| Speaking on cruise lines provides myriad benefits to | | | | turning a non-showcase (a/k/a your average |
| you as the speaker including: free cruises for | | | | booking) into a showcasing opportunity is what you |
| yourself; free cruises for a traveling companion; all | | | | say from the platform. What follows are a few |
| passenger perks; and frankly a free way to see the | | | | pointers to help you make any speaking gig into a |
| world in luxury. But there is a frequently overlooked | | | | showcase:o Let folks know during the course of your |
| benefit that has the potential to lead to paid | | | | presentation that you travel the country or region as |
| shore-side bookings. | | | | a speaker. This will alert your audience members that |
| Of course, I'm talking about treating your onboard | | | | you are in the speaking business and that you can |
| bookings as showcases. For those who may not | | | | travel to their hometown.o During your presentation |
| know, a speaker's showcase is an event in which | | | | drop in a line like: "Last month I was doing a |
| speakers present for groups of meeting planners, | | | | presentation for the (fill-in the blank of your last |
| corporate event planners and anyone else who hires | | | | non-profit or corporation talk)." Again lines like these |
| speakers. | | | | plant the seed with members of your audience that |
| Showcases are designed for planners to "audition" | | | | "hey, I like this speaker maybe my company, |
| and evaluate the speaker's talent and is of great | | | | organization, non-profit, association etc., can also |
| advantage to the speakers because if they perform | | | | invite him or her."o Work in a referral story into your |
| well they can obtain many lucrative speaking | | | | talk. Say something like, "I was giving this |
| bookings from one showcase. | | | | presentation in Phoenix and a gentleman who saw |
| So the question becomes: how do you as a speaker | | | | me recommended me to his company to bring me in. |
| convert your cruise bookings into showcases in order | | | | What was so remarkable about that talk was... (fill in |
| to get paid shore-side gigs? | | | | the main point you want to make.) Do you see how |
| Truth be known you should consider every | | | | just by inserting this innocuous, short, commercial you |
| presentation you do as a showcase. | | | | again plant the seed that audience members can take |
| Why? | | | | you home by recommending and referring you? |
| Because every audience you present to either has | | | | There are of course many other advanced strategies |
| the power to hire speakers or at the very least | | | | for turning your cruise gigs into showcases for |
| everyone in that audience could recommend a | | | | getting paid shore-side bookings. But just using those |
| speaker to their associations, corporations, clubs, | | | | referenced in this article will put you way ahead of |
| organizations and non-profits. | | | | the pack. I'd love to hear about your results. |
| The same is also true of cruise bookings. The trick of | | | | |