Find a speaker, whether it's a guest speaker or a keynote speaker, with this comprehensive guide and discover tips on how to coordinate and maximise your guest speaker's impact.
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UPDATED: 11/22/2024
When planning your business event, one of the most important factors you’re going to want to consider is choosing the right guest speaker.
Oftentimes, when it comes to your guests and whether they're going to attend your event, it can come down to none other than the speakers lineup sealing the deal.
A survey found that 70% of attendees see in-person events as the best for training and professional content. So everybody who attends any kind of business event does so with one goal in mind: bettering their own business prospects.
With this being the case, it’s crucial that you identify and select guest speakers who:
We’ve created a comprehensive guide on the types of speakers at conferences, how to find them, how to introduce, and more. Discover best practices on speaker management to maximise your event's success.
The purpose of having a guest speaker is to add value to the event. An event speaker:
That's why it’s important to carefully select an exceptional speaker based on their expertise and relevance to the event's theme.
Once you’ve found a suitable guest speaker, the management team then communicates with them to confirm their availability. They negotiate their fees and travel arrangements ahead of the event.
On the day of the event, the speaker's presentation also needs to be carefully coordinated with the event schedule to ensure a seamless flow. Effective speaker management is critical in ensuring that the event achieves its objectives and leaves a positive impression on attendees.
Now that you understand why guest speakers are important for your event, we’re going to give you a brief rundown of the different types available.
A moderator plays a key role in ensuring the smooth running of any business event. They are responsible for guiding the discussion and keeping the audience engaged. With an experienced moderator, the event will be an informative and engaging experience for all involved.
A keynote speaker functions as the headliner and sets the tone for the event. They are often regarded as the highlight of the event and can set the tone for the rest of the program. A good keynote speaker should deliver an inspiring message that resonates with the audience and motivates them to take action.
They typically have the ability to engage and captivate the audience, leaving a lasting impression on your attendees. As such, it is important to carefully consider the qualifications and experience of potential speakers before making the decision to invite them to be your keynote.
The keynote speaker sets the tone and theme for the entire event. Their speech is often motivational or inspirational and it typically occurs at the beginning of the event like the opening ceremony.
Guest speakers, however, act as more of a support to the event. Events often feature multiple speakers whose talks are more specialized and cover a wide range of topics.
A panelist is a person who is invited to participate in a discussion or debate on a specific topic, sometimes elaborating on what the keynote speaker has discussed. Panelists may be experts in their field, industry leaders, or professionals with relevant experience.
This is someone who is in charge of leading a workshop or training session for attendees. The workshop leader may also act as a facilitator, encouraging participants to share their thoughts and ideas, and guiding discussions to help achieve the desired outcomes.
A closing speaker is the one who will be delivering the final address or presentation of the day. You typically invite this person to speak after the other guest speakers have already presented.
The role of a closing speaker is to provide a memorable and impactful conclusion to the event, leaving attendees with a lasting impression of the event as a whole. Very often, an event chooses to space out their most anticipated speakers throughout the event to keep excitement levels high amongst delegates and ensure full participation throughout the event.
Often, the part of choosing your keynote speaker or a guest speaker can be relatively easy, as you may already have a “wish list” of inspirational figures in your field that you’d love to work with.
Start by defining the objectives of your event and identifying your audience (their interest, needs, and expectations).
Understanding your event's goals and your audience will help you in researching potential speakers from industry leaders and experts to authors and academics.
You can reach out to professional associations and speaker bureaus. They typically specialize in connecting events with professional speakers, making it easier for you to find them.
.jpeg)
You can check out the list of speakers of similar past events for potential candidates. Or explore your competition and their agendas for inspiration.
Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, SpeakerHub, and TED to find professionals who have experience speaking at events. You can even ask your colleagues, industry peers, or other event organizers for recommendations.
Here are some additional example resources for finding a guest speaker:
And many more…
Look for videos of the professional's past presentations and assess their speaking style and effectiveness. Pay attention to how they work with their audience in terms of engagement, but most importantly how educating their sessions are. Don't forget to review their credentials and check reviews.
Connect with your chosen speakers and tell them why you think they would be a great fit. Underline any benefits for the speaker, such as networking opportunities, exposure, or an honorarium.
Now it's time for finalizing the logistics such as travel arrangements, accommodations, and any technical requirements they might have. This step also includes preparing an agreement outlining the terms of their participation, including payment, expectations, and cancellation policies.
There are also some factors that you need to consider and research when trying to find a speaker at your event.
Consider how relevant they are to your company, brand and theme of the event. Alignment on the basics is the first thing you need to consider.
Their expertise within their field is also paramount. Ensure that your keynote speaker or a guest speaker is well respected for their work so that your audience feels inspired to attend due to their being there.
As with expertise, your host should have specific skills that set them above the rest.
“90% of the time I choose people I would like to hear presenting a case story myself. I love outsiders. They are often ready to share much more interesting things than famous or professional speakers. I often ask for draft presentations and detailed extra information on what they want to present. This filters out serial speakers and self-promoting “geniuses”. The prize for the top PPC case presented was also intended to be an extra motivation factor for the speakers.” – Gianpaolo Lorusso, a web marketing professional and a founder of the event ADworld Experience
Does their brand and ethos match that of your own and your target audience? If not, it’s unlikely your target audience will want to invest. So, make sure both of your target audience are similar.
Being mindful of their availability is a key research point. Whilst you want to be accommodating to their schedule, you want to ensure that their availability ties in with the timing of your own event.
As an event organizer, the budget is probably constantly on your mind, imprinted somewhere in the back. You may be wondering how much a public speaker costs and whether you can actually afford them.
The answer varies according to the speaker's level of expertise. Making sure that the guest speaker fits within your budget from the outset avoids overstretching your overheads and putting the events team in awkward situations. You can read this article about how much they make per event to know what to expect.
.jpeg)
Aim for a diverse range to provide varied perspectives and make your event more inclusive and engaging.
Marketing your guest speakers ahead of your event is important for overall event success rate. Make sure that your attendee’s hear all about the professionals speaking at your event with an effective introduction during pre-event marketing as well as at the event itself.
Here is 6 step guide on how to effectively introduce a speaker:
You should express genuine thanks to the speaker for the valuable information that they share. They invested time and effort into their presentations.
That's why you want to express sincere gratitude by mentioning a few key points or insights from their talk that particularly resonated with you or the audience. You'll demonstrate that you paid attention.
Don't forget to invite the audience to connect with the guest speaker after the event during a networking session or on social media. End with a round of applause from the audience.
Your guest speakers are, just like anyone else you interact with in a business capacity, a new networking opportunity. Someone who, after your event is over, will remember you and your brand and likely share tales of their experience forward to other companies. This is why it’s important to create a smooth process that is positive, respectful and mutually beneficial for both parties involved.
Here are a few basic etiquette tips to help you successfully manage your guest speakers:
Transparency is key when working alongside any business associate. Keep your guest speakers involved with any updates or changes as they happen. Consider sending through their speaker information in a pack that covers all the information they need to know about the business and the event that can serve as point of reference to them at every stage of the event.
You will want to ensure that you respond to your guest speaker’s queries in a timely manner. This means that you may want to think about giving them a dedicated phone number or email address so that you can personally ensure that any query they have is dealt with quickly and so that the professional feels ‘heard’ by the business at all times.
Nobody likes to be left waiting, particularly when it comes to payment. So, make sure you let them know that their invoice for services rendered is of utmost priority. This also means getting clear with your business's payment terms so that you can pass on the correct information to the speaker.
This one is a bit of a no brainer, but let's mention it anyway. Ensure that, when engaging with your speakers, you keep the tone of conversation professional and that topics covered are specific to the event goal.
Be sure to arrange comfortable accommodation as well as reliable transportation both to and from the event. We are not expecting you to give your guest speaker the 5 Star, First Class options at every turn. But whether they slept the evening before and knows that their belongings will still be where they left them in the hotel room will go a long way towards your speaker giving an Oscar winning performance at your event.
Your post-event interactions are equally as important as the first discussion you’ll have with them. Show your appreciation with a token letter, gift, or, most importantly, a positive review or recommendation to another company on your networking list. They are then likely to pay the same gratitude forward.
.jpeg)
Once you’ve sourced a suitable guest speaker, you need to use this to your advantage and get the very most out of having them at your event. Here’s a few things you should consider:
Familiarising yourself and your speakers with any technology that’s being used on the day. Some tech can be used in the lead up to the event itself, so they will have time to get to grips with the tech used. This ensures they feel confident with the systems you have in place by the time of the event.
Facilitate your attendee interaction with everyone using a user-friendly event app, like Eventee. This encourages engagement throughout the event. Encouraging your speakers to ‘get on board’ with the app beforehand gives everyone a chance to network and for them to have a better understanding of who they will be speaking to and their needs.
Increase attendee engagement using a feature such as Eventee’s social wall. This allows them to share their mutual excitement for the upcoming conference with your speakers, creating a buzz before and during the event. This feature also allows the them to see what questions could be asked during Q and A sessions and what elements of the talk attendees are most excited about.
Make the speaker’s session as interactive as possible. By using an app to create polls, questions and live feedback to talk can be an extremely inclusive and exciting experience for attendees and event speakers alike.
Pre-event rehearsals are a key way to make sure your event runs smoothly. If both your guest speaker and you are confident with the processes in place it will ensure everything transitions seamlessly, providing the most positive experience for your attendees.
An often missed area of guest speaker management is gaining feedback from not only attendees but the speaking professionals themselves. This can be done in a number of ways (don’t forget Eventee has a live feedback feature for on the go feedback). Gaining insightful feedback means you will be able to readjust your management strategy the next time your conference comes around.
.jpeg)
We don’t like to make life difficult at Eventee. In fact, we have precisely the opposite approach. Which is why we created our event app, to make your life as an event host and guest speaker coordinator as simple as it can be. Here are some ways the Eventee app can help you apply the tips shared in this blog.
Managing your event speakers is a fine line between researching someone that is going to enliven your event and resonate with potential attendees, as well as organising them beforehand and on the day with effective communication that can be helped by the use of ingenuitive tech such as Eventee.
We hope that the tips we’ve shared are helpful to you as you begin to source your next guest speaker. If you’re looking for more event hosting tips and guidance, you can find a whole host of blogs, covering all things events on the Eventee blog.
Find a speaker, whether it's a guest speaker or a keynote speaker, with this comprehensive guide and discover tips on how to coordinate and maximise your guest speaker's impact.
UPDATED: 11/22/2024
When planning your business event, one of the most important factors you’re going to want to consider is choosing the right guest speaker.
Oftentimes, when it comes to your guests and whether they're going to attend your event, it can come down to none other than the speakers lineup sealing the deal.
A survey found that 70% of attendees see in-person events as the best for training and professional content. So everybody who attends any kind of business event does so with one goal in mind: bettering their own business prospects.
With this being the case, it’s crucial that you identify and select guest speakers who:
We’ve created a comprehensive guide on the types of speakers at conferences, how to find them, how to introduce, and more. Discover best practices on speaker management to maximise your event's success.
The purpose of having a guest speaker is to add value to the event. An event speaker:
That's why it’s important to carefully select an exceptional speaker based on their expertise and relevance to the event's theme.
Once you’ve found a suitable guest speaker, the management team then communicates with them to confirm their availability. They negotiate their fees and travel arrangements ahead of the event.
On the day of the event, the speaker's presentation also needs to be carefully coordinated with the event schedule to ensure a seamless flow. Effective speaker management is critical in ensuring that the event achieves its objectives and leaves a positive impression on attendees.
Now that you understand why guest speakers are important for your event, we’re going to give you a brief rundown of the different types available.
A moderator plays a key role in ensuring the smooth running of any business event. They are responsible for guiding the discussion and keeping the audience engaged. With an experienced moderator, the event will be an informative and engaging experience for all involved.
A keynote speaker functions as the headliner and sets the tone for the event. They are often regarded as the highlight of the event and can set the tone for the rest of the program. A good keynote speaker should deliver an inspiring message that resonates with the audience and motivates them to take action.
They typically have the ability to engage and captivate the audience, leaving a lasting impression on your attendees. As such, it is important to carefully consider the qualifications and experience of potential speakers before making the decision to invite them to be your keynote.
The keynote speaker sets the tone and theme for the entire event. Their speech is often motivational or inspirational and it typically occurs at the beginning of the event like the opening ceremony.
Guest speakers, however, act as more of a support to the event. Events often feature multiple speakers whose talks are more specialized and cover a wide range of topics.
A panelist is a person who is invited to participate in a discussion or debate on a specific topic, sometimes elaborating on what the keynote speaker has discussed. Panelists may be experts in their field, industry leaders, or professionals with relevant experience.
This is someone who is in charge of leading a workshop or training session for attendees. The workshop leader may also act as a facilitator, encouraging participants to share their thoughts and ideas, and guiding discussions to help achieve the desired outcomes.
A closing speaker is the one who will be delivering the final address or presentation of the day. You typically invite this person to speak after the other guest speakers have already presented.
The role of a closing speaker is to provide a memorable and impactful conclusion to the event, leaving attendees with a lasting impression of the event as a whole. Very often, an event chooses to space out their most anticipated speakers throughout the event to keep excitement levels high amongst delegates and ensure full participation throughout the event.
Often, the part of choosing your keynote speaker or a guest speaker can be relatively easy, as you may already have a “wish list” of inspirational figures in your field that you’d love to work with.
Start by defining the objectives of your event and identifying your audience (their interest, needs, and expectations).
Understanding your event's goals and your audience will help you in researching potential speakers from industry leaders and experts to authors and academics.
You can reach out to professional associations and speaker bureaus. They typically specialize in connecting events with professional speakers, making it easier for you to find them.
You can check out the list of speakers of similar past events for potential candidates. Or explore your competition and their agendas for inspiration.
Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, SpeakerHub, and TED to find professionals who have experience speaking at events. You can even ask your colleagues, industry peers, or other event organizers for recommendations.
Here are some additional example resources for finding a guest speaker:
And many more…
Look for videos of the professional's past presentations and assess their speaking style and effectiveness. Pay attention to how they work with their audience in terms of engagement, but most importantly how educating their sessions are. Don't forget to review their credentials and check reviews.
Connect with your chosen speakers and tell them why you think they would be a great fit. Underline any benefits for the speaker, such as networking opportunities, exposure, or an honorarium.
Now it's time for finalizing the logistics such as travel arrangements, accommodations, and any technical requirements they might have. This step also includes preparing an agreement outlining the terms of their participation, including payment, expectations, and cancellation policies.
There are also some factors that you need to consider and research when trying to find a speaker at your event.
Consider how relevant they are to your company, brand and theme of the event. Alignment on the basics is the first thing you need to consider.
Their expertise within their field is also paramount. Ensure that your keynote speaker or a guest speaker is well respected for their work so that your audience feels inspired to attend due to their being there.
As with expertise, your host should have specific skills that set them above the rest.
“90% of the time I choose people I would like to hear presenting a case story myself. I love outsiders. They are often ready to share much more interesting things than famous or professional speakers. I often ask for draft presentations and detailed extra information on what they want to present. This filters out serial speakers and self-promoting “geniuses”. The prize for the top PPC case presented was also intended to be an extra motivation factor for the speakers.” – Gianpaolo Lorusso, a web marketing professional and a founder of the event ADworld Experience
Does their brand and ethos match that of your own and your target audience? If not, it’s unlikely your target audience will want to invest. So, make sure both of your target audience are similar.
Being mindful of their availability is a key research point. Whilst you want to be accommodating to their schedule, you want to ensure that their availability ties in with the timing of your own event.
As an event organizer, the budget is probably constantly on your mind, imprinted somewhere in the back. You may be wondering how much a public speaker costs and whether you can actually afford them.
The answer varies according to the speaker's level of expertise. Making sure that the guest speaker fits within your budget from the outset avoids overstretching your overheads and putting the events team in awkward situations. You can read this article about how much they make per event to know what to expect.
Aim for a diverse range to provide varied perspectives and make your event more inclusive and engaging.
Marketing your guest speakers ahead of your event is important for overall event success rate. Make sure that your attendee’s hear all about the professionals speaking at your event with an effective introduction during pre-event marketing as well as at the event itself.
Here is 6 step guide on how to effectively introduce a speaker:
You should express genuine thanks to the speaker for the valuable information that they share. They invested time and effort into their presentations.
That's why you want to express sincere gratitude by mentioning a few key points or insights from their talk that particularly resonated with you or the audience. You'll demonstrate that you paid attention.
Don't forget to invite the audience to connect with the guest speaker after the event during a networking session or on social media. End with a round of applause from the audience.
Your guest speakers are, just like anyone else you interact with in a business capacity, a new networking opportunity. Someone who, after your event is over, will remember you and your brand and likely share tales of their experience forward to other companies. This is why it’s important to create a smooth process that is positive, respectful and mutually beneficial for both parties involved.
Here are a few basic etiquette tips to help you successfully manage your guest speakers:
Transparency is key when working alongside any business associate. Keep your guest speakers involved with any updates or changes as they happen. Consider sending through their speaker information in a pack that covers all the information they need to know about the business and the event that can serve as point of reference to them at every stage of the event.
You will want to ensure that you respond to your guest speaker’s queries in a timely manner. This means that you may want to think about giving them a dedicated phone number or email address so that you can personally ensure that any query they have is dealt with quickly and so that the professional feels ‘heard’ by the business at all times.
Nobody likes to be left waiting, particularly when it comes to payment. So, make sure you let them know that their invoice for services rendered is of utmost priority. This also means getting clear with your business's payment terms so that you can pass on the correct information to the speaker.
This one is a bit of a no brainer, but let's mention it anyway. Ensure that, when engaging with your speakers, you keep the tone of conversation professional and that topics covered are specific to the event goal.
Be sure to arrange comfortable accommodation as well as reliable transportation both to and from the event. We are not expecting you to give your guest speaker the 5 Star, First Class options at every turn. But whether they slept the evening before and knows that their belongings will still be where they left them in the hotel room will go a long way towards your speaker giving an Oscar winning performance at your event.
Your post-event interactions are equally as important as the first discussion you’ll have with them. Show your appreciation with a token letter, gift, or, most importantly, a positive review or recommendation to another company on your networking list. They are then likely to pay the same gratitude forward.
Once you’ve sourced a suitable guest speaker, you need to use this to your advantage and get the very most out of having them at your event. Here’s a few things you should consider:
Familiarising yourself and your speakers with any technology that’s being used on the day. Some tech can be used in the lead up to the event itself, so they will have time to get to grips with the tech used. This ensures they feel confident with the systems you have in place by the time of the event.
Facilitate your attendee interaction with everyone using a user-friendly event app, like Eventee. This encourages engagement throughout the event. Encouraging your speakers to ‘get on board’ with the app beforehand gives everyone a chance to network and for them to have a better understanding of who they will be speaking to and their needs.
Increase attendee engagement using a feature such as Eventee’s social wall. This allows them to share their mutual excitement for the upcoming conference with your speakers, creating a buzz before and during the event. This feature also allows the them to see what questions could be asked during Q and A sessions and what elements of the talk attendees are most excited about.
Make the speaker’s session as interactive as possible. By using an app to create polls, questions and live feedback to talk can be an extremely inclusive and exciting experience for attendees and event speakers alike.
Pre-event rehearsals are a key way to make sure your event runs smoothly. If both your guest speaker and you are confident with the processes in place it will ensure everything transitions seamlessly, providing the most positive experience for your attendees.
An often missed area of guest speaker management is gaining feedback from not only attendees but the speaking professionals themselves. This can be done in a number of ways (don’t forget Eventee has a live feedback feature for on the go feedback). Gaining insightful feedback means you will be able to readjust your management strategy the next time your conference comes around.
We don’t like to make life difficult at Eventee. In fact, we have precisely the opposite approach. Which is why we created our event app, to make your life as an event host and guest speaker coordinator as simple as it can be. Here are some ways the Eventee app can help you apply the tips shared in this blog.
Managing your event speakers is a fine line between researching someone that is going to enliven your event and resonate with potential attendees, as well as organising them beforehand and on the day with effective communication that can be helped by the use of ingenuitive tech such as Eventee.
We hope that the tips we’ve shared are helpful to you as you begin to source your next guest speaker. If you’re looking for more event hosting tips and guidance, you can find a whole host of blogs, covering all things events on the Eventee blog.
Find a speaker, whether it's a guest speaker or a keynote speaker, with this comprehensive guide and discover tips on how to coordinate and maximise your guest speaker's impact.
UPDATED: 11/22/2024
When planning your business event, one of the most important factors you’re going to want to consider is choosing the right guest speaker.
Oftentimes, when it comes to your guests and whether they're going to attend your event, it can come down to none other than the speakers lineup sealing the deal.
A survey found that 70% of attendees see in-person events as the best for training and professional content. So everybody who attends any kind of business event does so with one goal in mind: bettering their own business prospects.
With this being the case, it’s crucial that you identify and select guest speakers who:
We’ve created a comprehensive guide on the types of speakers at conferences, how to find them, how to introduce, and more. Discover best practices on speaker management to maximise your event's success.
The purpose of having a guest speaker is to add value to the event. An event speaker:
That's why it’s important to carefully select an exceptional speaker based on their expertise and relevance to the event's theme.
Once you’ve found a suitable guest speaker, the management team then communicates with them to confirm their availability. They negotiate their fees and travel arrangements ahead of the event.
On the day of the event, the speaker's presentation also needs to be carefully coordinated with the event schedule to ensure a seamless flow. Effective speaker management is critical in ensuring that the event achieves its objectives and leaves a positive impression on attendees.
Now that you understand why guest speakers are important for your event, we’re going to give you a brief rundown of the different types available.
A moderator plays a key role in ensuring the smooth running of any business event. They are responsible for guiding the discussion and keeping the audience engaged. With an experienced moderator, the event will be an informative and engaging experience for all involved.
A keynote speaker functions as the headliner and sets the tone for the event. They are often regarded as the highlight of the event and can set the tone for the rest of the program. A good keynote speaker should deliver an inspiring message that resonates with the audience and motivates them to take action.
They typically have the ability to engage and captivate the audience, leaving a lasting impression on your attendees. As such, it is important to carefully consider the qualifications and experience of potential speakers before making the decision to invite them to be your keynote.
The keynote speaker sets the tone and theme for the entire event. Their speech is often motivational or inspirational and it typically occurs at the beginning of the event like the opening ceremony.
Guest speakers, however, act as more of a support to the event. Events often feature multiple speakers whose talks are more specialized and cover a wide range of topics.
A panelist is a person who is invited to participate in a discussion or debate on a specific topic, sometimes elaborating on what the keynote speaker has discussed. Panelists may be experts in their field, industry leaders, or professionals with relevant experience.
This is someone who is in charge of leading a workshop or training session for attendees. The workshop leader may also act as a facilitator, encouraging participants to share their thoughts and ideas, and guiding discussions to help achieve the desired outcomes.
A closing speaker is the one who will be delivering the final address or presentation of the day. You typically invite this person to speak after the other guest speakers have already presented.
The role of a closing speaker is to provide a memorable and impactful conclusion to the event, leaving attendees with a lasting impression of the event as a whole. Very often, an event chooses to space out their most anticipated speakers throughout the event to keep excitement levels high amongst delegates and ensure full participation throughout the event.
Often, the part of choosing your keynote speaker or a guest speaker can be relatively easy, as you may already have a “wish list” of inspirational figures in your field that you’d love to work with.
Start by defining the objectives of your event and identifying your audience (their interest, needs, and expectations).
Understanding your event's goals and your audience will help you in researching potential speakers from industry leaders and experts to authors and academics.
You can reach out to professional associations and speaker bureaus. They typically specialize in connecting events with professional speakers, making it easier for you to find them.
You can check out the list of speakers of similar past events for potential candidates. Or explore your competition and their agendas for inspiration.
Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, SpeakerHub, and TED to find professionals who have experience speaking at events. You can even ask your colleagues, industry peers, or other event organizers for recommendations.
Here are some additional example resources for finding a guest speaker:
And many more…
Look for videos of the professional's past presentations and assess their speaking style and effectiveness. Pay attention to how they work with their audience in terms of engagement, but most importantly how educating their sessions are. Don't forget to review their credentials and check reviews.
Connect with your chosen speakers and tell them why you think they would be a great fit. Underline any benefits for the speaker, such as networking opportunities, exposure, or an honorarium.
Now it's time for finalizing the logistics such as travel arrangements, accommodations, and any technical requirements they might have. This step also includes preparing an agreement outlining the terms of their participation, including payment, expectations, and cancellation policies.
There are also some factors that you need to consider and research when trying to find a speaker at your event.
Consider how relevant they are to your company, brand and theme of the event. Alignment on the basics is the first thing you need to consider.
Their expertise within their field is also paramount. Ensure that your keynote speaker or a guest speaker is well respected for their work so that your audience feels inspired to attend due to their being there.
As with expertise, your host should have specific skills that set them above the rest.
“90% of the time I choose people I would like to hear presenting a case story myself. I love outsiders. They are often ready to share much more interesting things than famous or professional speakers. I often ask for draft presentations and detailed extra information on what they want to present. This filters out serial speakers and self-promoting “geniuses”. The prize for the top PPC case presented was also intended to be an extra motivation factor for the speakers.” – Gianpaolo Lorusso, a web marketing professional and a founder of the event ADworld Experience
Does their brand and ethos match that of your own and your target audience? If not, it’s unlikely your target audience will want to invest. So, make sure both of your target audience are similar.
Being mindful of their availability is a key research point. Whilst you want to be accommodating to their schedule, you want to ensure that their availability ties in with the timing of your own event.
As an event organizer, the budget is probably constantly on your mind, imprinted somewhere in the back. You may be wondering how much a public speaker costs and whether you can actually afford them.
The answer varies according to the speaker's level of expertise. Making sure that the guest speaker fits within your budget from the outset avoids overstretching your overheads and putting the events team in awkward situations. You can read this article about how much they make per event to know what to expect.
Aim for a diverse range to provide varied perspectives and make your event more inclusive and engaging.
Marketing your guest speakers ahead of your event is important for overall event success rate. Make sure that your attendee’s hear all about the professionals speaking at your event with an effective introduction during pre-event marketing as well as at the event itself.
Here is 6 step guide on how to effectively introduce a speaker:
You should express genuine thanks to the speaker for the valuable information that they share. They invested time and effort into their presentations.
That's why you want to express sincere gratitude by mentioning a few key points or insights from their talk that particularly resonated with you or the audience. You'll demonstrate that you paid attention.
Don't forget to invite the audience to connect with the guest speaker after the event during a networking session or on social media. End with a round of applause from the audience.
Your guest speakers are, just like anyone else you interact with in a business capacity, a new networking opportunity. Someone who, after your event is over, will remember you and your brand and likely share tales of their experience forward to other companies. This is why it’s important to create a smooth process that is positive, respectful and mutually beneficial for both parties involved.
Here are a few basic etiquette tips to help you successfully manage your guest speakers:
Transparency is key when working alongside any business associate. Keep your guest speakers involved with any updates or changes as they happen. Consider sending through their speaker information in a pack that covers all the information they need to know about the business and the event that can serve as point of reference to them at every stage of the event.
You will want to ensure that you respond to your guest speaker’s queries in a timely manner. This means that you may want to think about giving them a dedicated phone number or email address so that you can personally ensure that any query they have is dealt with quickly and so that the professional feels ‘heard’ by the business at all times.
Nobody likes to be left waiting, particularly when it comes to payment. So, make sure you let them know that their invoice for services rendered is of utmost priority. This also means getting clear with your business's payment terms so that you can pass on the correct information to the speaker.
This one is a bit of a no brainer, but let's mention it anyway. Ensure that, when engaging with your speakers, you keep the tone of conversation professional and that topics covered are specific to the event goal.
Be sure to arrange comfortable accommodation as well as reliable transportation both to and from the event. We are not expecting you to give your guest speaker the 5 Star, First Class options at every turn. But whether they slept the evening before and knows that their belongings will still be where they left them in the hotel room will go a long way towards your speaker giving an Oscar winning performance at your event.
Your post-event interactions are equally as important as the first discussion you’ll have with them. Show your appreciation with a token letter, gift, or, most importantly, a positive review or recommendation to another company on your networking list. They are then likely to pay the same gratitude forward.
Once you’ve sourced a suitable guest speaker, you need to use this to your advantage and get the very most out of having them at your event. Here’s a few things you should consider:
Familiarising yourself and your speakers with any technology that’s being used on the day. Some tech can be used in the lead up to the event itself, so they will have time to get to grips with the tech used. This ensures they feel confident with the systems you have in place by the time of the event.
Facilitate your attendee interaction with everyone using a user-friendly event app, like Eventee. This encourages engagement throughout the event. Encouraging your speakers to ‘get on board’ with the app beforehand gives everyone a chance to network and for them to have a better understanding of who they will be speaking to and their needs.
Increase attendee engagement using a feature such as Eventee’s social wall. This allows them to share their mutual excitement for the upcoming conference with your speakers, creating a buzz before and during the event. This feature also allows the them to see what questions could be asked during Q and A sessions and what elements of the talk attendees are most excited about.
Make the speaker’s session as interactive as possible. By using an app to create polls, questions and live feedback to talk can be an extremely inclusive and exciting experience for attendees and event speakers alike.
Pre-event rehearsals are a key way to make sure your event runs smoothly. If both your guest speaker and you are confident with the processes in place it will ensure everything transitions seamlessly, providing the most positive experience for your attendees.
An often missed area of guest speaker management is gaining feedback from not only attendees but the speaking professionals themselves. This can be done in a number of ways (don’t forget Eventee has a live feedback feature for on the go feedback). Gaining insightful feedback means you will be able to readjust your management strategy the next time your conference comes around.
We don’t like to make life difficult at Eventee. In fact, we have precisely the opposite approach. Which is why we created our event app, to make your life as an event host and guest speaker coordinator as simple as it can be. Here are some ways the Eventee app can help you apply the tips shared in this blog.
Managing your event speakers is a fine line between researching someone that is going to enliven your event and resonate with potential attendees, as well as organising them beforehand and on the day with effective communication that can be helped by the use of ingenuitive tech such as Eventee.
We hope that the tips we’ve shared are helpful to you as you begin to source your next guest speaker. If you’re looking for more event hosting tips and guidance, you can find a whole host of blogs, covering all things events on the Eventee blog.
