MPI reveals that approximately 1.83 million corporate events and meetings will happen in the United States annually, which translates to $263 billion in spending. Further, this industry expects to grow 33% in 2022.
The most challenging part of any good corporate event is the event planning for it. Particularly, choosing the best speaker to engage your audience.
Here are some planning tips to help you choose the presenter who will do the best job.
Ready? Let’s get to it!
Think Like an Attendee
Before you vet speakers, think about why your audience is attending your event, to begin with. From their point of view, what is it they want to get out of the company event?
Often, people come to feel inspired and motivated. The more you understand how to engage them, the better position you will be in to meet their expectations.
A nice tip for your organization is to send a pre-event survey. Ask your audience what they want to achieve from your corporate event. Ask what topic is of the most interest and what they wish to accomplish from a business meeting.
The Right Type of Speaker
Entertaining, informative, instructional, and motivational are the four main types of speakers you can hire for a business event. Depending on how large your event is, it may be a good idea to select more than one type of speaker to accommodate variations in the needs of your attendees.
Scan Your Network
LinkedIn is great at helping you peruse potential speakers. You may even have someone who is perfect in your first-degree connections. If you must expand your search, try second-degree connections too.
If you are looking for an expert on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we recommend you get a DEI speaker here.
Issue a Call for Proposals
To send a mass signal that you are searching for the best speakers, you can issue a call for proposals. If interested, a prospective speaker will submit their idea for their presentation to your team directly. In the end, you could get a large pool of proposals from qualified speakers to sift through.
Recommendations from Industry Organizations
Joining industry organizations is a popular way for people to advance their careers and build their expertise. Many members of an industry organization would be happy for a speaking opportunity where they can share their knowledge with eager attendees. If you can tap into experts at industry organizations, go for it!
Corporate Event Speakers
We know that event planning is both exciting and challenging. Finding the best speaker for your corporate event can be time-consuming, but it is well worth the rewards in the end. Your audience will be happy they attended when you have the right speaker.
Think like an attendee, choose the right type of speaker, scan your network, and send a call for proposals. With these tips, you will cast a wide enough net to get the right speaker onboard.
For more great tips to boost your career, continue to check out our other articles right now.
