A Wrightslaw Conference is an intense educational experience for your attendees. At the same time, it can become an expense to your organization or become a fundraiser netting thousands of dollars. It is all based on your marketing and whether you want to use excess funds generated from a Wrightslaw conference to finance other ventures.

A large turnout is primarily attributed to the ease of registration, specifically online, as well as advanced marketing and publicity. Print your conference brochure well in advance of the program. (To see others created for prior programs, go to the end of this page and click the link about "Past Programs.") Develop a registration form that allows individuals to register quickly and easily, preferably by credit card, via phone, fax, email, or website, before they change their mind.

Click here to read Pete's advice about putting on a successful program that will sell out.

Each potential attendee will ask themselves, "What's in it for me? Do I really have the time? Is there something I will miss that I need to know?" What if the attendee stood to save over $3,000 by attending the program? More on that in just a moment.

If you are thinking about hosting a Wrightslaw Conference, but are afraid of what it entails and whether you will have enough attendees, you will want to become familiar with the stories below about the SOLD OUT Wrightslaw conference co-sponsored by The Arc of Larimar County and The Arc of Weld County, Steve, and Staci Bockmann and the San Diego Autism Society and also look at the program brochures created by Team Mario and The AOTS Group.

The Arc of Larimar County and The Arc of Weld County co-sponsored a Wrightslaw training in Loveland, CO . Enjoy this MP4 Promo. Check out the accompanying flyer.

Steve and Staci Bockmann of The Great Expectations Speech, Sensory Integration and Learning Center in the Detroit, Michigan area contracted with us to host a conference in their city. Believing they needed more time, We tried to talk them out of that date.

Despite the short time for planning and preparation, the conference SOLD OUT almost two weeks in advance with 500 attendees. The program paid for itself, and they netted a profit to finance other ventures for their Center.

Steve's marketing flyer/promo opened with the statement that - "One Tip From A Wright's Special Education Law Advocacy Seminar Saved Me Over $3,000!"

A powerful opening statement, a hook, caused the reader to continue reading. Once read in its entirety, the reader knew that they had to sign up for the program.

Click here to read his promo.

Because of increasing last minute calls and emails, notices were posted on all of the entrance doors that the event was "Sold Out." Click here for a link to the photo of the posted "Sold Out" notice.

Impressed by their promotional skills, Pete interviewed Steve and Staci about their marketing process and prowess. When you hear their story, you will be in awe.

The Bockmanns stressed that, after the online registration is operational, it is very important to involve many other disability organizations and agencies in the promotion and marketing of the event. Businesses, corporations, agencies, professionals, and parents became involved.

Flyers were posted in car dealerships and medical and dental offices. This included the local dentist who is known to be so good with children with disabilities. Many businesses employ or are owned or operated by someone who has a child with a disability. The various parent groups helped identify those individuals. Once that company posts information about the event, then the door is now open to approaching all other similar companies to post a flyer. The word begins to spread like wildfire!.

The Bockmanns had 18 vendor tables at the conference. The vendors assisted in the conference promotion.

Click here for a link to a photo of Steve and Staci and their son, Blake, with Pete.

Click here to listen to or download the audio mp3 interview.

In August, the San Diego Autism Society contracted with Wrightslaw/Harbor House Law Press for a Wrightslaw Conference on February 1, 2013.

In mid-December, six weeks before the program, they SOLD OUT at 250 attendees. How did they do it? Click here to see their Wrightslaw Conference page (now archived). Pete was so impressed, he conducted a video interview about their unique marketing efforts. Click here to listen, watch, and learn how to successfully host a Wrightslaw Conference and have it become a fundraiser for their organization.

In November a group in McAllen, Texas and an individual in Temecula, CA hosted Wrightslaw conferences and used the conference as a fundraiser. They generated a nice profit. To see our webpage about each event, click on the respective link. Temecula CA - The AOTS Group / / / McAllen, TX - Team.Mario

They listened to the Bockmann interview and watched the San Diego video. From that, after they determined the conference date, signed our contract and had the venue, they marketed co-sponsorships, solicited vendors, and sought advertisers. They marketed to a wide range of businesses that might want recognition for assisting with the Wrightslaw conference.

The co-sponsors, vendors, and advertisers ranged from car dealerships to special education attorneys. To find special ed service providers in their geographical area who might be interested in becoming a sponsor / vendor / advertiser at the event, one resource was our list of service providers on our Yellow Pages for Kids website.

Team Mario in McAllen, Texas created a program brochure that was included in each attendee's packet of books when they signed in the morning of the conference. Their handout was created using sheets of 11 x 17 paper, stapled in the middle so that it was an eight-page program. There were approximately 20 sponsors, vendors, and advertisers listed in that brochure. Click here for their brochure.

The AOTS group (The Advocacy Office of Theresa Sester) in Temecula, California also created a program brochure that was included in each attendee's packet of books. Theresa's handout used three sheets of 11 x 17 paper, stapled in the middle, to create a twelve-page program. Approximately 9 sponsors / vendors / advertisers were included in that brochure. Click here for her brochure.

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It is essential that you distribute information about your program by flyers and brochures that people can download, print, and distribute to groups and organizations within your state and surrounding states. (scroll down for more advice about publicity). You might want to visit our Yellow Pages for Kids website and send individualized, personalized emails to those listed in your state, asking them to help promote your event.

Organizing a Wrightslaw training program is a big undertaking. Some groups obtain financial support from bar associations, nonprofit groups, law firms, psychologists, and corporate entities. Other groups secure grants or other independent funding. As seen with the examples above, individuals, groups, and organizations have successfully used a Wrightslaw program as a fundraising event.

After details of the program are finalized, we will help publicize your event. We will build a page about your program and post it on the Wrightslaw site. A link to web pages of past programs is at the bottom of this page.

We will send targeted emails to thousands of individuals in your geographical area.

Venue
Wrightslaw conferences have been held in many different venues, including conference hotels, conference centers, universities, churches, civic centers, casinos, an Elks Lodge and more.

If you need help with finding a suitable venue, Cvent, Inc., offers a free service that can help. Search over 75,000 venues through the Cvent Supplier Network for free. Enter the location and specifications for your conference and you can view meeting rooms, decide the table set-up and catering, and even see what local attractions are nearby. Click here to check out how it works. You can also visit the Cvent’s website for other available services.

In addition to the speaker fee and books, conference costs are related to location, audio and visual equipment, and meals.

We recommend that you provide a box lunch - this may increase your cost slightly but will allow attendees to remain on-site for the entire program. A lunch and break refreshments increase the perceived value of the program.

On another note, many organizations have found that the banquet style seating, rather than theater or classroom style, provides more 'networking' and a spirit of camaraderie among attendees. It also serves as the lunchroom, helping to keep the room rental cost down.

As you examine different facilities, you will find that it may be challenging to compare apples and oranges. Some locations may be free (such as casinos due to the PR value) or at a low cost (e.g., churches, schools, conference rooms at colleges, universities, law schools, and medical schools).

Hotel conference centers may be willing to waive some of the usual fees if you guarantee a certain number of overnight guest room rentals. The contract will have the terms if the minimum number is not met.

For the actual room, pay attention to the ceiling height and whether there are pillars that might pose problems for individuals viewing the screen. Low ceilings mean a low screen so seated attendees may have trouble seeing the screen.

Physical obstacles can be overcome by the use of a "splitter" with two or three projectors and screens.

On one occasion, Wrightslaw hosted a conference in Florida during the winter. As part of the advance preparation, Pete visited approximately ten facilities in the Orlando and Tampa areas, met with the conference and marketing staff, and obtained copies of their blank contracts. (During the face-to-face sessions, many of the facilities were unwilling to provide a copy of the blank contract, but relented when Pete explained that there was no point in continuing further.)

Once Pete narrowed the list down, he negotiated the contract terms with revisions to their standard agreement. One unique revision included identical terms and conditions if the conference was repeated within 18 months. To view the contract for that Florida conference please click here.

As part of your location determination, we recommend that you investigate at least three options.

Fees
A portion of the speaker's fees must be prepaid. The first payment of 25% is due when the program is confirmed, and the contract is signed. A second payment of 25% is due four months prior to the program start date. The remaining 50% is due at the end of the program. For more information about the speaker fees and to view the form contract letter, please click here to go to the speaker fee page.