A speaker can make or break an event. Trust me, I've been to plenty of events where the speakers who were booked were really bad candidates. If the person you hire does not fit your event profile, then maybe they're not a good fit to begin with. Therefore, before requesting a speaker, make sure you have the event logistics figured out.
Our team spent several weeks prior to VisionCon, our vision board conference, planning out the ideal event. We asked questions like:
What would the event look like?
Who is our target audience?
What do we want their experience to be like?
We then took that information and researched speakers who fit our brand identity and mission. This included researching their followers, collaborations, and published work.
How To Design Your Event Before Contacting A Speaker
Your event profile should consist of the following (sometimes more depending on the complexity of the event):
The number of guests you are expecting
Demographics of attendees
Budget for speaker (if any, be honest. you'll be surprised)
What your organization can offer the speaker.
Event theme
Event logistics (Date, Time, Location)
Other guests involved with production, including notable media coverage if any.
A contract to issue to the speaker once the terms have been negotiated. Both you and the speaker should agree on terms mentioned.
Preparing this information prior to your meeting is essential.
Trust me, if you are dealing with a professional, he/she will ask you these questions in advance. If you're unsure of the event details, most likely the person will not move forward with your request.
Once your research is gathered, the next step is to secure a phone interview. This is the opportunity to get to know your speaker and determine whether or not the person is a good fit.
To get that initial conversation, you have to start off with a compelling email that’ll get a great speaker interested in your event.
The next blog post in this series will walk you through exactly how to do that with a sample template that we used to book our speakers for VisionCon.
xoxo
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!
