When planning a multi-day or corporate event, your choice in speakers can make or break the success of your event. Finding the right speaker who is entertaining, effective, and affordable can seem daunting! We host a lot of events at Earle Brown and have some advice for you to help with your speaker selection.

Identify Goals and Success

Before you begin your search, identify the purpose of your speaker. Whether it is to motivate or entertain, engage or instruct, knowing the end goal of the speech you want performed will help you narrow down your search. It will also help you set criteria for the speaker once they have delivered their performance. What does success look like? Having this written out will give you guidelines for the interview process which comes next.

Interview and Review

When you have secured leads and speaker options, schedule interviews with the potential speakers. Here are things to consider:

  • What is the speaker’s charisma and character like when you talk to them?
  • Can they engage a room of just a few people as well as a crowd?
  • Is it easy to follow their thoughts and answers to your questions?

After the event, be sure to pass out a questionnaire to your audience so they can review how the speaker performed. This will help with future event planning.

Manage Expectations

Make sure that your expectations for the speaker are in line with the audience’s expectations. You should have your goals outlined but what will your audience want to get from the experience? Are they expecting a speaker who adds comic relief? Someone who will teach them something new? Personal stories they can connect with? Make sure you consider the audience’s goal for attending the event when selecting a speaker.

Budget and ROI

Speaking of expectations, did you know the fee for a professional speaker is upwards of $10,000? Consider doing your research as early as you can and book well in advance to get the best rate. Speakers do negotiate. Consider what your audience will be expecting. If event tickets are high, they will likely want a big-name celebrity or best-selling author. Or maybe a lesser known speaker who has a relevant story to share will delight your audience and give a better ROI for your event.

Keeping these tips in mind will help you find the right speaker to make your event memorable and effective! Contact Earle Brown to learn more about our venue and how we can help make your event extraordinary!