Stamping The Look Seminars, by Cheryl Anderson
THE LOGISTICS OF HOLDING A SEMINAR: Upon considering holding a seminar, the first things most clubs want to know are what does it take and how much does it cost to put on a seminar such as Stamping The Look. The first thing I suggest is a lead time of 4-5 months after a decision to hold a seminar is made. The site and location vary depending on whether the one-day (9am to 5pm) program is put on or the two-day program (6 hr 2nd day), but here is the basic breakdown. This is based on a suggested price to attendees of $50 for the one-day program, or $75 for the two-day event. For specialty clubs, the one-day event can also be broken down into two 4-hour segments so that it can be held on a specialty weekend in the evenings (4pm-8pm) following daytime shows. In that case, some sort of casual dinner needs to be offered to participants so they can attend. If the seminar is to be held as a stand alone event, I recommend that it be scheduled to not conflict with any local region shows, agility or herding trials, or other seminars. This is to maximize attendance and your profits from the event. Conflicts dramatically reduce attendance. Average attendance is 20-25 people.
1) Site -- the one-day seminar needs only a classroom or a member's large living room as a site. There are no special audio-visual needs as it is a verbal program supplemented by materials in the handout booklet. The two-day program also requires an area approximately the size of a show ring where attendees can bring their own dogs, set up ex pens, grooming tables for hands on, and the space for studying movement. A large backyard lawn area, a nearby park, or dog training class room are suggested areas for the second, or both days, depending on weather and climate.
2) Lunch (or dinner) -- to be provided by the club for attendees. Can be club potluck, Subway sandwiches or grocery chain subs-by-the-foot, sloppy joes, soup or chili, bagged salads, chips, cookies, coffee, soft drinks. I always suggest the easiest and budget version, but this is completely up to the individual club's decision to do it themselves or cater it.
3) Handout Booklet -- copies for attendees, 75 pages long. Mail Boxes Etc has coupons for 1,000 copies at $35 if no free service is available to the club from other sources. That's 13-1/3 booklets per coupon, and since the average attendance is 25-30 people for this kind of event, it's doubtful anything more than two coupons would be needed. I send a Master handout to your chairperson prior to the seminar so the club can copy as many booklets as they need for the attendees, then I pick up my Master when I get there. These booklets are not for sale to non-attendees as they are designed to accompany the talk, and the materials are copyrighted as intellectual property or used in this handout by special permission.
4) Cost of my transportation -- I advise the club to purchase an airline ticket after a minimum number of attendees have registered to insure all costs will be covered. If not enough signups, or a cheap ticket cannot be acquired, it's not a "go." I suggest purchase of an airline ticket through internet bargain websites, such as expedia.com, scheduled to suit your needs for my arrival/departure. My home airport is Portland International (PDX) which serves most major airlines as it is a Pacific Rim Gateway airport.
5) Lodging -- I would be most happy to stay with a club member, which more fun than a motel anyway, if a member is willing. I love to kennel hop and "talk dogs", am not fussy about accommodations and have no special dietary needs, not a fussy eater.
6) Miscellaneous personal expenses -- I will need to be reimbursed for my meals in transit, airport parking ($8/day), kennel sitter ($15/day). Expenses can be reimbursed by actual receipt, or the club can pay a flat fee of $30 per day gone (Fri-Sun usual for the 1 day seminar, up to Thurs or Fri-Mon for a full 2-day event). I charge no fees above the coverage of my actual out-of-pocket expenses -- my time is donated to the breed.
7) Registration mailers for signups -- I have a master copy of a one-page signup flyer for handouts at shows or classes, or mailings if needed. There is also an internet version as that is the best advertiser, and announcements are posted on the AKC website under "Breeders Education" and listed under "Seminars" in the AKC Gazette. Often the biggest draw is signups from the various Sheltie lists, based on monthly "reminders" posted there. Flyer/handout copying costs and postage vary here, depending on the club's resources and wishes.
Also inform local Collie clubs, Judges Study Groups and any local all-breed clubs as the breeding program methods, genetics concepts, and standard study/structural principles apply to any breed. This seminar is especially good for provisional, want-to-be, or non-Sheltie-breeder judges as this second day portion was originally designed for judges education and is an outgrowth of the program presented at the AKC Herding Breeds Institute in Oregon.
The average cost base for the whole seminar, including registration flyers, is usually around $600-$700 if we are able to get a reasonably inexpensive site and bargain airfare. This would require a minimum signup of about (10) 2-day attendees at my recommended fees to cover all costs. If the club wishes to offer deep discounts to its members, or reduce the fees in other ways, then more signups will be necessary to break even.
If your club is interested, please feel free to contact me for more information or scheduling at 1-503-543-2993 (mornings, late night and weekends are the best times to reach me) or email me at Cherden11@msn.com. My fax number is 1-503-629-0200. Thank you for your consideration for this truly educational program. If interested in hosting a seminar in your area, please contact me at cherden11@email.msn.com
