Archive for the ‘Be In The Know’ Category

No Balloons, Hillary, or Trump… But NSA Convention Impactful

Posted: July 28, 2016 in Be In The Know, Speaker Ideas
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The conclusion of the Democratic National Convention this evening in Philadelphia will mark the end of a highly-impactful 40-day convention cycle for the professional speaking industry. The Republican and Democratic National Conventions are bellwether events for the speaker bureau industry. Executives from the large Washington, D.C. and New York-based speaker bureaus will attend both of these conventions in order to position themselves as candidates to “sign” governmental officials at the highest executive branch levels to speaking contracts after leaving office,  identify the emerging party leaders (See Bill Clinton DNC Speech 1988 and Barrack Obama in 2004), and solidify relationships with existing media clients.

However, these two conventions really only have a business-impact on a small portion of the speaker bureau industry. The real convention of significance to 90% of the world’s speaker bureaus was NSAThe National Speakers Association – Influence 2016, held from July 23-26, 2016 at the JW Marriott in Phoenix, Arizona. The National Speakers Association is a professional speakers organization that supports the pursuit of public speaking as a business. Among the 3,500 NSA members are some of the best and most in-demand speakers, consultants, coaches, and trainers in the world. Being selected by your peers to speak on the main stage for this organization is a prestigious and important designation. Frankly, to be featured as a General Session speaker at this meeting means you are the best of the best. This year, The Speaker Experts were not surprised to see these four speakers up on the NSA Main Stage:

Waldman

Waldo Waldman: Former Combat Pilot, Businessman, and Authority on Leadership Sales. Author of Never Fly Solo.

Stratten

Scott Stratten: Disruptive and UN-traditional Sales, Marketing and Branding Expert. Host of UnPodcast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crawford

Roger Crawford: Disabled Tennis Champion. Author of Playing from the Heart and How High Can You Bounce?

Podesta

Connie Podesta: Actress, Playwright, Counselor, Comedian, and Author of 10 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The links provided above will take you to each speaker’s website, where you can view streaming video and gather background information. A note of caution: while these four speakers are among the world’s elite, they are not the right fit for every organization and desired outcome. The Speaker Experts suggest you consult your preferred IASB member speaker bureau to determine if they are a candidate for your organization.

Conclusion

The world of professional speaking is a complex and multi-tiered industry. Three conventions took place within the last 40 days that will have tremendous impact on this trade over the years to come. Obviously, the RNC and DNC are huge media events, whose ultimate outcome have dramatic and lasting effects on our daily lives, but it just might be the NSA Convention that has the most impact on the world of professional speaking.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

 

Washington Speakers Bureau Co-Broker Policy Change 2.0

Posted: July 18, 2016 in Be In The Know, Meeting Planner
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Last month, speaker bureau industry leader Washington Speakers Bureau announced a change in their co-broker pricing structure that should be noted by those who schedule paid professional speakers. A letter from Vice President of Bureau Relations Sheldon Bream stated the following:

I wanted to let you know that WSB is changing our pricing structure for more than half of our exclusive speakers. Those speakers will now be priced at a gross fee (split commission) while some will remain at a “net to WSB” fee.

This modified policy represents a philosophical pivot from their announcement reported in our January 2015 posting, “Washington Speakers Bureau Co-Brokering Policy Change: What It Means to You” that indicated the firm would no longer be willing to “split commissions” on any of their speakers.

Real Estate CBSThe Speaker Experts offer no judgment as to why they made this strategic policy shift. Our only concern is the impact this policy has on those corporate and association executives who “book” paid professional speakers. In our judgement, the policy change has little impact on the underpinnings of the co-broker model and the pros and cons of being involved in a co-broker situation.  Bottom line: if you opt to schedule a WSB exclusive speaker via a competing speaker bureau, your organization may or may not pay a higher speaking fee.

The actual price of the speaker is just one issue to consider when deciding if it is your organization’s best interest to be involved in a co-broker scenario. In our posting, “The Four Myths of the Speaker Bureau Co-Broker,” we outlined how the co-broker process works and what it means to an organization scheduling a speaker. Followers of this blog know that The Speaker Experts are quick to point out “co-brokering” a speaker is rarely in your best interest, but there can be occasions where it might make sense for the organization. The key here is to know when you are getting involved in a co-broker situation. This is a decision that should be made by you, and not by a speaker bureau on your behalf.

The Speaker Experts have a vast industry knowledge of the speaker bureau industry and the exclusive rosters of all the major speaker bureaus. We are always happy to share this information with the readers of this blog.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

ASAE Announces Speakers for 2016 Annual Meeting

Posted: May 9, 2016 in Be In The Know, Speaker Ideas, Speaker Suggestions
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The American Society for Association Executives has announced their Keynote and Game Changer speakers for the August 13-16, 2016 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Salt Lake City, UT. As we discussed in our blog last year regarding this bellwether meeting, being selected to speak at this meeting is not only an honor, but a harbinger of speaking demand within the Association and Corporate sectors. One needs to look no further than last’s year’s ASAE Annual Meeting in Detroit, MI for evidence of this demand, as Josh Linkner, Sheryl Connelly and Liz Wiseman have been three of the most requested and “booked” speakers on the National and State Association speaking circuit over the past year. Speaking at a National Association meeting has a dramatic multiplier effect, as member organizations often use these meetings as a showcase in identifying the most talented speakers for their corporate meetings, and the three aforementioned speakers are starting to enjoy the results of this effect as well.

This year, over 5,000 Association leaders converge on Salt Lake City to share expertise with industry partners and hear from the speaking circuit’s leading thought leaders. If past performance is an indicator of future demand, these speakers will be among the circuit’s most highly sought after over the next few years.

Keynotes

Captains Mark and Scott Kelly

Captain Scott Kelly (left) and his brother Captain Mark Kelly

Captains Mark & Scott Kelly: Being identical twins is rare, but both being astronauts is something else entirely. A former U.S. Navy Captain, Mark Kelly was aboard the last planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour, and was part of many other missions in the 1990s and 2000s. His brother Scott Kelly recently concluded his historical year in space mission aboard the International Space Station. While addressing a number of topics dealing with leadership, communication, innovation and teamwork, the Kelly brothers also speak on the importance of space exploration, lessons learned and how this mission will directly impact our pursuit of one day putting a man on Mars. Click here to view their webpage

Kayongo D

Derreck Kayongo

 

 

Derreck Kayongo: A passionate world changer, Derreck Kayongo is CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and founder of the Global Soap Project, a foundation that recovers discarded soap from hotels, reprocesses it into new bars, and then distributes them to vulnerable populations around the world with a hope to improve global health. In his energetic speeches, Derreck shares his inspiring journey and provides examples on how we can all make a difference one step at a time. Click here to view his webpage

 

 

Game Changers

Stephens R

Robert Stephens

Robert Stephens: Founder of The Geek Squad, Robert Stephens started the company with $200. In 2002, The Geek Squad was acquired by Best Buy and opened Geek Squad precincts in all Best Buy US and Canadian stores. It is now North America’s largest technology support company offering phone, in-store, and in-home support. Using the Geek Squad story as a platform, he offers audiences how setting the blueprint for a fully connected service organization can drive customer satisfaction and boost overall service sustainability. Click here to view his webpage

 

Best C

Charles Best

Charles Best: Charles stands at the intersection of education, philanthropy and technology. His personal story demonstrates that one person can launch a movement, and his insights inspire businesspeople and students alike. Charles even puts his speaker’s fee in the hands of his audience, giving everyone a philanthropic gift card to spend on a classroom request of their choice. In 2000, while teaching history at a Bronx public high school, Charles launched DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit organization that provides a simple way to address educational inequity. Today, half of all the public schools in America have at least one teacher who has created a classroom project request on DonorsChoose.org, and more than a million people have donated $200 million, providing books, art supplies, technology and other resources to 10 million students, overwhelmingly in low-income communities. Click here to view his webpage

TanLe.jpg

Tan Le

 

Tan Le: Technology entrepreneur, business executive, and popular keynote speaker, Tan Le is the Founder & CEO of Emotiv Lifesciences, a biomedical company on the cutting edge of brain function screening. Tan was born in Vietnam, and came as a refugee to Australia at age four. Her story has been featured in the National Museum of Australia, and her research continues to yield discoveries and innovations in the medical community. Click here to view her webpage

 

Tenney M

Matt Tenney

 

Matt Tenney: Author, international keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant with the prestigious Perth Leadership Institute – whose clients include numerous fortune 500 companies – matt works with companies, associations, universities, and non-profits to develop highly effective leaders who achieve lasting success by focusing on serving and inspiring greatness in the people around them. he envisions a world where the vast majority of people realize that effectively serving others is the key to true greatness. Click here to view his webpage

Conclusion

As SNL’s Father Guido Sarducci suggested of economics in his Five Minute University,  “when demand goes up, supply goes down, and then the price goes up.” Being selected to speak at ASAE Annual Meeting almost always results in high demand and low supply in the months and years following the event. Of course, not every speaker is right for every group. The Speaker Experts suggest that you check in with your trusted IASB member speaker bureau to determine if one of these speakers is the right fit for your meeting.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

Getting the Best Out of Your Industry Panel or General Session Interview

Posted: April 26, 2016 in Be In The Know, Finding Your Speaker Bureau
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To say last week’s post was not well received by our valued readers would be an understatement. Even Gary’s bride of over 25 years felt the post made little sense to anyone outside the speaker bureau industry. Consequently, we are going to skip the remaining two scenarios and the corresponding solutions. You’ll just have to trust us that there was an easy fix for both of them!

So, how is a meeting in Cancun of a bunch of speaker bureau owners and key agents relevant to the person who develops meeting content? Well the answer is pretty straight forward: the International Association of Speakers Bureaus selected and hosted some of the most in-demand speakers on the national speaker circuit, but the session that garnered the most conversation was, THE INDUSTRY PANEL.

The Speaker Experts make their living by “booking” paid speakers for association and corporate meetings, but we are also quick to point out that The Industry Panel can often be the most important and well-attended session of a meeting. One of the real keys to the success of such a panel is the role of the moderator. The importance of this job cannot be underestimated or taken lightly. Among other things, the moderator must keep the panel moving; get the best out of the panelists (while not being afraid to challenge them in a provocative manner); keep the topic relevant to the audience; and, above all else, end the panel on schedule so the exhibit hall opens on time.

The Speaker Experts feel there are three effective types of panel moderators or interviewers. Let’s take a closer look:

  1. The use of respected industry icons to facilitate the discussion or interview. A good example would be Tony D’Amelio and Rich Gibbons at IASB.  In this case, they both are very good communicators, but their stature within the industry is what commands the respect and interest of the audience and therefore creates excitement before, during, and after the meeting.

  2. The use of a respected Association or Corporate leader. These individuals are generally good communicators and speakers in their own right. They have am unparalleled understanding of the issues impacting the audience, and are able to lead the speaker or panel through a discussion that is relevant to the meeting. Below are a few examples of Association leaders in action on stage:
Volcker

NRUCFC CFC/CEO Sheldon C. Petersen interviewing former Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker at the CFC Independent Borrowers Executive Summit 2015 in Tucson, AZ

Kat Cole

NRECA Senior Vice President of Education and Training Tracey Steiner interviewing Kat Cole at the 2016 Directors Conference in Austin, TX

David Gregory

WSWA President/CEO Craig Wolf interviewing David Gregory at the 73rd Annual Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas, NV

  1. The third effective type of industry panel moderator or interviewer is the use of a media professional. These experts bring instant name and brand identification to the session. They are world-class masters at keeping the panel interesting, relevant, and compelling. The panel’s advance work with the media professional will insure that the he/she is prepared, briefed, and has a deep understanding of the desired outcome for the session. Below are examples of the world’s most in-demand panel moderators and interviewers:
Karlgaard

Innovation and the Future: Rich Karlgaard – Publisher and Columnist for Forbes

Geoff Colvin The New Rules of Business 2013 Fortune Global Forum

Economy: Geoff Colvin – Senior Editor-at-Large for Fortune Magazine

2014 Texas Conference For Women

Human Resource Management: Soledad O’Brien – Chairman of Starfish Media Group

Susan Dentzer Medicare & Medicaid Next 50 Years

Healthcare: Susan Dentzer – President and CEO of NEHI

Judy Woodruff 1

Washington Politics: Judy Woodruff – Co-Anchor and Managing Editor of PBS NewsHour

Katty Kay Panel

International Affairs: Katty Kay – Lead Anchor for BBC World News America

Nina Easton

Business Landscape: Nina Easton – Political Analyst for Fox News and Co-founder of Sellers Easton Media

Conclusion:

An industry panel can be an effective educational element for most General Sessions. You can find out more about the media experts above by clicking on the provided links. If you are going to investigate the use of a paid media expert as outlined in scenario 3, The Speaker Experts suggest you discuss this with your preferred IASB-member speaker bureau.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

The Burning Issues Session: Part I

Posted: April 19, 2016 in Be In The Know, Finding Your Speaker Bureau
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Last week, we discussed the 2016 IASB Annual Convention in Cancun and the impact this meeting has on the professional speaking industry. The Speaker Experts did not attend the conference, but understand in talking to those that did (along with reading follow-up social media posts) that one of the most important sessions of the meeting was a “Burning Issues” discussion, hosted by industry titans Tony D’Amelio of the D’Amelio Network and Rich Gibbons of the prestigious West Coast speaker bureau SpeakInc.

We apologize in advance to our readers outside of the speaker bureau industry, as the post will get into the tall grass of the speaker bureau business, but we promise that the conclusion will have relevance to all who schedule professional and celebrity speakers.

The “Burning Issues” Session covered the topic of “co-brokering” between bureaus and things that “annoy, aggravate and anger.” A quick peek at our controversial post “The Four Myths of the Speaker Bureau Co-Broker” will give readers some insight into the practice of co-brokering and its implications for those who “book” speakers. Tony and Rich presented five scenarios to spur conversation, create dialogue, and enable the attendees to walk out better equipped to handle such situations when they arise in the future.

Co-brokered speaker bureau contracts can be complex transactions often presenting a unique and challenging set of circumstances. There is often no “black and white” answer, and a group of lecture agents could spend hours discussing each of the scenarios offered by Tony and Rich. With that said, we feel that no matter how complex the situation, the ultimate answer can be found by relying on our three rules for positive co-broker outcomes.

Rules

Let’s apply these rules to the scenarios suggested by Rich and Tony.

SCENARIO #1



♦ You’re working direct with a client. They have a “hold” on one of your exclusive speakers. Out of the blue, another bureau comes to you with a firm offer for the same event. It’s for the full fee.What’s the right way to handle?

Solution:  While in most cases we believe it is not in the client’s best interest to take this course of action (please refer to our The Four Myths of the Speaker Bureau Co-Broker post), the client has decided otherwise and, since this is America, the right way to handle this is to respect the client wishes and “co-broker” the speaker (please refer to Rule #1).

SCENARIO #2

♦ A client changes the timetable after the contract is signed. The time change means the itinerary the speaker had counted on does not work and impairs the speaker’s ability to get to their next event. The event date is just days away. What’s the right way to handle?  

Solution:  A contractual communication error was made by someone in this scenario. It may have been made by the customer, co-brokering bureau, or bureau representing the speaker, but an error was made. If the co-brokering bureau has a strong relationship with the customer and the “selling” bureau, there are any number of solutions that can solve the problem. If a solution can’t be found, then sadly this is one of those scenarios that falls under the 5% in Rule #3. Money is going to have to exchange hands in the form of a private jet charter, a cancellation fee, or other fiduciary solution.

SCENARIO #3

♦ A speaker (or manager/agent) discovers that the booking bureau is not only taking a commission, but is also marking up the fee by $1,000. Is this an ethical violation? If so, what do you do about it?

Solution:  You bet this is an ethical violation. If the contract had already been signed, we would have little choice but to complete the transaction, but Rule #2 would apply here. This bureau/person can’t be trusted and therefore we would not work with them in the future.

 

Next week, we will cover the remaining two scenarios and, more importantly, move the discussion back to the role an industry panel can play in creating educational content, excitement, discussion, and revenue at your Association Annual Meeting.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

Association of Speakers Bureaus Hosts Leading Speakers in Cancun

Posted: April 12, 2016 in Be In The Know, Finding Your Speaker Bureau, Meeting Planner, Speaker Ideas, Speaker Suggestions, Uncategorized
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The International Association of Speaker Bureaus is the professional association that sets the standards and professional practices for the speaker bureau industry. Its members share a common passion: making a difference in the lives of others through the power of speech. The association’s membership is comprised of most of the world’s leading speaker bureaus and speaker management firms.

IASB held their 2016 Annual Convention last week at the Iberostar Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Speaker bureau owners and executive-level employees converged on Cancun Iberostarto network, discuss business practices, strategize for business growth, and preview speakers tied into the meeting theme “Disrupt, Innovate, Thrive.” The latter is of particular relevance to the reader of this blog, who is tasked with evaluating and scheduling professional speakers. IASB can have their pick of the world’s leading speakers, as an invitation to speak before these high-powered speaker “agents” can result in increased income and demand on the association and corporate speaking circuits. Below are the speakers selected to present at the 2016 IASB Annual Convention. They represent a combination of established speakers, celebrities, and up-and-comers:

Tim Sanders (CMI Speaker Management)
John Heffron (Gersh Agency)
Lynn Rose (Lynn Rose)
Robert Cialdini, PhD (Influence at Work)
Felipe Calderon
Mike Walsh (CMI Speaker Management)
Mel Robbins (See Agency)
Freddie Ravel (Freddie Ravel)
William Taylor (Washington Speakers Bureau)

From left to right and top to bottom: Tim Sanders (CMI Speaker Management),  John Heffron (John Heffron), Lynn Rose (Lynn Rose), Robert Cialdini, PhD (Influence at Work), Felipe Calderon, Mike Walsh (CMI Speaker Management), Mel Robbins (See Agency), Freddie Ravel (Freddie Ravel), William Taylor (Washington Speakers Bureau)

You can reach these speakers or the speaker’s representative by clicking on the provided links. The Speakers Experts have firsthand experience with most of these speakers, but we are looking forward to doing our homework on the few we have not worked with in the past. Being selected to speak to the IASB membership is a prestigious and much sought-after honor in the professional speaking community. A speaker who receives such an invite most certainly knows his or her way around behind the podium and on stage. Of course, as we have repeated in this blog over the last few years, it does not mean that these speakers are always the right fit for your audience, meeting, or desired outcome. Your preferred IASB-member speaker bureau is a great first step to finding the right speaker for your next meeting.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

“So Who Represents Carly Fiorina?”

Posted: November 10, 2015 in Be In The Know
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Many of our blog and Twitter followers have asked us to weigh in on the recent publicity surrounding Carly Fiorina’s availability to participate in commercial speaking engagements while seeking the 2016 Republican nomination for President. For those of you not familiar with the controversy, it was reported by Fortune Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and other major social media sites that Leading Authorities International was soliciting paid speaking engagements for Ms. Fiorina last month. The solicitation itself is in an email from LAI Program Consultant Lisa McFadden to a redacted client that reads, in part:

I wanted to send you a quick, private note about Carly Fiorina. Though she maintains an active campaign calendar, she has limited availability for speaking engagements….
We don’t advertise Carly on the Leading Authorities website, but if you have an interest in booking her for an upcoming meeting or event, please let me know and I’d be happy to share her availability and fees.

Fiorina’s campaign quickly responded that the candidate is not booking any paid speeches while she runs for president. “I didn’t authorize anything they sent out,” Fiorina deputy campaign manager Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. “We aren’t accepting any requests during the campaign.”

Worldwide Speakers Group, the bureau who publicly lists Ms. Fiorina as an exclusive client reached out to the speaker bureau industry with the following statement:

As you are aware, last week a very untimely and unauthorized email was sent out by another speakers bureau suggesting that Mrs. Fiorina is available for speeches. Please be aware that Carly is NOT considering speaking engagements at this time. If ever her stance should change, we will be the first to notify you. Also, the organization that sent this email does NOT have a relationship with her.

The Speaker Experts have no real interest or insight into what transpired behind the scenes in this situation other than it always catches our attention when the speaker bureau industry becomes a national story. What is of interest to us as professional lecture agents is the concept of compensating a declared presidential candidate to speak at an association or corporate event. This is generally something we advise our mainstream clients against doing. Whatever juice there is in the publicity squeeze of landing a presidential candidate, it can be quickly mitigated by the following pitfalls:

    • The strong degree of cancellation risk created by the candidate’s fluid campaign schedule. A commercial speaking engagement can easily be pushed aside by a breaking news story, fundraiser, debate or other pressing campaign event.
    • No matter what side of the political spectrum your membership or employees fall, you risk offending a significant portion of the cohort by not only giving the candidate a platform but compensating the speaker to do so.
    • While the axiom of “there is no such thing as bad publicity” may hold some truth, your organization does risk potentially unfavorable media exposure if the appearance does land on the radar of national press.

Should Carly Fiorina not be successful in her presidential bid, she, like many of the other candidates, will certainly be in high demand on the commercial speaking circuit; however, the time to consider “booking” one of these political titans is after they have left the race.

Side Note: It is always important to keep your guard up during the political season to make sure your contracted speakers do not use the platform for any type of unwanted campaign speech or political endorsement. This point was driven home recently to The Speaker Experts when a national media figure we scheduled to speak for an influential trade association gave a 30 minute stump speech for a candidate instead of the contracted content. Set your content boundaries with a conference call prior to the event, reinforce these boundaries with a meeting on-site the day of the presentation and develop an exit strategy if for some reason the speaker does not respect these boundaries while on stage.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

World Class Futurists Highlight of ASAE 2015 Educational Sessions

Posted: August 7, 2015 in Be In The Know
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Internationally-recognized innovator Josh Linkner and futurist Sheryl Connelly were among the educational highlights at the August 8-15, 2015 American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting in Detroit.

Linkner captivated the Opening General Session attendees on Sunday, August 9, as he covered the myriad ways associations must harness fresh approaches to all aspects of their work in order to thrive and remain competitive in his aptly-named keynote “Harnessing Innovation: Turning Raw Ideas into Powerful Results”:


Sheryl Connelly, currently the lead of the Global Consumer Trends and Futuring team for a major player in the automotive industry, was the highlight of the Game Changer sessions covering “How to Think Like a Futurist” on Monday, August 10:


Along with Josh Linkner and Sheryl Connelly, here are a few other guest speaker highlights from ASAE’s Annual Meeting sessions:

























ASAE represents over 21,000 association executives and industry partners who represent more than 9,300 organizations. At each Annual Meeting, over 5,000 members from around the country take advantage of the countless networking opportunities and participate in 120+ education sessions. Both Sheryl Connelly and Josh Linkner are active on the corporate and association speaking circuit and can be scheduled by contacting your preferred IASB-member speaker bureau.

The Speaker Experts are excited to see next year’s picks from ASAE for the August 13-16, 2016 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

“The Most Expensive Speaker I’ve Ever Had was Free” (Brian Palmer, NSB President)

Posted: August 3, 2015 in Be In The Know
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Brian Palmer is the President of the National Speakers Bureau and one of the most respected authorities in the speaker bureau industry. He has served on the board of Meeting Planners International and was bestowed their prestigious International Supplier of the Year Award in 2003. Additionally, he was elected President of the International Association of Speaker Bureaus in 2013, served on their board and was awarded its highest honor, The John Palmer Award.

The Speaker Experts are big fans of Brian Palmer’s video blog and often share his insights with our clients on topics ranging from speaker introductions to event lighting. One of our favorite posts was his segment, “The Most Expensive Speaker I’ve Ever Had was Free”:

The story Brian tells is not uncommon and we, too, have heard of similar experiences many times. Volunteer committee member participation is the life blood of many associations, and having this group’s input and engagement is key to the success of the organization and meetings. However, as Brian points out, there can be pitfalls if those committee members are playing an active role in securing key general session speakers. A speaker not being compensated for his time and giving the speech as a favor to a friend may not take the event as seriously as a professional speaker whose reputation is on the line every time he walks on stage.

Here are a few tips that can help you mitigate the risk of poor performance the next time your program chair tells you, “Good news, I have our keynote speaker confirmed!”

  • Establish immediate contact with the speaker’s assistant or management. Many times the volunteer member who found the speaker based on a relationship will not want to relinquish direct contact with his find. You can work around this by being in contact with the speaker’s assistant to make sure the train stays on track.
  • Be in contact with the assistant on a monthly basis leading up to the event with updates on promotion, other confirmed speakers, and his role in the meeting.
  • Probe to see the level of commitment by the speaker by asking for an advance phone interview for promotional purposes, or perhaps a promotional clip for the event website.
  • Insist on a conference call prior to the event to insure a clear understanding of the importance of the presentation.
  • Trust your gut. If you don’t feel the speaker can pull off the desired outcome, the program (and relationship) might be salvaged with the use of a professional moderator.


By implementing these safe guards, you can keep control of your event while enjoying the benefits of a pro-bono or discounted speaker. Another option is to turn the session management over to a IASB-member speaker bureau. Not all speaker bureaus will take on such a project but many, for a nominal fee, will manage the project logistics to help insure full engagement from your speaker and achieve the desired outcome for your general session. A trusted bureau partner can serve as a professional buffer between you, the volunteer leader and the speaker. Needless to say, we do not suggest this course of action in every case but it can be an effective tool in your meeting planning kit if used at the appropriate time.

The Speaker Experts suggest you follow Brian’s video blog at www.nsbureau.wordpress.com for useful, practical and honest information on speakers and the meetings industry.

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

Second Quarter Exclusive Speaker Signings

Posted: June 30, 2015 in Be In The Know, Speaker Ideas
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East Coast followers of The Speaker Experts may remember the iconic slogan of Syms Clothing Chain: “An educated consumer is our best customer”. Well, The Speaker Experts feel that “An educated meeting planner will always be in the position to secure the best price and service” (you can see why we are lecture agents and not marketing jingle writers!). In our July 22, 2014 post “The Four Myths of the Speaker Bureau Co-Broker” we covered the potential pitfalls of not working directly with the exclusive agency for the speaker you are contracting. You first line of defense in this regard is to understand which speakers are exclusive with which agencies. In order to assist you in this endeavour, The Speaker Experts present an “insiders” list of 2nd Quarter Exclusive Speaker signings:

Washington Speakers Bureau

Charles Plosser
    • President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (2006-2015)
David Gregory
    • Renowned journalist and former moderator of NBC News’ Meet the Press
Ali Wentworth
    • Actress, comedienne, and author

Harry Walker Agency

Lara Logan
    • “60 Minutes” correspondent
Joyce Banda
    • First female president of Malawi and 2nd female president of an African country
Henry Waxman
    • long-serving US House Representative from California

Leading Authorities International

Salim Ismail
    • Best-Selling Author of Exponential Organizations, Executive Director of Singularity University, and Former Vice President of Yahoo!
Mitch Joel
    • Marketing, Media Hacker and Business Innovator
Bob Schieffer
    • Former Moderator of Face the Nation and Former CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent
Mike Allen
    • Chief White House Correspondent for POLITICO and Author of Playbook
Michael Vickers
    • Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Peter Bergen
    • CNN National Security Analyst and Best-Selling Author of Manhunt

Greater Talent Network

Alan Gross
    • U.S. Humanitarian aid worker wrongfully imprisoned in Cuba for five years
Ray Kelly
    • Former Commissioner of the NYPD & leading expert on national security
Dan Harris
    • Award-winning ABC News Anchor and #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
George Takei
    • Actor, social justice activist, social media mega-power

American Program Bureau

Judy Smith
    • Crisis management expert and real-life inspiration for ABC’s political thriller show, Scandal
Dr. Henry Louis “Skip” Gates
    • Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker, Cultural Critic & Journalist
Samantha Harris
    • Fitness advocate, Breast cancer survivor and a former eight season host of Dancing with the Stars

Executive Speakers Bureau

Ronan Tynan
    • Irish Tenor, Paralympic Champion, and M.D.

Premiere Speakers Bureau

Rebekah Gregory
    • Boston Marathon Bombing survivor
Judge Jeanine Pirro
    • Fox News legal analyst and women’s issues advocate
John Acuff
    • New York Times best-selling author

Creative Artists Agency

Gerald Huff
    • Principle Software Engineer at Tesla Motors
Brian David Johnson
    • Chief Futurist at Intel
Kevin Jorgenson & Tommy Caldwell
    • The El Capitan Climbers

Keppler Speakers

Amy Curtis-McIntyre
    • Former founding Chief Marketing Officer, JetBlue Airways
Glenn Thrush
    • Chief Political Correspondent, POLITICO
Joe Tripodi
    • Former Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer, Coca-Cola

**You can access our insiders listing of first quarter exclusive speaker signings by clicking on this blog post link**


Please check back next week when The Speaker Experts release our listing of the 10 most “booked” speakers in America over the past 12 months. This was our most popular and most requested posting last year and we promise not to disappoint this year!

Gary McManis & Jay Conklin

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