3 Things No One Tells You About Bringing A Speaker To Campus

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If you’re in charge of a student organization, you may have wondered what it takes to bring a speaker like Allie Stuckey, Ben Shapiro or Steven Crowder to your campus. While bringing a speaker to your campus does take a lot of planning and resources, it’s not impossible. Here are the three things no one tells you about bringing a speaker to campus. 

It is expensive

Bringing a speaker to campus can be very costly. Speakers charge a fee before they’re even brought out. On top of that, your university may charge for the facilities you use. You may also have to cover the cost of the speaker’s transportation, hotel, food, etc. and there may be additional fees from your university. For example, when my chapter brought Ben Shapiro to speak, we had to pay to use the facility on campus. We also had to pay for the security guards the campus required. Depending on how high profile the speaker is, your organization could be looking at several thousand dollars when it’s all said and done. 

You’ll probably get push-back from administration, faculty or students

Even if you go to a private school or a very conservative school, you’ll probably still get push-back. This is especially true if the speaker you bring is controversial or covering a controversial topic. I attended a relatively conservative university in Alabama but when our administration and students found out Ben Shapiro would be speaking on the topic of abortion we had an uproar of people threatening to protest. We were able to keep the event under control with the help of the security guards, but it didn’t stop students from ripping down the posters we put up to advertise the event. 

There are organizations here to help you, every step of the way

If all of this sounds overwhelming, realize you’re not alone. Organizations like YAF, YAL and CBL Center for Conservative Women exist to help you organize a successful event. They will help you with planning and organizing the event, finding travel arrangements for the speaker. In fact, they may even help you with the fees associated with bringing the speaker. Reach out to these organizations. Let them know your plans and how they can help you. 

Having a successful speaking event on your campus is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have while in college. It may require a lot of planning and money, but in the end you’ll be so glad you put the time into organizing it.