Why?

There are a lot of great conferences going on in many parts of the country now but they’re often quite large scale and difficult to get to.  That can involve a lot of travelling, time off work, forking out for a hotel and, if you’ve not been to one before, they can seem a little intimidating.

Alongside these, there are a lot of great grass-roots meet-ups or communities.  We set-up Speak the Web as a hybrid of the two in the hope of showing that conferences don’t have to be something lofty and academic as they are in some industries. Nor do they have to be exclusive and geeky; there’s great talent and people with something to say all around us so why not have a pint in relaxed surroundings and feed off it?

Going Local

We want to promote what’s going on both locally in the places we visit while raising awareness of the other events or conferences that are happening.  We aim to encourage the growth and reach of Speak the Web where there is demand. However this can only be sustained if we encourage new talent to enter the speaking circuit.  This is another one of our missions – pair up well known speakers with those who are either novices or who haven’t spoken on the web circuit before.

As far as possible, we’re asking speakers that are relatively local the the events; partly through cost, partly through reminding people that this talent is all around us. The lack of travel is the green thing to do so good all round! We’re trying to ensure that although we’ve selected quite local speakers that they don’t speak on home turf, so if they’ve done something locally before it’ll feel much more fresh in front of a different audience.

It’s not about the money

It’s important to note it’s not about the money for us.  Our aim is to put on a really good, affordable night while ensuring we cover costs. Anything over and above that will be donated to local charities.  The focus is on the night, having a good time and soaking up the enthusiasm the speakers have for their topics.  If we can help people off the back of each of these events, so much the better!

To be honest, when it comes down to it, it’s all about what these talented guys have to say, which is why we kept the name as simple and blatant as possible – Speak the Web.  Spread the word!

Cheers

Rich & Dan