Zycus invites practitioners, analysts and independent voices to speak at its events and contribute to its publications. This charter states publicly what a speaker may be offered, what a speaker is never offered, and the line we hold between a stage and a sales conversation.
Applies to all Zycus events, worldwide.
A speaking invitation should never create a question for the person who accepts it. Publishing this policy gives every speaker, and every speaker's employer, ethics office or ombudsman, a single document that explains the arrangement in advance. Nothing here is negotiated privately and nothing here varies by account.
Speakers are selected by the Zycus program committee on editorial merit alone: relevance of the topic, depth of the practitioner experience, and balance of the agenda. Commercial teams do not select speakers, do not approve speaker costs, and are not consulted on either. A speaker is never proposed because of the commercial value of their organization to Zycus, and is never declined because of its absence.
Zycus works with speakers on their sessions. Our editorial team helps shape the narrative, structure the arc and make the material land with a procurement audience. Final say on the content, and on the views expressed in it, rests with the speaker. Zycus does not require an endorsement of Zycus, its products or its point of view, and no part of this charter is conditioned on what a speaker chooses to say.
Topic relevance, practitioner depth, and agenda balance — not account value.
Sales teams do not select speakers, approve costs, or influence the invitation.
No endorsement of Zycus is required. Final say on content rests with the speaker.
| Speaker Category | Travel | Accommodation | Token of Appreciation | Honorarium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent thought leaders, authors and professional speakers Speaking is part of their professional practice | May be offered | May be offered | May be offered | May be offered Agreed in writing beforehand, invoiced |
| Industry analysts Engaged through their firm | May be offered | May be offered | Conditional Only if non-materially significant under the firm's general gifting policy | Conditional Only as the firm's own independence policy and contract allow |
| Procurement practitioners with no commercial relationship to Zycus Not a customer, not in an active evaluation | May be offered | May be offered | May be offered | Conditional Official and invoiced, under this charter |
| Leaders at Zycus customer organizations Current customer, in contract | May be offered | May be offered | May be offered | Never offered Never offered, in any form |
| Practitioners who have left a Zycus customer Independent, between roles, or now at an unrelated organization | May be offered | May be offered | May be offered | Conditional As an independent expert, where they hold no influence over a Zycus relationship |
Where a category is unclear, the more restrictive category applies. A speaker may decline any element without affecting the invitation, and a speaker whose employer funds their own travel is on exactly the same footing as one whose travel Zycus covers.
The above categories are for reference purpose. Zycus reserves the discretion to decide on a case-to-case basis.
The principle is cost neutrality. A speaker should be no worse off for accepting an invitation, and no better off either.
Travel and accommodation are provided at the same standard Zycus applies to its own employees under the Zycus Global Travel and Expense Policy. Speakers are not upgraded above that standard.
Where Zycus does cover a cost, it is settled at actuals against receipts, either booked directly by Zycus or reimbursed to the speaker. There is no allowance, per diem or cash equivalent.
Accommodation covers the nights required by the program, single occupancy, at the event hotel or the nearest comparable property.
Extended or leisure stays, upgrades, side trips, entertainment, and any expense not attributable to the speaking commitment. A speaker may extend a stay at their own cost.
An honorarium is a professional fee for professional work. Zycus offers one where speaking or subject matter expertise is part of how a person earns a living: an author, a professional speaker, an analyst engaged through their firm, an independent advisor, or a practitioner who is consulting or between roles. It is agreed in writing before the event, invoiced, paid through accounts payable, and taxed and reported as the relevant jurisdiction requires.
Zycus does not offer an honorarium to anyone who holds a role at a customer organization. That exclusion is structural, not discretionary. It cannot be waived by a Zycus employee at any level, and it is not routed around through a charitable donation, a sponsorship, a discount, a credit or a payment to a third party.
A practitioner who has left a customer organization is engaged as an independent expert, not as a customer. Their experience has real value, and Zycus pays for the work in the ordinary way, invoiced and documented. Two limits hold that position honest. The fee reflects the market rate for the time and expertise involved, and is never set at a level that could reasonably influence a commercial decision. And it is not available to anyone who still carries influence over a Zycus relationship, whether through an advisory role at a former employer, a role at a customer or prospect, or an appointment to one that is pending. Where that changes, the arrangement ends.
A token is a commemorative item of non-materially significant value, of the kind given to speakers based on the discretion of Zycus. It is intended to be recognized as a courtesy under any ordinary corporate gifting policy, and nothing more. Tokens are non-cash and non-transferable. Zycus does not give cash, gift cards, vouchers, prepaid instruments, or anything a reasonable observer would read as an inducement. A token may be declined or redirected to a charity, if the Speaker cannot accept as per its organization internal policy — and Zycus will record that it was declined.
Before accepting any travel, accommodation, meals, honorarium, token of appreciation, or any other benefit offered under this Speaker Charter, each Speaker is solely responsible for determining whether such acceptance is permitted under the policies, codes of conduct, contractual obligations, and applicable laws governing the Speaker or the Speaker's organization.
By accepting any such benefit under this Speaker Charter, the Speaker represents and confirms that: (i) acceptance of the benefit is permitted under the Speaker's applicable organizational policies and applicable laws; and (ii) all internal approvals, consents, or authorizations required by the Speaker's organization have been obtained prior to acceptance.
If the Speaker's organizational policies or applicable laws prohibit or restrict acceptance of any benefit offered under this Speaker Charter, the Speaker shall promptly notify Zycus and may decline such benefit or the speaking invitation, as applicable. Zycus may retain a written record of such notification for its compliance purposes.
This charter is the speaker element of Praemia, the Zycus program for recognizing and amplifying procurement leadership. Praemia also covers practitioner awards, research contribution and the CPO community programs, each with its own terms.
Read about the praemia programIf any Zycus employee links a speaking invitation to a commercial matter, or offers anything outside this charter, we want to know. Write to legal@zycus.com, which routes to Compliance and not to the commercial organization. Reports may be made anonymously and are handled without retaliation.
Reviewed annually · Zycus Inc., Princeton, New Jersey
Reach the Praemia team for speaker enquiries, or Legal for anything that sits outside this charter.