When is the right time to consider a speakers bureau? Any of the circumstances below can make this an advantageous arrangement for event/meeting planners and organizers: 

• You lack the time or staff resources to source professional speakers and don’t want to be interrupted by dozens of follow-ups from these speakers for months.
• You’ve been asked for a niche topic where you don’t know experts.
• Your internal speakers aren’t well known or good enough presenters to draw attendees and sponsors.
• You need to build engagement whether you have guest keynoters or just internal/industry speakers: Graphic Recorders, Visual Storytellers and Visual Note-Takers
• You have a complex event or booking needs where a trusted advisor can help.
• Your featured speaker dropped out on short notice.
• You value virtual event experience.
• The nature of your event or content needs changed on short notice.
• Your event runs outside the US and needs local, multilingual or culturally sensitive presenters.
• You need a third-party to objectively evaluate speaker sales pitches to your management.
• You need emerging stars or more diverse presenters.
• You want to know what’s working for other event organizers in your industry.
• You’re unsure how to approach celebrity talent and whether they are worth the investment and extra effort.
• You’re a smaller organization that needs to leverage the buying power of a bureau.
• Your non-professional speakers have below-average presentation skills and you’re concerned that will hurt your event: How to Elevate the Presentation Skills of Your Non-Professional Speakers
• Find Bureaus you like and stay with them. By building relationships instead of placing orders, you give the Bureaus incentive to constantly be working for you throughout the year.
• You want to negotiate the best overall booking terms possible – not just price, but customization, value-added services, non-speaking onsite roles, etc. 
• You’re considering an ex-politician/pundit, sports figure, “influencer”, media professional, actor/actress whose public views and/or conduct may be a reputational risk for your organization and event. 

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