Celebrity Speakers Bureau’s Top 5 Tips For Hiring A Keynote Speaker
kerEvery event is unique, let these 5 universal tips guide you in your search to hire the perfect Keynote Speaker for any occasion!
So you’ve been tasked with hiring a Keynote Speaker for your company’s upcoming corporate event, industry conference, executive summit, fundraiser or other special event. Now what? From brainstorming the theme and desired speaker message to executing contracts and event logistics, the smallest details can make or break your event. Event planning newcomers and seasoned vets will ultimately face the same challenges when hiring a Keynote Speaker so we’ve created a list of important tips to help you streamline the booking process and ensure an unforgettable experience for your audience.
Tip #1: The speaking topic is the most important element in the event planning process, start there. – Sure those party favors and refreshments are important, but the little details won’t make a difference if your Keynote Speaker doesn’t resonate! Many companies make the mistake of placing too much importance and spending too much of their time/budget on things that the audience will not remember or take for granted. Spend the time and do your due diligence to find a Keynote Speaker whose speech topics will impact and connect with your audience.
Tip #2: Consider your audience and tailor your search according. – If you’re looking to entertain a room full of millennials, will an Olympic icon from the 1970’s really get them out of their seats? Likewise, a room full of baby boomers probably won’t relate to a 20-something social media star talking about the latest apps and digital channels. It’s important to accurately assess your audience demographics to better understand the type of Keynote Speaker that will be able to connect with them on a personal and professional level.
Tip #3: Determine your max budget and work backwards. – In doing so, this allows your planning team to find a happy medium between speaker costs, celebrity appeal and relevant speaker topics. We know you want the biggest and best name you can afford, but are they really going to be able to engage and connect with your audience? Why not opt for a Keynote Speaker with a little less clout but a better message? Also, it’s important to provide each Keynote Speaker will an accurate picture of their scope of work. Adding in additional work like book signings and photo ops later will incur an additional fee!
Tip #4: Allow the desired Keynote Speaker ample time to predict availability, but don’t jump the gun! – While the event planning process has no set time frame, we have found that it is best to book a Keynote Speaker 4-6 months in advance. We have helped book Keynote Speakers a month or even a few weeks out from the event date, but this is not recommended. You often run the risk of missing out on a great Keynote Speaker because they have already scheduled other events on the desired date. However, contacting Keynote Speakers too far in advance or without set dates will also leave them unable to provide you with an accurate picture of availability.
Tip #5: Adopt a checklist approach to event planning and fine tune it. – At the end of the day, every event has the same skeleton: date, location, speaker topic, scope or work and travel and hotel logistics. It’s hard to keep track of where you stand with so many action items to process! Creating your own chronological checklist will help streamline the process and allow you to make the proper preparations for each event in a timely manner without skipping steps or forgetting important details.