This was posted by a certain Mark on “CSR in China” blog, October 2005. I thought it was quite funny.
The sales people of conference organisers are tricky people. They phone you up and invite you to attend a conference on some subject, and make it sound like the entire conference has been entirely planned and the speaker listing prepared with only you in mind.
Send me an e-mail with the details”. It’s almost an automatic reaction these days. I should have it on the voicemail.
By the time I have put the phone down, there is an e-mail with an enormous PDF file making it clear that this is really the most astonishing conference ever to be held. The speaker list is staggering, and often includes several deceased people. Most speakers have yet to confirm, other than the late departed, who are definitely free (and will be more entertaining)
When you turn the sales people down, they then phone up everyone else in your company in offices spanning 15 time zones. I get endless e-mails from everyone, forwarding me the aforementioned huge PDF file.
Today I had a nice gentleman on the phone again trying to get me to commit to an incredibly important conference next March, five months away.
“It does seem interesting, but I will have to decide nearer the time,” I say.
“Shall I call you tomorrow then?” he asks
