Frank Richards is a Business Management Consultant who specializes in Service Level Agreements. Last month he ran four seminars in major Australian cities but he's finding that the ticket money does not cover his costs.

In these days of instant payment you would believe that the problem of unpaid registration fees is a negligible issue. Unfortunately the days of instant payment do not coincide with the days of red-tape-free purchase ledger accounting. Companies have their own internal rules about raising requisitions for payment and some may take in excess of 90 days to clear all of the hurdles. Although this is probably one of the best reasons for delivering invitations to corporate delegates more than three months prior to the event, it still leaves you with the conundrum of what to do about non-paying delegates.

The answer, as with all financial issues, is to have a clear set of contracted rules that are sent out with the invoice paperwork, the confirmation of registration, the joining instructions and any other communication that you may exchange with your delegates. There is nothing complicated about the wording; all you must state is