Procuring the right professional speaker for your conference or meeting requires plenty of planning, and comes with a lot of pressure. Below are few helpful hints to help guide you through the process of selecting a keynote speaker that will set the tone of your conference, and/or help provide a continuum of ideas based on your objectives.
BE TIP#1: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE...Their job titles, duties, goals, the micro cultures in which they work, their challenges, and most importantly what it is they need to hear...feel...take away from the keynote.
BE TIP#2: KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVE... There are usually many objectives, so the key here is to prioritize... Especially if you’re only able to offer one keynote experience within the context of your meeting. Understand what is most important for your audience to garner from their keynote experience, and be able to differentiate whether you want them to have an emotion response, or a cerebral one.
BE TIP #3: KNOW YOUR BUDGET… Speaker fee ranges are all over the board, with qualified, effective and credentialed speakers requesting fees from $7,500-$15,000 on the low end, $20,000-$50,000 mid-range, and well beyond that for celebrities, sports figures, and well-known CEO’s and business leaders. That old saying, “The bigger the name, the bigger the fee,” is put into play here. As is, “The more in-depth the expertise, the bigger the fee.” Remember that quoted speaker fees usually do not include travel and production expenses.
BE TIP #4: KNOW YOUR OPTIONS… Whomever you choose to help find you the right speaker, make sure you receive a picture, a brief bio, information on all professional designations, evidence that he or she possesses the expertise you require, and accurate pricing and rider requirements. Obtaining a client list, as well as information on any books or articles they’ve published is also helpful in knowing your options before you make a selection. Once you’ve narrowed the options down to 2 or 3, request video footage and a conference call directly with the speaker.
For more information on speaker booking, call or email Michael McGuire at 619-295-3522 or michael@bollotta.com.
Before working at Bollotta Entertainment, Michael worked directly with Tony Robbins as a Regional Manager and Training Facilitator. He also promoted Ken Blanchard, and The Success Seminars, and was a VP of a speaker’s bureau. Michael’s experience enables him to help select appropriate options of professional speakers for your meeting.
