Like a five-star restaurant, the customer event experience only reaches transcendence when the front of the house and the back of the house are aligned. That is why we asked the behind-the-scenes experts for tips to optimize the care and hosting of speakers—talent as as they are called in Hollywood.
Agency Advice
Christa Haberstock, founder and president of See Agency, says the quality of the delivery is determined by the details. The clearer the communication and advance planning, the better the final product will be. That means planning the content call to ensure the speaker knows the goals of the conference at least 30 days in advance and having the AV check time set then.
“There should be no last-minute asks from either side,” she said. That includes requests for meet-and-greets or other add-ons. “Your job is to eliminate stress. When everyone is relaxed and organized, everything goes better.”
Onsite, she suggested meeting the speaker at the front desk to ensure everything promised is delivered, including billing to the master account.
Wisdom of Bureaus
Susan Lauterbach, president of RedPropeller Speakers Bureau, a family-owned business that has been working with keynotes for 30 years, had these suggestions for finding and negotiating with speakers.
“Find speakers with help from a non-exclusive speaker’s bureau. You will get a wider selection of speaker choices, better fee negotiation and added security in case your speaker cancels at the last minute,” she advised. If a speaker has to cancel, a bureau can find an equal or better speaker to fill the spot for the same price. Plus, the client doesn’t pay to work with a bureau, but you get a trusted speaker source.
Then she dropped some more wisdom bombs. “Hire one larger fee speaker instead of three lower fee speakers to get the most bang for your buck and use the spin of that higher fee speaker to get people to come to the session,” she suggested. If you can get sponsors for the big-name speaker, the name recognition could result in more attendees and even more sponsor opportunities.
When it comes to logistics, she advised scheduling the pre-event content call far enough in advance so you can discuss content creation personalized for your attendees. “Speakers love customizing their keynotes and you’ll be sure the content is on message,” she said.
When promoting, be careful to use only approved photos, bios and materials. “Triple check,” she advised.
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