Too Good To Be True

On September 8th I received an email from Sphere Conferences inviting me to lead a workshop at the Patient Care Asia 2013 conference, this December 3rd. I get the occasional invitation to speak at conferences abroad (United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, etc) but rarely investigate them because of the amount of time they would require away from family and work. Frankly, I spend enough time on the road with all my domestic travel. (Below is a screen shot of the email they sent me.)

The Patient Care Asia 2013 conference caught my eye. It looked like a legitimate conference and they had a workshop with my name on it. I responded to the individual who contacted me letting her know that I would be interested, and I provided her information about my typical speaker’s fee and need to be compensated for all travel-related expenses.

The conference is taking place at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. It is an incredible resort in an equally incredible location. Check out these photos:

Here’s where the story takes a twist. I never heard back from my contact at Sphere Conferences (a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings). In the end, it was just too good to be true. But I have now been approached by two different contacts at Sphere Holdings about sponsoring the event. It seems that may have been the point all along. Maybe it was one of those pay-to-play situations? Or perhaps they didn’t expect me to come back and request compensation for my services?

So, I’m not going to Singapore next month. I’m not speaking at Patient Care Asia 2013. And I’m not staying at the amazing Marina Bay Sands Singapore. My plans for a new Jennings office in Asia have been put on hold, temporarily. (Maybe next year.) Meanwhile I’ll remain content to market hospitals, health systems and physician practices in the United States.