Sponsoring a Workshop

Thank you for your interest in Reptiles in Love.

Since completing his book Dr. Ferguson opened Infinite Relationships, LLC, a unique evaluation, education and counseling center for relationships, offering seminars, weekend workshops and treatment. Please go to www.inrelationships.com for schedules of seminars, workshops and other helpful information.

 

If you have sponsored workshops, retreats or other programs in the past there may be more information here than you need. In this outline I have tried to offer information about my seminars as well as some general preparation descriptions.

Length of the workshop:

I have presented this seminar in a variety of formats and the material is quite flexible. For example, contained in the overall topic there are multiple short subjects such as the introduction, information about negotiations and other issues which can be presented in two or three hour segments. Therefore I have also offered brief evening programs on a subtopic. My favorite format is to offer a one evening and full-day (i.e. Friday evening and Saturday) program so that couples have time to talk about the materials after the initial presentation. The length of the seminar may most depend on your own programmatic needs and objectives.

Number of participants:

The number of participants also depends on your goals. I have worked with audiences of over three hundred participants but would not necessarily suggest this for a program focusing on couples. A very workable group is around 40 participants but this may not be financially feasible depending on the fees you wish to charge, objectives, etc. Please see Participant Fees for further information on this. I work well with a group of around 100 participants but obviously the larger the group the less intimate the experience.

Presenter fees:

My fees are somewhat flexible and depend on the length of the program, the number of participants, travel demands, etc. I try to be flexible also as to the sponsor's needs and attempt to make the arrangements for one of my seminars as simple and enjoyable as possible. Each participant in a Reptiles in Love workshop receives a workbook.

Participant fees:

The prices you wish to charge for this seminar are strictly up to you and may depend on several issues.
1. What are your goals for offering the seminar? (Community outreach, marketing, profit)
2. Community standards - You may wish to look around at other such offerings and see what the market supports in your area.
3. Facilities - Will you be holding the program in a community building, your own facility or in a hotel conference room?
4. What do you wish to offer participants? (Snacks, coffee, continental breakfast, lunch)

Facilities: If you have a facility already in mind this may not apply to you. If you have never hosted such a program before and will be using a hotel, you may wish to contact a couple of your local hotels and talk to the Sales and Catering person. They are generally extremely helpful in arranging much of what you will need and even suggesting things you may not have thought of. I do not have any high tech needs for my presentation. For my leadership seminars I use power point presentations but not when working with couples. I would need an easel or two with newsprint. For groups of over 50 participants, I would appreciate a lavaliere microphone. My voice projects pretty well and so in a pinch I have spoken to large groups without a microphone. The hotel will usually have all of these items available at a nominal charge.

Marketing:

The usual marketing for these seminars- and least expensive- is the use of simple brochures handed out by clinicians and posted in central areas of medical centers, churches, counseling offices etc. You may wish to post an ad in the local newspaper which is more costly but does reach a wide audience. I have not generally used radio advertising as it can be prohibitively expensive. If you do have a local radio or television host who is interested, you may be able to get an interview on the air as to what you are trying to accomplish with this seminar. This can have a double advantage of talking about partner issues on the air as well as marketing the seminar. If it would be helpful for me to do a radio interview over the phone, I would be glad to do this. Media people may prefer, however, to have a local clinician to work with.

I hope this information is helpful to you in beginning your planning process. If you have any additional questions please e-mail or call. I will be happy to offer any help I can in the planning process. I would also be happy to discuss the content and presentation with you over the phone. This is meant to be a fun and relaxed approach to relationship issues. I use a lot of humor in the work and invite participants to take a somewhat less serious approach to their interactions. The development of a relaxed atmosphere begins with the preparations and I will work with you to make this a good experience for you and your staff, as well as for the participants.

 

Don Ferguson, Ph.D.

(608) 848-8000
infiniterelationships@tds.net