Speaker Guidelines

BAHREC Speaker Proposal Guidelines

Thank you for considering a speaking engagement at an upcoming BAHREC meeting. Founded in 1980, BAHREC is an affiliated chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Our purpose is to provide strategi, meaningful and unique professional development opportunities for HR executives in the greater San Francisco bay area.

Before you submit your proposal, please take a few minutes to review the following information. We hope it is helpful to you in submitting your speaking proposal.

Membership Size and Demographics

We have 120+ members and we're experiencing growth in the last few years. Our typical attendance at in-person program is between 35 and 45 people, but has exceeded 80 in the past. With the hybrid concept (video log in), we've been able to accomodate members all over the bay area. Our members may invite guests including their own staff and other prospective members. Our typical member is the most senior HR person in their organization or, in a large organization, may head up one of more HR divisions or business units. Titles are typically CHRO/CPO, VPHR and Sr. Directors of HR. Our members represent many sectors including high tech, biotech, green/clean industry, manufacturing, service, financial, and non-profit, and are located anywhere from the South Bay, East Bay and San Francisco.

Meeting Dates, Times, Locations, and Format 

BAHREC generally meets on the third Wednesday evening of the month, though we may change our meeting time and format on occasion. Additional Quarterly Networking Programs may be available for sponsorship. Meeting locations alternate between the South Bay, the Peninsula and South San Francisco. Our typical format is as follows:

BAHREC In-Person Meeting Format:

Meeting Content

We strive to make our meetings interactive and dynamic, and we expect our speakers to actively engage our members in dialogue about the content as opposed to a one-way presentation. Interactive discussion during networking can include a speaker-led discussion as a prelude to the main presentation. A key factor in meeting evaluations is the extent to which the topic and presentation was appropriate to the ongoing development needs of HR executives. We want our members to feel that the content they receive at BAHREC meetings is not readily available anywhere else. Continuing education in strategic business management is designed to help make a greater contribution to an organization’s success. Here are examples of activities or course topics that we consider for strategic business management credit:

In addition, if the primary focus of an activity is aligning HR activities with an organization’s business plan, the activity is considered strategic business management so it may qualify for recertification credit hours. Some examples include

Audio/Visual Requirements

We will provide projection and screen (typically a connection to an installed system in most conference rooms). Speakers usually bring their own laptops and provide the presentation in advance for back up purposes. Please let us know of any additional A/V requirements at least two weeks in advance of the meeting.

Fees and Honoraria

Because of our small size, we are unable to provide a speakers’ fee or honorarium, but we do offer an opportunity to meet senior HR leaders at Bay Area companies. We also provide our speakers with a complimentary meal, and they may invite one colleague from their organization at no charge. Additional attendees from the speaker’s organization may attend at the guest rate, subject to space availability.

Marketing and Solicitation

Selling from the podium is not permitted, and we ask that speakers do not distribute or display marketing materials or brochures during their presentation. However, speakers may place their materials at our registration table.

Our confidentiality agreement with members prohibits us from providing speakers with our members’ contact information. However, members may elect to provide their contact information to speakers via a QR Code, sign-up sheet or business cards. If the speaker is promoting a book, we also allow the speaker to provide us with a copy of the book for a drawing at the meeting.

We ask our speakers for permission to place a copy (PDF) of their presentation on the members-only section of our website, for access by our members following the meeting.

Process for Consideration

Please submit this proposal to [email protected]. Your proposal will be reviewed by our Programs Committee, and a representative from the committee will contact you to follow up. Please allow 1 -2 weeks for a response.

Thank you again for your interest in BAHREC.