If there’s one thing that’ll guarantee to set your event apart from the rest, it’s having an inspirational industry speaker on your side. Whether they give a talk or a presentation – or both – they can really help bring things to life. But how do you go about finding the perfect speaker? Because you can’t just have anyone take to the stage, can you?
Think about the ‘why’
In other words, what is the purpose of your conference?
You may be tempted just to find someone within your specific field and ask them to speak, but the problem is that even then they aren’t guaranteed to say the right things. In order to hit the nail on the head from the word go, you need to have a very clear and strong idea of the purpose of your conference. In other words, what are you hoping to achieve from this event?
Usually, a business or industry hosts an event for one of three reasons…
- To increase awareness of an industry or brand
- To provide an education on a specific area
- To generate more leads
Once you’ve got that nailed down, you can start thinking about part two; what message are you trying to give to people? Don’t be afraid to go specific here by really trying to think about the ideas and thoughts you want your attendees to walk away with.
Think about your audience
Who are you targeting with your event? Are you looking to attract young professionals who are at the very start of their career? Or would you prefer to have well-seasoned business people who have been around the industry block a few times? An event catered to one won’t necessarily appeal to the other, so it’s important you get this right.
You should also think about what you want your audience to gain? What issues or concerns of theirs do you want to address or what problems do you want to help them solve? These don’t have to be specific and technical; they could be rather broad. Whatever you come up with, make sure you have considered the underlying needs of your audience long and hard. By having these at the centre of your event, it will have a far greater impact.
Think about who
Every speaker out there is different, and the type that you pick is going to bring something different to your event. Here’s a few that you could pick from…
- A professional in your industry – They can give industry-specific information to your attendees as they have a thorough understanding of the area. To verify their suitability you may need to check if they have certain academic credentials or knowledge that they can demonstrate. These are all things you can brag about in the run-up to your conference.
- A celebrity – Has a strong impact but is only applicable to certain fields. A celebrity’s ‘wow’ factor is more likely to encourage your guests to take a particular action either at or after the conference.
- A motivational speaker – Can give an inspiring message to your audience that will resonate with them once they leave. They can also be useful if you are hosting an event around a specific theme or topic.
And that’s that! It doesn’t take many steps to find a good speaker for your conference, but what’s most important is that you take your time and consider each step carefully. By doing everything we have listed above thoroughly, you’ll be guaranteed to throw an incredible event that’ll have your attendees asking for many more to come!
Category: Blog