If you've ever been to a presentation where the speaker was less than desirable, you know how important selecting the right person is to the success of an event. You want someone professional, yet inspiring, who shares content relevant to your event and audience. Booking the right guest speaker will leave an overall impression for your event.
Let’s take a look at a few of the top tips to booking the right speaker for your next business/networking event:
1. Determine meeting logistics/scheduling – this will help determine how far in advance you need to select and book your speaker.
2. Capture the meeting objective – understanding the goal and nature of the event is critical in terms of choosing the appropriate speaker.
3. Understand the audience – you need to consider the audience demographics to ensure that the selected speaker is appropriate and can relate to them.
4. Know your budget – it is important to know exactly what costs are involved especially if your speaker is coming from abroad.
5. Know your keynote speaker’s reputation – do some research into your speaker with regard to their presentation style, get references or if possible check them out in person.
6. Define the expectations of the speaker – be respectful of your speaker’s material and the time of the presentation.
In case your Event Speaker has to cancel at the last minute, there’s no need to panic.
1. Always have a “Plan B” – have a few back up speakers or at least one that you have an existing relationship with as he/she will usually be willing to jump in to help you out.
2. Look to your event agenda – there may be another presenter who can be upgraded to a keynote.
3. Create an interactive expert panel – there are sure to be persons in your audience that you can enlist to form a panel and discuss 2 or 3 topical questions.
4. Make it a networking opportunity – turn the speaker-less session into a networking one by encouraging people to make more contacts
If you don’t have a speaker in mind we would be happy to assist you in finding someone suitable for your event.
Alternatively, if you’re hosting a more social type or family oriented event and a professional speaker is not necessary, here are just a few presentation tips in case your speaker is a bit nervous or is a first timer!
How to NOT Get Nervous Speaking in Front of People
Do you have tips of your own for not getting nervous when speaking in front of an audience?
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