When Al Gore had the chutzpah to speak in New Orleans last year to a Marsh client breakfast with over 1,500 attendees, about the impact of global warming on insurance, I was outraged to learn that his remarks would be off-limits to the press. I lambasted both the former vice president as well as his host, for allowing him to get away with such nonsense. Now, history is about to repeat itself, with CIAB the enabler this time around--not just with one celebrity speaker, but two!
The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers has booked Al Bore to deliver the keynote address in Las Vegas when its annual meeting opens on Monday. They also have President Bush's chief henchman, Karl Rove, set to be the keynote speaker at their second general business session on Tuesday.
We have been informed by CIAB that press is only permitted to cover the first five minutes of each speech, and then all comments are off the record. That means we can report to you their respective, lame opening jokes to break the ice, which they have told so often even they can't bring themselves to laugh anymore.
Just like with Marsh last year, we were told by CIAB that this is out of their control--that the speaker's bureau imposed the press ban as part of its contract.
This excuse is totally bogus. First of all, CIAB--or whichever sponsor is throwing its money away on these useless speeches--is paying the piper, and should be able to call the tune.
There are also alternatives if speakers are uncooperative. ACORD had Sam Donaldson as its keynoter last May, and his lively talk about media coverage of the presidential race was completely on the record. (Imagine the fit I would have thrown had a journalist banned press from his speech!) In years past, Colin Powell made the insurance circuit--I heard him speak at least three times, again all on the record.
These shamelss blowhards are getting paid a small fortune to deliver the same speech all over the country--at least six figures each. For that kind of bread, you would think the one paying the bills would set the terms and conditions.
I frankly think these celebrity speakers are a total waste of time and money. Those paying for this song and dance routine would be better off giving all that money to Habitat for Humanity or some other worthy charity, and in their place recruit more high-powered insurance industry figures who would speak for free and actually say something worthwhile and newsworthy.
But if an association like CIAB insists on paying good money for has-beens, they should at least insist that the talk be delivered on their terms--which should include full press coverage.
It's ridiculous for such high-profile people to speak "privately" to a huge group in any case, not with camera-phone-driven YouTube videos and personal blogs proliferating. Everyone is "press" these days.
Perhaps Rove is press-shy after getting caught outing a CIA operative to the press. What Gore's problem is with facing the media, I can't even begin to imagine. In any case, their gag orders are simply unacceptable.
Next time, folks, if you must spend more than what most people make in a year to convince some "celebrity" to deliver their stock address to your group for a lousy 40 minutes, at least insist they not be ashamed to be quoted by the attending media.
After all, what do these celebrities have to hide, except their irrelevance?
