subject: How To Choose A Keynote Speaker For An After Dinner Speech [print this page] How To Choose A Keynote Speaker For An After Dinner Speech
Whether you are planning an event, or a conference you may look at hiring a keynote speaker. If you attend an event of conference, you will find there are a lot of speakers. A keynote speaker is the highlight speaker. Similar to the headline act at a gig or concert!The reasons you are choosing a keynote speaker weighs on a lot of decisions. Who is it that will be coming to the event? What sort of people are they? Do your clients do business? Are you expecting members of the public? Do they belong to a niche of any sort? As an example, you might have sales people attending. Think, would a sports speaker match their needs? Alternatively consider a business speaker? What about a motivational speaker to gear up sales staff? Selecting the right keynote speaker can be difficult. There are two main ways of finding a keynote speaker. How about going direct? Say if you needed a sports speaker, you could find their agent. Most keynote speakers will have their own website with contact details. Find a contact by typing their name into Google. Don't pick a speaker too quickly Why go for the first speaker you come across? Speaking and after dinner speeches is a growing industry. You wouldn't believe for example the amount of retired sports stars that take on a career of making keynote speeches. Thinking again about choosing a keynote speaker, do your research on the speaker- find out about them. E.g. a speaker that makes rude jokes wouldn't be a suitable for an event attended by children! Narrow down your speakers A shortlist of about five or 6 would be good. Now you at least have some choice. Then you can contact the speakers for pricing and availability one by one. Why should I go through an agency? An alternative methods is using an agency. Agencies specialise in sourcing keynote speakers. They can find the right speaker for you and help with the negotiations. This kind of help is vital. You can explain to the agent what kind of event you are planning, and instead of you having to go away and research, they can then match the speaker to your event, taking out the hard work. Putting on the event Any successful event requires brilliant organisation. A reliable speaker and strict itinerary are a must. Having the relevant contracts in place is also paramount. Imagine having your event organised, and on the day the speaker does not show? Again opting to use an agency is the best way to avoid this issue. Make sure you enjoy the day, whether it's an event or conference. And try and not to forget- picking the right man or woman for the job makes a good event.
