As someone who has a few events under her belt, I know how time consuming and stressful pinning down speakers for events, conferences, and seminars can be. If you are new to event planning, you may not be sure where to begin your hunt.
The tips I am going to share will help you see and use the resources you already have to find and vet the best speaker for your next event.
Speaker Websites
Listen, Google is by far my most knowledgeable friend, but a simple Google search for "Professional Marketing Speaker", for example, is going to produce WAY more pages and irrelevant sites to sift through than you have time for.
Check out sites like www.nsaspeaker.org and www.espeakers.com to look through the different topics and specialties of thousands of speakers. You can narrow down your search by topic and be sure you will be getting a credible speaker by using sites like these.
Authors & Bloggers
If you follow any blogs that pertain to your industry, are there any authors that you consider to be a thought-leader? Blog authors make great speakers because they are already used to communicating to an audience. The best part is that if they are not already speaking at other events, they may be willing to present for free to gain recognition and attract more people to read their content.
Teachers & Professors
Who better to give a presentation or facilitate a workshop than someone who already teaches for a career?
A professor at your local college or university may be able to bring together the syllabus of their class and turn that into a stellar presentation!
Professors are great for leading panels as well, they may be able to bring in some of their students for free and facilitate a panel that will bring in new perspectives from people just learning about your industry.
Industry CEO’s
If your team digs the vibes of your field like we do, you may be friendly with a lot of other companies in your industry. Is there a CEO of another company that could bring a new perspective to your audience?
CEO’s love to get out and talk at conferences in the hopes of drumming up business for their company and spreading awareness of their brand. Offering a complimentary ticket for one of their staff sweetens the deal by allowing them to bring one of their sales reps to network for free.
A CEO or other company executive likely has a wealth of valuable connections. If they're unable to speak, they may be able to introduce you to someone you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get in front of, and you’ll be confident they are making a sound referral.
The only tricky part with this avenue is you may put yourself at risk of steering attention away from your company. Be sure if you go this route that CEO speaker isn't looking to sell the same services your company offers.
Chamber of Congress
Is your company a member of your local Chamber of Commerce? If so, use your chamber membership to your advantage when searching for speakers.
Perhaps have a person in mind, but aren’t able to get an introduction. See if the person you want to talk to is also a member of the chamber, and if so ask your chamber representative to make a connection for you.
Go to chamber networking events and rub elbows with other members, you may find yourself in great speaking company.
Past Events
Check out event pages from other conferences. These are usually left up long after the event is over and can be a valuable resource for finding speakers.
Most conferences will have a page dedicated to speakers and their session topics. Some may even have a resource page where you can download or watch speaker presentations. Take those opportunities to vet a speaker and see if their style is right for your event.
You might try to check in with other event planners as well. They have already done the work and may be willing to point you in the right direction or make an introduction to a great speaker.
We all know and love LinkedIn for the potential connections. Just as you may have used LinkedIn for career growth, speakers use LinkedIn as a means to get placed at events.
Check out your second and third connections for potential candidates and reach out to them to see if they're interestsed! Make sure to check out posts relevant to your industry, as well; a speaker may share their talk or deck so you can see their presentation firsthand.
Call for Speakers
If your event is relatively well known and often searched, you may be able to put the feelers out and let the leads come to you by issuing a call for speakers.
Create a speaker page on your events website that describes the content you are looking for, session length requirements, and any information on stipends or travel reimbursements for speakers. Now you can sit back (or go crazy planning other conference details) while the submissions roll in!
Tap into these resources to help you find the perfect candidate that will bring a session that exceeds your audience's expectations. Are there other places you've been successful searching for speakers?
Are you in the fortunate position of having too many submissions and have to select from a pool of speakers? I can help. Check out my previous blog post 6 Critical Insights to Hiring a Keynote Speaker for Your Event.
