16/09/2025
Food for thought.
Some months ago I reached out to the organisers of an ELT conference to ask if how I could access the professional photos taken of me during my session as a speaker.
To my surprise they replied saying:
“The photos are for marketing use only. Keep an eye on our socials to see if your face appears.”
Right... but there were over a hundred speakers.
How exactly am I supposed to keep checking their socials, hoping that maybe my "face" will appear?
Anyway, here's the food for thought to conference organisers:
📸 It’s not about wanting a nice photo of myself.
It’s about visibility, not vanity.
Photos help us tell our story as professionals.
They help others see the work we do when we use them on social media, website or even a portfolio. They help us build a personal brand.
If a conference is about professional development, let’s not forget that you can be the best-prepared ELT professional in the world, but if no one knows about your work, it’s hard to grow professionally. (Again , personal brand)
💡 So here’s a suggestion for conference organisers:
If you're already investing in a photographer to take photos of the speakers, give them the option to have those photos or even buy them.
It's of high value to the speakers and it can create a modest revenue stream for the conference organisation. Win-win!
Unfortunately, the current "policy" is a missed opportunity for both parts.
Is it just me seeing it this way? Any other ideas?
