Written by: Vickie Sullivan | July 16, 2019
What Speaker Selection Looks Like Now
Celebrity speaking fees have been an inspiration (and envy) of many of us since I got in the business back in 1987. According to last month’s article from trend-detector Skift, the bloom is fading on the rose as more speaker selectors look elsewhere for their headliners.
This is great news for us mere mortals. Let’s move past the celebrity focus in the article and drill down on buyer expectations. Two things jump out here:
• Celebrity vs. influential. The distinction is subtle yet very real. Key quote: “It’s very rare a client asks for a celebrity speaker but rather someone that is influential or has an incredible story about their life that impacts what the company is currently experiencing or going through changes.” Pay attention to that last part about story. Good stories about amazing things are now evaluated with a “how this impacts us” lens. Stories need strategic messaging, too.
Listen: Two Ways to Use Your Story As a Branding Tool
• What speaker ROI looks like now. Yep, it’s still an art more than science. And speakers are still expected to “engage” an audience. But being an “event advocate” (new buzzword alert!) means social media influence on attendance and availability for viral videos and at-the-event selfies matter, too.
This article confirms what I see on the ground. Presentation skills and a great story are a given now and won’t make speakers stand out. Strategic messaging and influence are the areas that separate those invited to speak and those who get ignored.
Many thanks to Lori Silverman for putting this article on my radar.
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