Here are the answers to common inquiries about booking professionals speakers and our approach:

Should I use a Speakers Bureau?

When You Should Use a Speaker Bureau

You need an experienced partner to help with one of the most visible and impactful choices you will make – your program’s keynote speaker, emcee or celebrity guest.

When you partner with an IASB Member like us, you are working with an expert that subscribes to IASB’s Standards of Professional Conduct and is a part of the professional Meetings & Events Industry, plus they are hyper-focused on assisting you craft an amazing, memorable, impactful experience for your attendees, ensuring you get all the credit for a job well done!

IASB Members make finding the perfect speaker for your program easy and stress-free. They work with you every step of the way to reduce risk and ensure that your speaker selection and booking process is a time saver. Every day, IASB Members around the world provide thousands of planners with access to a expansive network of qualified, relevant speakers, emcees and celebrities and a seamless, convenient speaker booking and event service experience.

Should I use a Celebrity Speakers Bureau?

Why a Non-Exclusive Speakers Bureau is Your Best Talent Source

Can you book talent at the last minute (e.g. 3-6 weeks from event)?

Yes. Partly because we have a broad network and are not limited to an exclusive roster. It is riskier, requires close collaboration between client and bureau, full payments will be due on very short notice and travel expenses may be higher. See also below.

Do you book free speakers? Even for great exposure?

No.  Our agency provides substantial value as does our talent. We have invested over 20 years of professional development and many thousands of dollars in capital/labor developing our capabilities, reputations and networks. Promenade and our talent have bills to pay. Our vendors don’t accept “exposure” in lieu of dollars. If your budget is on the low side, we can often find a fit. $7,500 plus travel is typically the lowest fee range we handle for in-person engagements.

Why should I work with your bureau vs others?:

• Independence, Strategic outlook, proprietary customized recommendations, working with an owner with nearly 20 years industry experience and thought leadership, a substantial global talent network, relationships with many celebrity bureaus.
• You’re tired of a big list of talent, without context or reasons to proceed with any of them.
• You’re seeing only speakers who are “exclusive” to the bureau and want a more objective recommendation.
• You want more diverse talent.
• You want a partner who oversees the process from start to finish.
• Your industry has special needs not being adequately addressed (healthcare, insurance, cybersecurity, financial services, tech).
• You’re an experiential agency that doesn’t want to compete with some bureaus who also plan events.
• You want to deal with a bureau based in NYC.
• Testimonials

Here’s where to search for virtual presenters: Virtual Speaker Search  

What’s the lowest cost for a speaker?

We’ve found professional, reliable talent, not trying to sell their services or products on stage generally starts at $7,500 – $10,000 plus travel for in-person. There’s hidden costs and risks to “free” and very low-cost speakers. At budgets under $5,000 we typically cannot make a profitable booking and don’t pursue those inquiries. The speaking industry has experienced continuous fee inflation since the start of 2022.

Are expensive speakers better?

“Celebrity” talent can cost $100,000 or more, especially for top ex-politicians, company founders, media figures, film, movie and TV stars, athletes and American speakers booked for events outside the US. Some expect a private jet, which can be $10,000 or more for travel. They may require 1 or more staff to accompany them, and/or security.

Sometimes higher fees convey greater speaking skills. Not always. There’s a point of diminishing returns.  Often they align with fame or a rare, highly valued specialty. Contact us to find the right fit based on your objectives and budget. Prices for well-known speakers has been rising consistently the last 6-8 years. That trend has accelerated since January 2022. They often rise around the end or beginning of the year.

Can you get me Oprah, Mark Zuckerberg, Meryl Streep, Bono or JK Rowling?

No, some high-echelon celebs are not on the speaking circuit. Others might rarely present at an industry or fundraising event. They may have exclusive representation that prevents us from co-brokering them with their agents. A surprising number of well known figures are available, well above $100,000.

How do you make money? Do you charge us extra for your services?

We earn a commission from the speaker only when talent is booked. In the vast majority of cases, you pay the same amount to the speaker whether approaching them directly or through us. Often we can save you money for several reasons. Speakers are willing to “net” less fee through bureaus because we bring them many opportunities they wouldn’t get without us. We are aware of talent offering temporary savings because they pitch us daily. Some want to work for us for the first time, so they offer a deal.

Can you get talent for my overseas event?

Yes, we have talent networks residing around the world, particularly Europe, SE Asia and Australia. And next door in Canada. Some are on our site, many are not. That network has grown substantially in the 2020’s. Ask us for ideas!

Why should I pay for a professional speaker when my executives can present for free? Why should I pay for a professional emcee when my staff can handle that role? 

If your execs are accomplished presenters with some star power, DIY may be an option. Most are mediocre having sat through my share. Ask yourself if hearing the same executives every year serves your strategy and will maximize turnout/engagement. Or if they’ve tuned out an executive as not objective or a thought leader.

If your staff aren’t “stars”, you may lose the attention of your audience, not attract as many sponsors nor be seen objective experts in your field. Today’s audiences are much more sophisticated consumers of speakers, and have lower attention spans. If you spend a lot on a venue, marketing and travel – with lackluster biased presenters, it dilutes the entire investment and your meeting strategy. One way to improve engagement from your non-professional speakers is:

Graphic Recorders, Visual Storytellers and Visual Note-Takers, Social Listening Boards and Walls.

The biggest risk is when the executive loses their employee’s respect with lackluster presentation skills. Particularly if the talk runs long.

Why invest in a Professional Speaker

Virtual and In-Person Emcees

We’d like our speakers to be more diverse.

It’s a welcome trend translating to bookings the last several years. Promenade has a wide array of speakers with diverse career backgrounds, lived experiences, ethnicity, geographical bases, gender, age, intellectual and political leanings, etc.

How do I judge a speaker’s skills and value?

Watch several videos. Particularly:

-the start

-the conclusion

-audience reaction

-audience interaction

-use of multi-media

-avoiding verbal crutches

-avoiding vulgarities, racy innuendos or disparaging individuals, overt political leanings (unless you have a very partisan crowd), etc.

-energy they exude, movement

-relevant content to audience, instead of just “about the speaker”

-Not reading verbatim off slides

-No Video? That’s a red flag. It doesn’t mean the speaker isn’t good – there’s just much less rationale for you to make an objective decision. If someone is charging $10,000 or more, you should expect a video sample.

Also:

-the depth/detail of testimonials (of course bad ones are never publicized 🙂

-where have they been hired repeatedly

-references

-how informative their speech descriptions are

-their general responsiveness to inquiries on price, calendar, related

-their flexibility in various matters

-their ability to customize content.

-their honesty on what they can and cannot do.

-When you need someone with drawing power: books, media platforms, size/composition and quality of their online and offline followings, the caliber of organizations that have hired them.

-longevity

-credible experience

-professional and person reputations (do they seriously misbehave out in public/private, get involved in controversial causes, known for being easy to work with or difficult, etc).

-not trying to actively “sell” their product, services or employer on the stage.

-capable handling of Q&A.

Who are Promenade’s Clients?

We don’t publish our client list. Happy to review our relevant clients following a conversation with you. Our deepest industry experience is with healthcare, insurance, hospitality, financial services, retail and tech. We work with corporations and associations of all sizes. Experiential agencies, event planning, production and incentive firms often partner with us. Our clients book events mostly in the US and Canada, with growing presence at overseas venues. We’ve supported a number of major multinational organizations for over 10 years.

When should I contact you about my speaker needs?

The best time is at least 4-6 months away from your event. You should have a date/date range, city, budget, audience description and an overview of the event, including preferred speaker topics. The further away your event is, the better your chances of finding the speaker you want with the date open. With celebrities and “exclusives”, last minute searches will be much more challenging. Celebrities and bigger name speakers often have their calendars full at least 6-9 months out. The trend for virtual events is more near-term. While that can be accommodated, there is plenty to do as far as sourcing, contracting and preparing for a virtual presentation – sometimes more than live events.

5-10 working days to develop a proposal gives us the best chance to identify the best talent. We can get you ideas faster, particularly for topics with many experts. Less time = less options. Ironically, low budgets make it harder to identify talent.

How do you find talent?:

I scan bookstore shelves, event sites, subscribe to multiple talent databases, get approached by speakers and their managers/agencies daily, take recommendations from my clients and other speakers. I’m constantly on the lookout for rising stars, established talent and celebrities to meet different client needs.

While the average person can do most this too, there’s a big difference when you’ve done it daily for 20+ years. And every time you contact a speaker, look forward to getting added to multiple email lists, get interrupted by unscheduled calls, etc.

Do you train or advise aspiring or established speakers?:

Yes for a fee: Bureau Advisory for Speakers – A Paid Service

Does a book matter?

It’s not a must. Books can be a good credential or a sign of some national renown. They can be an affordable, relevant giveaway for an entire audience or VIPs. A good author isn’t automatically a good speaker. And vice versa. We have several sources for bulk book purchases at discount to list prices.

Does media or pundit experience count?

Not really. It doesn’t translate to being a good speaker. An excellent panel moderator might not be a quality keynoter or workshop leader. And vice versa.

Does the audience composition matter?

Definitely. Our recommendations will vary widely depending on:

-Size

-Profession, How long at job

-All same employer or many different ones

-Age

-Gender mix

-Political leanings (if relevant)

-Did audience pay to be there? How much?

-Are they there by choice?

-Who they’ve seen on your stage in past years.

-Nationality

-And other factors