Successful Meetings - December 2007 - (Page 44)

Speaker Report > When Crime Pays “I think it’s refreshing for people to hear, ‘You know what? I really messed up in my life. Here’s what I did; I want to own up to it and help others to avoid making the same mistakes.’ ” BILL HALLOCK, OF KEPPLER SPEAKERS’ CORPORATE DIVISION IN ARLINGTON, VA bank robbers, mob bosses, and white-collar criminals dot the speaking circuit, and planners as well as the speakers’ representatives say these keynoters bring far more to the lectern than a colorful story—although that doesn’t hurt either. “I think it’s refreshing for people to hear, ‘You know what? I really messed up in my life. Here’s what I did; I want to own up to it and help others to avoid making the same mistakes,’ ” says Bill Hallock, of Keppler Speakers’ corporate division in Arlington, VA. Keppler exclusively represents Abagnale and also reps some of the other speakers SM interviewed. “All we do is hear about people who don’t own up to past mistakes; it’s good for people to hear from someone who has taken ownership of their mistakes.” The speakers who find success using their criminal pasts as fodder for presentations do so in large part because they have come to terms with their history, have owned up to what they did, and now use those experiences to explain one of three things—the importance of integrity; that it’s possible to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles; or why the office politics and interpersonal relationships that bother attendees are not as big a deal as they seem (in fact, they are downright silly compared with prison dynamics). Beyond simply shaking things up, adding a bit of intrigue to a meeting can be a boon to attendance, as Joe Ellison, CEO of the West Virginia Bankers Association, discovered when he booked former bank robber Troy Evans to speak to his group at The Greenbrier last year. “Typically at The Greenbrier [the attendees] find things to do other than go to the sessions, but the participation was really good,” says Ellison, who added that many attendees’ spouses also attended Evans’ 50-minute presentation out of sheer interest and curiosity. “There is the ‘serial-killer’ aspect. None of your [attendees] would do it, but many are fascinated by those who do,” says Gary Zeune, founder of The Pros and the Cons, in Powell, OH, a speakers bureau specializing in white-collar crime presentations. Specific to white-collar crimes, he adds, “The most interesting aspect is what makes an otherwise honest person commit a white-collar crime. [It’s the] same reason people break the speed limit. White-collar criminals rationalize what they’re doing. They talk themselves into it.” Most of the speakers interviewed admitted that some planners are initially reluctant to hire them out of a feeling that people should not profit from past misdeeds, but bureau reps say that planners who avoid speakers with a criminal past are missing out. “Sometimes we do get pushback. A lot of meeting planners, if they only have one meeting a year, want everything to be perfect,” says Hallock. “But I think sometimes they do their attendees a disservice by not opening their minds to these types of speakers. Bear in mind, these speakers will really focus on making your meeting the best it can be. They feel like they owe society something, and they are really eager and anxious to get out there and let people know there is life after failure.” And Zeune adds that for many groups, the firsthand knowledge imparted by a former criminal can be priceless. “If a company makes padlocks and wants to find out if a new model is any good, they ask a lock pick. So the information is firsthand,” he says. “Most of the former cons now want to help people to avoid being scammed, robbed, or conned. So it’s almost a service element to have them speak—they are righting their wrongs and educating people about the tricks of the trade, and earning an honest living,” says Andrea Gold, president of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau in Tucson, AZ, which also represents some of the speakers mentioned here. Gold adds that “A former con would be nuts to mess up his or her speaking busimimegasite.com DECEMBER 2007 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 44 http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - December 2007

Successful Meetings - December 2007 Contents Editor's Note Special Report Research Industry Trends 2008 Meeting Events Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Mouth for Sale Technology Talk Food & Beverage Pre-Event On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Goodbye, Booth Babes Five Tips to Improve Your Golf Events When Crime Pays Office for Hire More Miles for Your Money Places & Spaces South Florida Biloxi / Mississippi Gulf Coast Fort Worth Monterey Beijing Gurus Special Supplement: Hawaii Island-by-Island Guide

Successful Meetings - December 2007

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