Jack Welch and Michael Porter are two of the most expensive business thinkers who have spoken in Romania, and received a conference fee of over 200,000 euros.
Jack Welch, one of the most renowned and controversial CEOs of all time, earned 250,000 euros for his lecture in Bucharest two weeks ago, according to market estimates. The second position in the ranking of the highest paid "business gurus" to visit Bucharest is held by Michael Porter, considered the world number one in business strategy, who is rumoured to have been paid between 180,000 and 230,000 euros. In addition, the father of marketing, Philip Kotler, who visited Romania three years ago, received 150,000 euros.
It takes around 250,000 euros to persuade the former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan to speak for one hour at a conference.
Sir Richard Branson requests a similar fee, whilst fourth comes Stephen Covet, who received around 100,000 euros for a one-day conference, organised by ZF and Human Capital Solutions in the autumn of 2006.
After organising a series of "paid" business conferences, the Pantis family hosted another hit event two weeks ago, when they persuaded Jack Welch to come to Palatul Parlamentului (Parliament Palace). Mihaela Pantis,managing director of training firm Qualians, which organised Welch's conference, says Welch came first on the list of preferences of participants at Kotler's conference.
The Pantis family worked together at both the Kotler and Welch events. Octavian Pantis,managing director of TMI Romania, one of the biggest training firms on the market, handles direct negotiations with speakers, while Mihaela is in charge of organisation.
Most business thinkers who speak at conferences, i.e. most businessmen who have entered the best-paid and elitist field of consultants, get between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars for a one-day confer
