June 22nd, 2010 
admin Reasons Why You Should Invite a Speaker to Your Next Event
Sometimes it is easy to get bogged down with the details of organising a large event. First you have to investigate the various conference venues and then work out a theme. Then comes the budget negotiation process within the company and it becomes all too easy to get bogged down.
It’s when your focus has been narrowed that you might miss the opportunities that a guest speaker can bring to your event. When you think about it, one of the main reasons for having an event in the first place is to give every attendee a chance to learn something new, improve their skill set, and at the same time be entertained.
Whilst the focus should not always be on pure entertainment, it can go a long way towards information retention and can also make your attendees more likely to attend subsequent events.
Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons why a speaker will be invaluable at your next conference or event.
- If it’s good enough in the entertainment industry, it’s good enough for you! It might not always be appropriate to compare yourself to a television program, but it is no coincidence that celebrities increase the likelihood of a larger viewing audience. The same rule applies to a conference. A well-known keynote speaker can be the single most attractive element that provides a convincing reason for attendees to sign up.
- If your event is of a technical nature, a well-known expert speaker will lend an air of authority to your event. The dissemination of expert knowledge is attractive to professionals in every industry from scientists to architects, so if your guest speaker can include the announcement of some new information or present some new findings, you could have yourself a conference winner.
- Controversy works. Keynote speakers that bring with them an element of controversy can increase the profile of your event enormously. The promise of something different can entice more attendees to your event and, as well is making it more enjoyable, it will increase your profile as well which means that future events are going to be that much easier to organise.
- Having a respected keynote speaker can usually justify an increase in registration fees and this will make it easier to live within your budget. If your attendees can see real value for their dollar you will not only raise the profile of your conference but be seen to be giving more for their investment dollar.
One of the best ways to attract a keynote speaker to your event is to directly approach them and highlight the benefits they themselves will experience. Mention things like the publicity they will receive and flatter them with the method you will use to publicise the event, and how they will be the focus of attention. You may be surprised how well flattery works when it comes to organising a keynote speaker!
Some function rooms have a list of popular speakers that have been used in the past, and this can be a great starting point for you as well.
