4: The Marketing of Commodities

One of the more tedious requirements in my career as a mineral economist was the periodic chore of acting as a keynote speaker at annual trade association meetings. I typically gave a ‘state of the industry’ speech, invariably at a breakfast session when the delegates were more interested in getting out onto the golf course. However, the US Internal Revenue Service does not allow these outings to be deducted for tax purposes in the absence of some kind of educational content. Often, I found myself teamed up with a nationally known ‘motivational speaker’ who had been recruited to boost attendance.