Best 6 Strategies to Find Your Conference Keynote and Other Speakers - Event Always

 

Are you having trouble finding talent for your conference? This is not a problem that you are alone in. This is one of their biggest challenges. These strategies can help you find speakers for your event.

Your conference is only as good as the speakers and panellists it has. The keynote speaker is often the star of an event. If your sourcing strategy stagnates, your speakers' quality will start to drop.

Are you unsure how to find a keynote speaker? We've got you covered. This list contains common sourcing methods that your team can use to help them choose the right one for their conference.

Call to Speakers or Abstracts

Potential candidates have the chance to submit ideas via a call for proposals. You can have a wide range of speakers. However, quality candidates will require a strong promotion plan and the resources to screen the submissions.

You can start by calling out and then you will have a variety of platforms to help you find conference speakers. Talent is abundant at your local Chamber of Commerce. Another place to begin your search is social media. You should also consider other publications that are specific to your industry and talent within the company.

It's much easier than you think!

• First, share a brief blurb on your social media platforms about RFPs (requests to proposals). You should include the most relevant information for potential speakers. You can include as little as their presentation title, or as much as their entire slide deck. Your network of followers is a great source of candidates to add value to your event. Email marketing is a must. You can use your list to make connections with people you know.
• The second is to carefully read your proposals. It is much easier to read through all the abstracts and proposals. You want to find the best conference speaker for your message, to add unique perspectives, or to provide expert advice.
• Start interviewing your conference speakers. Your speakers should be able to communicate your message to your audience. Ask about their expertise and knowledge in the field.

Even if you already have a well-respected, high-profile keynote speaker, an open call can be a great way to add new speakers to your list.

Surveys for Participants

Open calls are one way to find speakers. But how about asking your attendees what they want to see at your conference? By asking attendees to survey you, they can see that you care about them and want them to be involved in shaping the content. You might even know someone who is a speaker at an event. You can get feedback from attendees about more than speaker information.

Next, use the survey data for your conference speakers. You can increase event attendance and interest by adding surveys to your event marketing strategy. Eventalways provides the tools to create a survey and then use that data to find conference speakers. SurveyMonkey and Typeform make it easy to conduct the survey online.

Members, sponsors, and partners

Employees and members of organizations are often invited to speak at events. External partners and sponsors can also speak at events.

Sponsors offer support in return for advertising. They are not allowed to participate in the event's operations like partners. They have financial investments. Each aspect of the event is managed by internal members. All stakeholders are interested in the event's success, including sponsors, external partners and internal members.

One word of caution: While it might be easier to rely internally on talent, too many sponsors and employees can make it appear that you are unable to find or pay reliable external speakers.

Speaker Lists and Databases

Sites such as the National Speakers Association or SpeakerHub let you filter thousands of speakers by topic and speciality. These websites have their ups as well as downs, just like all things.

National Speakers Association

Pros:

• There are thousands of speakers available
• Organized by specialties
• Detailled profiles
• Expert speakers

Cons:

• Commission fee

SpeakerHub

Pros:

• There is no charge for connecting
• Detailled profiles
• A large number of speakers

Cons:

• There are less experienced speakers in the pool.

These are both fast and efficient ways to find talent. However, you also have to compete with other event creators. This is not true for all niches. However, some trendy ones can make it difficult to find keynote speakers.

The downside to relying solely on one speaker resource is that you are limited to the speakers in your list or database. There is an easy way around this. You can place your open call on multiple databases or lists. Not only will you have more abstracts and proposals to look through, but also the opportunity to discover new talent.

Hidden fees are a problem. Before you sign up for a service, make sure to thoroughly read the terms and conditions. However, brainstorming ideas can be made easier by using speaker databases.

Publications

Blogs, news sites, bestsellers lists, academic journals, and news websites are all great places to find industry- or topic-specific speakers. Also, you should check out LinkedIn profiles and Facebook groups. These can both be valuable resources when searching for a keynote speaker. Experts will view your speaking opportunity as an opportunity to get recognition and reach new audiences.

Check out your industry and local publications. Many publications have keynote writers who are also conference speakers. Even if this event doesn't have a speaker, it is a great way to make contacts for the next one.

You can keep a list of publications that are relevant to your industry, and add authors to this list. Buzzsumo is a great tool to help you find the most popular articles and blog posts on any topic.

Social media

Professional speakers have access to a wealth of social networks such as LinkedIn, SlideShare, and YouTube. You can search YouTube for topics related to your conference and see who is talking about them. To narrow down your search, filter by number of views to identify the most popular content.

Make sure to use TikTok and Instagram. To reach new talent, you can tailor your open calls to a particular audience.

To identify speakers, you can also use social media insights. Facebook Audience Insights allows you to create a profile of your audience, and then see their social media profiles. These results can help you to find the perfect speaker.

Prioritize your speaker wishlist

Your goal is to build a wishlist. Don't worry about how the candidates will fit in with your agenda or whether you can afford them. Next comes the decision-making phase, where you assess speakers and decide who to reach out.