Amid the whirlwind of a high-powered CEO or celebrity’s life, many still find time to speak at corporate events, but what happens when these A-list event speakers’ busy lives get the best of them and they need to bow out of their speaking commitment, or they don’t arrive at the anticipated time? Although problem solving is a part of a meeting planner’s arsenal, this can still be a pain.
In fact, an A-list speaker can come with additional questions to think about. As in, what actions a planner should take, what they should ask and what they should expect when booking well-known names—people like Martha Stewart, Shaq, Mark Cuban and Warren Buffett—for keynotes?
Alan Kleinfeld, senior director of meetings and safety for event security company Arrive Management Group, offers guidance for when you are thinking of booking that A-lister, beginning with sheer bluntness.
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“I can tell you that booking any level-A speaker, be it a president, celebrity, athlete, etc., is a big chore,” he begins. “The advance work—with all the safety details and hand holding—is challenging enough, but even worse is that after all that work, the A-level speaker may have a last-minute issue arise, preventing his/her appearance at all. Can you imagine, as a planner, prepping and promoting and jumping through all those hoops, at the risk of having to tell your guests, ‘Oops. Sorry. Our big-name celebrity keynote just had a schedule change and isn’t coming?’ Can you imagine how disappointed your attendees would be? Booking big names can have big rewards, but it can also have big burdens. It’s a balancing act.”
If Kleinfeld’s example seems extreme, he is quick to add that a similar scenario could apply to any high-level event speaker that a planner spent months (perhaps years) prepping for and expecting to show on the day of the event.
Kleinfeld’s tips begin with a bit of precaution. “I generally advise groups I work with not to book any speaker whose schedule is so demanding that they may not be able to show up,” he says. “I feel it’s too much of a risk and not worth disappointing my attendees. On the other hand, if the audience also understands the risks, then it could work.”
For the highly paid speaker with the demanding schedule, Kleinfeld says it’s important the contract covers what happens for no-shows and how compensation will be handled in that circumstance.
“If a planner chooses to hire these types of high-level event speakers, then it would also be wise to have a back-up presenter, and that has its own challenges. However, it can often be done by using internal people, like a company president or organization’s executive director,” he adds.
Working with Security Personnel
“Just about any level-A speaker is going to be traveling with security,” Kleinfeld continues. The president, for example, will have federal protection like FBI and the Secret Service. “Those might require a lot of advance work,” he says, “such as visits to the venue months, weeks or days prior to the event. So, working with the venue on rooming for security staff needs to be considered early on, perhaps during contract talks.”
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For non-presidential but high-level bookings, Kleinfeld says private security for celebrities and athletes may not need to be as planned out, but is often more demanding. “Both planners and hoteliers need to know what those demands are up front, and often as part of the speaker contract,” he says. “Sometimes, hotel contracts might need to be amended or have an addendum added as the event draws nearer and you discover more of what security staff needs.”
Kleinfeld cautions that with certain event speakers planners and venues need to be aware of the attention the speaker may draw. “Someone politically divisive or with lots of fan followers may require extra security staff during the actual time the speaker speaks. This might include security screening, staging areas or stage protection,” he says.
“These days, it’s a good idea before you book a speaker, do a little research to see what kind of negative attention they could draw to your event.”
