nts can devolve into little more than lifeless gatherings! Guest speakers can significantly impact the success or failure of an event, making it a crucial task in your event planning process to find the ideal one.
If you want your next event to strike the right chord with your guests, you must be prepared to tackle the challenges of finding the ideal guest speaker, arranging travel and accommodations, managing session availability, settling payments, and more.
To help you rise to the occasion, here’s a comprehensive guide on arranging guest speakers for events.
Consider What Makes a Great Guest Speaker
The first task to complete under your event speaker-arranging checklist is to choose the right guest speaker. And the “right” guest speaker isn’t just someone with a big name or an attractive look. You need to know what kind of knowledge and experience your guests will want to find the right person!
When choosing a guest speaker, consider the following:
- The event’s tone
- Your audience’s needs
- The knowledge of the potential speakers
- Diversity
Not all events need the same type of guest speaker. Therefore, depending on the nature and tone of the event, you must select speakers that align with your expectations. Prioritizing diversity among the speakers is essential for creating a successful event.
The more varied the speakers, the deeper you can go into the topics and the more significant impact your event may have.
It’s also essential to determine what makes a guest speaker great, for instance:
- Credentials
- Experience
- Industry profile
- Excellent speaking ability
Remember, the average audience attention span is only eight to ten minutes. A guest speaker must possess the leadership, humor, authenticity, and confidence to engage the audience throughout their session.
How Your Speaker Contributes to Event Goals
A guest speaker isn’t just there to fill up a spot in the program — they should be able to add value to the event and help you achieve your goals. Go back to your event goals and answer the following questions:
- Who is your audience?
- What is the guest speaker’s purpose?
- What type of engagement does your event need?
If you’re planning a specific business event, you need guest speakers for conferences who can provide valuable industry information. On the other hand, if you’re organizing a charity fundraiser, you need someone with a personal connection who can tug at the attendees’ heartstrings and encourage them to make a donation.
Know Your Budget
Another task is setting the budget for arranging speakers for events. It’s easy to get carried away while looking for excellent guest speakers, but knowing your limitations is crucial. When setting or adjusting your budget, take the following into account:
- The speaker’s hourly or daily rate
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation costs
- Food and beverage costs
- Miscellaneous charges
How much should you pay for a guest speaker? It depends. Guest speakers consider the number and type of attendees, the event location, and the event type when determining their rates.
A speaker with little experience might charge $500-$2,500, and established personalities can charge upwards of $10,000. Guest speakers with social proof that they can make a difference at an event come with even higher rates.
Take note that these rates exclude the expenses for travel and accommodation. Set a realistic budget when finding and booking event speakers.
Explore Your Options and Conduct the Search
Once you have an image of your ideal guest speaker and a budget in place, you can begin researching and compiling your list of potential speakers. Do you know where to look?
- Referrals: Get recommendations from people you trust. Ask other event planners and industry leaders whom they’ve worked with in the past.
- Similar Events: Research similar events held in the past. Who were the guest speakers? How did the audience respond to them? What topics were covered?
- Industry Organizations: It’s also ideal to investigate industry organizations for speakers. Professional associations, forums, and trade publications are all great options.
- TED Talks: TED Talks are one of the most popular platforms for speakers. You can use this venue to discover inspiring stories, explore interesting topics, and connect with passionate individuals who are eager to share their knowledge and expertise.
- Your Personal Experience: Pay attention to people you’ve encountered during your personal life, such as university and college professors and public speakers.
- Social Media: Social media platforms are an excellent resource. You’ll be able to check out speaker profiles, see their social media following, and view their past work.
- Agencies: Lastly, you can also approach an agency to find the right person for your event. These businesses are experts at finding exceptional guest speakers and arranging their schedules to meet your requirements.
Professional Networks
Hiring trusted agencies to find guest speakers is a straightforward way to ensure you secure the right speakers for your event. But, if you’re aiming for long-term relationships, you must learn how to build and reach out through professional networks.
This tip may not work if it’s your first event, but you can easily contact and approach guest speakers if you have a few events under your belt. Professional networks connect you with diverse industries and individuals who can offer valuable insights into future events and opportunities.
The more you learn about an industry, the easier it is to find the best guest speakers.
Cold-Calling is an Option
Cold-calling potential guest speakers is an excellent approach for event planners who have yet to establish professional networks. However, this method takes more effort than using your existing contacts. Think of it as a sales call, and target the speakers you believe would be ideal for your event.
Reach out to them through email and social media. The challenge is to deliver value immediately. Explain the type of audience and how their participation would benefit them. It’s also ideal to spark curiosity in your initial message. Make your potential guest speakers feel excited to join your event!
Give Them a Reason to Come
Once there’s a spark of interest, it’s time to give your potential guest speakers a reason to say yes – aside from the paycheck. Before you even start reaching out to people, have more than one plan. Not every person you contact will be available on the day of your event, so it pays to have a few backups.
Always refer back to your event theme to determine the necessary speakers. And remember to give your guest speakers the freedom to express their thoughts. After all, they’re the star of your event!
Most people are willing to participate, provided they’re incentivized to do so. However, it’s not just money that guest speakers are looking for. For some, it’s about being part of something bigger than themselves. What can you offer to make them want to be part of your event?
Moreover, it’s good to provide pertinent details to your ideal guest speaker. Include the budget, duration, and what you expect from them. Offer support, such as transportation and accommodation, and have a clear promotional plan. The more effort you put into arranging and supporting your guest speakers, the higher your chances of success will be.
Manage the Logistics of Their Travel
The next part of managing speakers for events can be the most challenging. You must ensure that your guest speakers are well taken care of, from arranging their flights and hotel accommodations to arranging their transportation to and from the event. This step is crucial because it gives the guest speaker peace of mind and demonstrates your professionalism.
Also, consider the schedules of the guest speakers. You don’t want them waiting for hours or feeling rushed to get from one place to another. Have a plan and ensure they’re aware of it as soon as they confirm their participation. Some of the questions you should answer that could help you manage the logistics of their travel include the following:
- How long will their session be on the event day?
- Where will the event happen?
- How early can the speaker access the room to set up or practice the audio-visual (AV) technology before the session begins?
- What else does the guest speaker need for their session?
The answers determine everything you need to arrange for them. Again, always keep your budget in mind.
Understand How They Want to be Promoted
Once you’re 100% settled on their participation, ensure your guest speakers are promoted correctly. You’ve already gone through the effort of arranging guest speakers, so you want them to get the recognition and exposure they deserve.
Start by finding out how your guest speakers want to be promoted. Do they have a website or social media accounts that you can link to in your promotional materials? Does the guest speaker prefer to be featured on a specific platform?
These details may seem trivial, but they can make all the difference to the success of your event. Collaborate with the speaker and gather as much information as possible from them. Leverage management tools and word-of-mouth to spread the word about your event and its speakers.
Utilize social media to give potential attendees a glimpse into what they can expect to see and learn and entice those interested in the topic to attend. And lastly, self-promotion is key. Maximize their impact by promoting them the right way and encourage them to promote your event in return.
Communicate About Their Technical Needs
When arranging guest speakers, keep track of their technical needs and be aware of what they require, as well as what you can provide.
Depending on the type of event and speaker, there may be a need for audio-visual (AV) equipment. Find out what equipment the speaker will need, including any items they may bring. You should also confirm they know how to use the technology on-site. A short briefing or tutorial may be in order.
You can even go further and provide your guest speakers with a practice session. This way, they will feel more comfortable on the day of the event and know what to expect.
These small details matter and are worth your careful attention. Will materials be printed or digital? Are there slides or other visuals that need to be prepared? What will the room’s setup look like? Provide your guest speakers with ample support and guidance.
Manage Their Notes and Presentation
Before the big day, managing your guest speaker’s notes and presentation is integral. A management process will help you stay organized, keeping everything you need in one place, allowing you to check in on any changes and quickly review the guest speaker’s presentation.
Ask the guest speaker if they need help designing or creating any visuals used during their presentation. Review their notes and provide feedback if required. If they’re using slides, optimize them for the event. Depending on your event and audience, you may need to adjust the presentation’s appearance to ensure all attendees get the most out of their experience.
It’s vital to remain flexible. Ultimately, make it easy for the guest speaker to be their best.
Manage Payment
Lastly, arranging guest speakers for events isn’t complete until the payment process is done. Be transparent about the speaker’s expectations. Let them know what’s expected of them, i.e., the number of sessions, arrival time, and any preparations needed for the event, among other details.
Also, keep track of the payment due date. Pay every invoice promptly, ensuring that speakers feel valued and appreciated for their work.
The challenges of managing payment include arranging contracts and establishing multiple payment methods. Be mindful of key details, such as address, contact information, bank details, and invoicing information.
Always be transparent about expectations and fees. You don’t want to overpay or underpay your guest speakers. Double-check your facts and be confident in how the payment process works.
Utilizing payment software is the most effective way to manage your payment process efficiently. Tools like these will help you manage payments and generate invoices more efficiently. Doing so will save valuable time and money.
