Securing speakers plays a big role in conference planning. The right keynote speakers and presentations can add value to the attendee experience and make it more memorable when they look back on it. We also recommend reaching out to a prominent guest speaker to diversify your lineup.
While impactful speakers are essential, it’s common to feel confused about how to find them or convince a motivational speaker to put on a presentation at your event. We’re here to help. In fact, it’s smart to research competitor events so you can differentiate your offerings. We’ve compiled several top strategies to get speakers for a conference and will show how tools like event management software for event organizers can help organize the process.
This guide will highlight different ways you can get speakers and enhance your conference planning strategies, especially when aiming for an entire event that resonates.
How To Find Speakers for Conferences
Top strategies to find conference speakers include:
Search For Local Experts
When you’re wondering “how to get speakers for a conference near me,” looking at local experts such as business owners, managers, or specialists in your industry is a great place to start. It helps align your selections with the event themes. Some key ways to watch for local experts that would make great speakers are:
- Identifying businesses that are making a big impact in the area. For example, a healthcare association may want to look for medical organizations contributing to essential research or innovative care practices, and reach out to key contributors who might be interested in speaking.
- Watching to see who’s getting involved in other previous events. Those regularly contributing to events are often open to other opportunities.
- Reviewing local trends or stories in your industry to identify interesting professionals involved that you can connect with.
Consider Diverse Voices
Remember that great speakers can come from all backgrounds and be at broader audience pools.
For example, a former stay-at-home mom who struggled to find a good job in her industry after returning to the workforce and finally succeeded after months of applying and interviewing could provide a great story of perseverance through professional obstacles.
Alternatively, a third-shift nurse who was working during a major natural disaster in the local area could provide an impactful story about the importance of preparedness in healthcare.
Make sure you’re looking at your options from all angles to find great speakers who can contribute, especially when it’s time to re-book top speakers.
Leverage Social Media
You can post about your upcoming conference on social media and mention that you’re looking for speakers who can add to the experience. It’s a good opportunity for those interested to reach out to you. It’s essential to grab audience engaged attention early. If you’re collecting abstracts for presentation ideas, you can also add a link to your submission form to make it easy to gather relevant information from everyone who reaches out.
If you’re collecting abstracts for presentation ideas, you can also add a link to your submission form to make it easy to gather relevant information from everyone who reaches out.
Additionally, you can search social media to find industry leaders who are active there and getting positive engagement on their posts. Those are often great people to contact to see if they are interested in speaking at your conference.
Search Online Directories And Speakers Bureaus
Directories like the Key Speakers Bureau or Executive Speakers Bureau list many experienced speakers who are open to opportunities. They’ll provide you with a snapshot of information about each professional, their location, and their typical fee to help you see if they fit your conference’s theme and budget.
Add A Speaker Referral Program
Association members are often excited when they can contribute to upcoming events, especially if they can get some rewards in the process. For instance, you could offer discounts on memberships, continuing education, or services your organization offers for successful speaker referrals.
Look Within Your Organization
Members or volunteers already part of your association or nonprofit can make great conference speakers. They offer a familiar voice for attendees who know about your association while being great ambassadors for what your organization is doing. Having them share stories or information can reinforce the impact you’re having from the inside out.
How Much Do Speakers Get Paid For Conferences?
Conference speaker payments can vary quite a bit. In some cases, you may be able to get conference speakers for free who value the exposure and networking opportunities involved.
However, professional speaker fees can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per appearance.
Industry leaders or highly experienced speakers may even ask for $100,000 or more per appearance.
Before looking for speakers, it’s important to define a clear budget you’re willing to pay and stick to it to avoid overspending on your event.
How To Get Speakers For A Conference For Free
Some ways you can find speakers for a conference for free are:
- Being open to working with new or first-time speakers who want to gain experience.
- Offering exposure through the event. For instance, a local small business owner may be interested in speaking for free at an event with a large number of registered attendees, where you’ll help promote their brand.
- Providing networking opportunities, such as mentioning other industry leaders attending the event that they’ll want to meet.
- Showing the impact your previous conferences had and how their presentation can add to those positive effects on the industry or local community.
How Do I Request A Speaker For An Event?
A good place to start when trying to request a speaker is sending them a formal event speaker invitation or letter through email. You can also reach out on professional social media platforms like LinkedIn if you can’t find their email address.
Make sure to keep this message short and highlight key details like:
- Important event details: The event’s date, time, audience, theme, and goals. Highlight why it’s relevant to this potential speaker.
- Benefits and value proposition: What’s in it for the speaker? Even if you’re offering a payment for their appearance, it’s a good idea to go beyond that and also mention aspects like the opportunity for exposure and networking with members of your industry.
- Logistical information and support: If the speaker has to travel to the event location, mention that you can make arrangements to help, whether it’s a flight or taxi service.
After you’ve added the necessary details, finish with a professional sign-off and say you hope to hear from them soon.
If you don’t hear back, it’s acceptable to follow up once or twice. The first one can be within 24-48 hours, and then wait around 5-7 days to follow up again.
How An Event Management Software Can Help Organize The Process
As you’re going through the steps of securing speakers for your event, you’ll need a place to organize your schedule, compile speaker information, and plan presentations. Cadmium’s event management solution, Eventscribe, can help with those aspects.
Eventscribe offers a comprehensive speaker management solution you can use to:
- Coordinate abstract submissions and reviews
- Track speaker commitments
- Plan and review presentation materials
- Communicate directly with speakers as you work together
- Create detailed conference schedules
- And more
Eventscribe is also a complete event management system to handle all your event planning needs, such as logistics, attendee engagement, registration, and sponsor management.
Click here to learn more about how it can make a difference as you find speakers and plan your next event.
