7 Steps for Speaker Experience and Event Success

Planning an event and hiring a professional speaker involves navigating numerous variables, making preparedness crucial. By approaching the event methodically, asking essential questions, and crafting a strategic plan, you can ensure an organized and dynamic gathering. Selecting a keynote speaker aligned with your organization’s goals will contribute to a memorable affair.

WWSG’s seasoned experts have come up with critical steps to ensure speaker experience and event success.

Step 1: Defining Key Objectives

Firstly, you must define your event’s key objectives. What do you want your audience to take away from the event and how can the speaker impact the overall experience of the event?

• What is the conference theme?
• Where is the location?
• What is the budget?
• Is this an annual event? If so, what has (and has not) worked in the past?
• What are your desired takeaways?
• Are you looking for a speaker to draw an audience or address specific content?
• Who were the previous speakers?
• Will there be entertainment?

 

 Step 2: Developing Target Audience

Secondly, you will develop your target audience. Consider the demographic of the audience you are aiming to reach, the amount of people in attendance and how exactly you are able to identify a speaker who is able to maximize the experience for the specific audience you’ve identified.

• What is the audience demographic?
• How many attendees are expected?
• Will spouses be present?
• Will you be using visuals for the audience?
• What does the audience want?

 

Step 3: Managing the Booking Process

Thirdly, you need to ensure you are properly managing the booking process and keeping record of each step. You will need to complete and present a firm offer to the desired speaker and ensure that payments are set up correctly. After this, you will sign the contract and process your invoices.

• Complete, sign and present a firm offer to your desired speaker.
• Identify who will be the signatory of the contract and connect your speaker agency with your accounting department to set up payment.
• Finalize and sign the contract and process your invoices.

 

Step 4: Marketing Initiative

Fourthly, it is critical that you are taking a marketing initiative. You will need to ensure your photos are of high resolution, information is current, and you are utilizing social media platforms to promote your event and maximize your speaker’s experience.

• Provide high resolution photos for printing.
• Provide updated biography for content marketing.
• How can you engage your social media platforms? Develop hashtags, tagging names, and media user handles.

 

Step 5: Planning the Speaker Experience

Fifth, you must make sure that the comfortability and itinerary of your speaker is prioritized. You should plan a conference call between you and the speaker and ensure that the logistics of their travel to your event are confirmed with all parties involved.

WWSG will…

• Plan a conference call between you and the speaker to define objectives and establish common goals
• Book and confirm all travel and hotel logistics using our internal database and resources
• Provide full itineraries to client and speaker that include event details and expectations, travel information, emergency contact numbers and POC
• Provide an audience survey to be completed about the speaker

 

Step 6: Executing the Event

Sixth, you will execute your event! We will make sure there are coordinators available for any last-minute questions or changes to the schedule. Following the event, you must ask your audience for feedback and reflect on the event.

•  Your WWSG point of contact will always be on call in case of delays, emergencies, or last-minute questions.
• How did it go? Did it go smoothly? Ask your audience for their thoughts by using a speaker survey.

 

Step 7:  Thinking Forward

Lastly, you should reflect on the event and discuss what you should plan next. What aspects of this event were successful and how can you build off of it?

• What can we do to make your event follow-up successful?
• When is your next company event?

What Happens After Identifying Your Budget?

When engaging a speaker, be mindful of potential additional costs like flights, accommodation, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. Once you’ve established your budget, collaborate with your professional speaker agency. Their expertise can help identify speakers aligned with your event’s parameters, budget, demographics, and target audience.

Once you’ve selected a speaker and wish to extend an invitation, the booking process commences. You’ll receive a firm offer to sign, making the agreement binding. If the speaker declines, the agency will provide alternative ideas until a speaker is confirmed.

Upon confirmation, formal agreements and invoices detailing engagement specifics and logistics (speaker fee, travel, venue, date, speech topic, point of contact, etc.) will be sent. After signing and returning the agreement, you’ll receive the speaker’s approved high-resolution photo and biography for your marketing initiatives. Sharing specific social media goals for your event with the speaker agency can enhance exposure. Scheduling a pre-conference call with the speaker is highly beneficial to define objectives and align goals, facilitated by the agency’s event coordinator. They will also confirm travel logistics and create a detailed itinerary, crucial for the speaker’s seamless travel to your event.

Your speaker agency partner remains available 24/7 on the event day for any last-minute issues. Post-event feedback is invaluable, encompassing the audience’s response, the speaker’s reception, and the agency’s impact on your overall event experience. Building a long-term partnership based on trust and collaboration can be a valuable asset for your future events.

Frequently Asked Questions

At Worldwide Speakers Group, we are dedicated to providing an unparalleled level of service in the global lecture industry and giving an intimate and consultative support service to organizations for booking speakers at their events. As a trusted partner to elite professional speakers, we deliver distinctive performance and innovative solutions in the global lecture and speaker industry by artfully connecting speakers to corporate, trade, education, and commercial customers worldwide. Take a look inside our process to learn how we can be your partner in planning and creating a successful event.