Why do speaker’s fees seem so high?
Just as in a broker’s split in real estate commissions, every business has overhead costs. The fee you pay also covers any additional travel costs incurred, marketing materials, staffing, insurance and general overhead. Consider taking the fee and dividing by the number of expected attendees (100 and this will give you the per person (educational) cost. If each person comes away having learned techniques to increase their business, it is a small price to pay.
