Every event, no matter what the occasion, the theme, or the reason for the celebration deserves to be special and impactful that’ll make the individuals who attended be delighted they went to the event. To ensure that, proper preparation is a must, including having the right keynote speaker, should there be a need for one. And in choosing the perfect speaker for the event, selection should be done with careful consideration. Certain factors such as the budget, audience, speakers’ expertise, and more should be taken into account when making the decision. Plus, having several options with the endless talented pools of speakers calls for a thorough process of choosing the right speaker for your event. As such, the factors to bear in mind should include the following:
1. Relevance
First, relevance is an important factor in choosing the speaker or speakers for your event. They should be ideal for the event’s theme or concept. This is a necessity because no one wants to host an event with an out-of-the-blue speaker! However, we may find that some speakers have a diverse and wide array of speaking topics, so this can be used as a metric in assessing whether they are suitable for the event.
2. Expertise
Next, credibility is key! You should hire speakers for your event that are not only knowledgeable of the relevant topics and themes of your event but are experts themselves. Anyone can speak about a certain topic even with little knowledge but what really creates a connection with the attendees is when the event’s speakers have the experience and the apt knowledge about what they are presenting and speaking about.
3. Audience
Third, the audience. What is an event without an audience, right? So in choosing the appropriate speaker for your event, your audience is a vital consideration. You need to think about their age group, interests, goals, preferences, reasons for attending the event, and etc. After all, the audience is an important part of every event because it is them who participate in the engagement and their feedback is key to the improvement of the event.
4. Style
Another important factor is the speaker’s style. You have to assess their speaking style and what energy they emit. How about their presence? How will they be able to connect and engage with the audience? Do they seem like they can captivate and interest the audience with their topics and words? In assessing their style, you can ask the speakers for excerpts of their past presentations or video clips of their performances.
5. Availability
The fifth factor to be considered is the speakers’ availability. Speakers can be in-demand people with tight and busy schedules so it’s important to check in with them about their availability. Avoid conflict in schedules and make sure that they are free and able to attend on the dates and locations that you plan to hold the event.
6. Cost
Next, the speaking fee of speakers should be highly considered. Speakers do a great deal of work in sharing their experiences, knowledge, and insights to the attendees of the events, as well as engaging with them. Their work, abilities, and specialties vary so their respective speaking fees may also vary. With that being said, in making the decision to hire a speaker for your event, the cost of having them to speak at your event is another important thing to consider. You need to check and assess whether their speaking fee is in line with your event’s planned budget.
7. References
Lastly, in selecting the speakers for your event, look up their previous speaking performances and engagements. Also, check online for existing reviews, feedback, and testimonials about their performance during past events. Through these channels, you are able to get a glimpse of how they’ve performed in the past and can give you an initial idea of how well they’re going to do at your event.
When you’ve finished considering this checklist of factors, having the perfect speaker for your event is now achievable. This is a step closer to completing your preparation process and making sure things are settled and ready for your event. However, should you find yourself having no ample time to make the decisions and choose speakers for your event, you can reach out to Speaker Companies and Speaker Bureaus like BNC Speakers. They are able to help in selecting and providing the best speakers for your events and conferences with their talented roster of Top Keynote Speakers. Not only do you free up your time but you will be able to focus on other aspects of your event preparation.
Check out BNC Speaker’s Roster and CLICK HERE if there is a match for your event!
