This is a fresh (albeit second-hand) account, but my source (who asked to remain anonymous since this is a small world) is quite reliable as he’s been a very dear friend of mine for almost 18 years. The following are the snafus of various conference participants and paid speakers.

No-No #1: Agree to be on a panel but book your flight so that you miss the panel and others end up carrying you

No-No #2: Show up for your presentation unprepared (extemporaneous is great as long as you’re not rambling and you stick to your promised topic; being unprepared isn’t!)

No-No #3: Deliver a 40 minute presentation that was only supposed to be 20 minutes, thereby cutting into the time of other participants (and the moderator is at fault here too!).

No-No #4: Take it for granted that because you’re an award-winning author that you can take a $5,000 plus fee and do a reading (from the worst chapter in a book that’s been out for a number of years mind you) when the participants expected a keynote.

As my eight year old daughter would say, “What NOT to do!”

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