March 13, 2021 Virtual Chapter Meeting
Cara Silletto, MBA, CSP
The Association Insider: How I Booked 80+ Association Gigs in One Year
Been frustrated in the past trying to work with associations who have “limited non-profit budgets?” Not all associations are equal and navigating the waters to find paid engagements can be a challenge. But tremendous benefits come to those who crack the association code!
Former association meeting planner Cara Silletto, MBA, CSP started her speaking career in 2014, became a professional member of NSA in 2015, and conducted more than 80 speaking engagements for association clients in 2016, which also brought in more than a dozen corporate events as well. Since she’s been on both sides of the planner/speaker relationship, she knows first-hand what opportunities and limitations exist in this space.
Come hear Cara share the secrets she’s learned behind the scenes and along the way about the association conference decision-making structure, how to transition from local to national chapter events, ways she worked around limited budgets, strategies for capitalizing on industry education requirements, and more!
Participants will explore:
- Various association structures & how to identify the right groups to meet your goals
- Ideas for building association-friendly programs they love
- Strategies for maximizing a speaker/association relationship to get rebooked sooner
Cara Silletto, MBA, CSP
NSA Kentucky’s Past-President Cara Silletto, CSP, will join us to share her inside scoop of the association world because she used to be a state trade association event planner and education director herself! She spent years hiring, working with, and evaluating speakers and trainers.
Today, Cara’s “day job” is running her training firm, Magnet Culture, and speaking to business leaders and owners across the country about how to reduce unnecessary employee turnover and bridge generational gaps in the workplace. But she’ll share with our NSA chapter how she built her speaking business organically over the last 8 years using association bookings to book more than 100 gigs in one year, grow her revenue by 30% or more each year (except 2020, of course), and build a team of staff and contracted trainers.
Cara’s path to speaking is an interesting one as she started her career on the stage at age 7 in the Silletto Family Band (yes, just like the Partridge Family). She earned her MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of Louisville in 2010, and Cara says she hit the jackpot when she found the perfect job as a professional speaker because it blends her passions for both business and performance into one amazing career! And recently, Cara earned her Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from NSA in 2020.
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Join Us!
Saturday, March 13, 2021 / 9:00a-noon
Virtual. Registration closes at 8:00pm the Friday prior to the Saturday chapter meeting. The link will be sent Friday night and Saturday morning.
Investment
NSA NT Members and Candidates
- Included with All-Access Pass
- $49 for Virtual
Guests and non-NSA NT Members: If you are a guest, let us know! Join us before the meeting from 8:15a-8:45a for a quick NSA NT welcome.
- $20 Students/staff of member
- $59 for Guest and NSA Non-local Virtual
- If you are a 1st time guest, send an email to memberhshipNSANT@speaker.org. You will be registered and attending for $0.
Plan to be a regular at our meetings? Check out our All-Access Pass
Media Release
By registering for this event, I hereby consent to and authorize the use and reproduction by NSA North Texas Chapter of any and all photography and/or videography that will be taken of me (“Images”) at this event for any purpose, in whole or in part, in all media now known or hereafter developed, including without limitation all print media, Internet and other platforms, throughout the world in perpetuity and without compensation to me.
I hereby release and waive any claims whatsoever in connection with the Images, including without limitation any claim of rights of privacy, publicity, so-called “moral rights” or credit in connection with such Images. I also release and waive any right I may have to inspect or approve the Images or any use thereof.
I acknowledge and agree the Images and related files (including chat text conversations) are wholly owned by NSA North Texas Chapter, who reserves the right to use these Images in part for promotion or in totality for resale on the NSA North Texas websites. Furthermore, NSA North Texas Chapter may license these rights to the featured speaker of the event for their personal or professional use in part for promotion or in totality for resale on the speaker’s website.
By registering for this event, I hereby acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older and have read, understood and agree to the terms of this release.
Disability Access / Accommodations
Have a condition/disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in an NSA/North Texas chapter event?
Contact Donna Mack, NSA/NT’s Disability Access Ambassador at: donna@DisabilityDiplomat.com, (at least 3 business days prior to the event, if possible) for arrangements to be made.