To arrange a talk with Mark in your local area, read the information below the following list of forthcoming talks. Please note that, due to workload at the moment, he is unable to do many talks, but is always open to enthusiastic and exciting suggestions.
Arranging a talk:
Mark is very happy to give talks to conferences, organisations, universities and colleges, local groups and the general public. If you’re enthusiastic about putting on an event, please feel free to send him a brief email keeping in mind the following:
- Format: Mark much prefers to do ‘in conversation’ talks/interviews (as opposed to the more conventional talk formats he has done in the past) these days, where a host asks Mark questions and there is plenty of time for Q&A from the audience. If the acoustics in the proposed venue are not great, this may require (ideally) a couple of hands-free microphones, a couple of seats and a table. However, he is still open to doing other talk formats also.
- Date, time and venue: have these in mind before initial contact.
- Accommodation: if Mark needs to stay overnight, he prefers to stay with someone connected in some way to the talk. A couch will suffice, or even a semi-comfortable floor. A bed would be wonderful.
- Traveling expenses: Mark makes every effort to walk, cycle or hitch-hike to talks. However, if due to time limitations and/or large distances he is unable to, he asks that his transport to and from the event is sorted out for him, either by lift-sharing or on public transport.
- Group size: due to time limitations, Mark can’t do every talk he is asked to do. Therefore when he does he prefers for it to be to as many people as possible. In your initial email, please let him know how many people you expect to come along and how you’re going to help publicise it (posters, social networking, groups, local media etc).
- Planning: again due to time limitations, Mark unfortunately can’t put a lot of energy into planning the logistics of the talk. If you or your group are up for helping with this, that makes a big difference in enabling him to come along and is really appreciated. Kind, friendly, enthusiastic, fun-loving hosts helps too.
- Books: ideally books will be organised by the hosts for sale at the event, but if not then Mark requests that he is told this in advance and has a space made available for his publishers to sell books on at the event. Giving people the option to buy a hard copy of the book at a talk is also one way of ensuring the talks are kept free if there are some overheads involved.
