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So you want to hire a keynote speaker for your next event, but who do you call? Speakers Bureaus and a confident feeling of trust are not a match historically arranged. In fact, many of the top speakers bureau agencies out there are just websites: no company, no staff, no experience and no ethics. It’s the ultimate game of online cat and mouse. They set up their websites, make them look pretty and just when you unsuspectingly walk in the front door, WHAM! The cat gets its meal. That’s why it’s importance to understand the people you are dealing with and invest your time and money with a top speakers bureau who can provide trustworthy, reliable and customer-service oriented support for your business or organization.

So what’s your game plan? There are many top speakers bureau agencies that are part of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB). While the IASB is a very well respected industry organization, it doesn’t really police all that well and it has virtually no authority over it’s members. The standards and practices are respectable but at the end of the day there are more than a few lions in sheep’s clothing in that organization.

That’s why we’ve created the following 5 tips to consider when choosing a top speakers bureau to work with when hiring your next event motivational keynote speaker:

• Tip #5: How often have they updated the bios for speakers on their website?
• Tip #4: Are they industry leaders? Are they writing blogs about the industry? How often, and does it speak to you?
• Tip #3: Size does matter. Do you like boutique firms that provide specialized service or do you like dealing with the puppy mills of the speakers bureau industry? Or is it something in the middle?
• Tip #2: Does the bureau contract directly with you as your Agency of Record or are they flipping contracts, therefore clearly skimming a huge portion of your speakers fee as profit?
• Tip #1: Is the Speakers bureau “acting” as your booking agency or are they the talent’s booking agency? You must be wary of any conflicts of interest. To that end, who is paying the bureau? The speaker or the company?

When you are looking to hire or book motivational keynote speakers for your next conference, meeting, event or seminar you need to have the confidence that you are dealing with credible people because your job depends on it. At Celebrity Speakers Bureau, we take the time to listen and truly understand your needs. We put our clients’ comfort and success ahead of a commission check to deliver on our promise of dedicated customer service. Contact us today via email at booking@celebrityspeakersbureau.com or call (212)410-2853 to speak to a representative about your event.