless you know what you’re doing.
The details of the system are what make the difference between making a lot of money and risking a huge disaster.
So here’s my suggestion… take a close look at the opportunities seminar marketing offers as an extension of your business, or perhaps a new business in and of itself.
Sign up for Armand’s free teleseminar Wednesday December 13th — even if you can’t make it live — because those who are registered will get the replay of the call.
This is the first time Armand has put his system into a course… and along with Heather Seitz, Debra Thompson and Robin Thompson, there is no better team to learn from.
I’ve been to their events, I’ve spoken at several, and I myself am studying their system for my first event (which I’ll announce in 2007).
Take a second to register for the call tomorrow and check out what they’ve got to offer… it’s everything you’ll need to put on a profitable event your first time whether it’s a ten person workshop or a 1000 person mega seminar.
http://www.maverickmarketer.com/seminartraining
I don’t know if putting on a seminar or workshop is for you or not, but in the information marketing business, it’s a next logical step for many who formerly had no idea they’d ever do such a thing. Check it out…
See you there,
Craig Perrine