A speaker bureau agency can help you if you are struggling to hire keynote speakers for your event. So, how can you hire a speakers bureau agency? Your speaker needs to be evaluated by the bureau. Call their office and ask them if they are interested in your event or not. Make sure that there is no fee for evaluating you. The speaker will need to send his/her bio, photo, etc. Package your event information and send it to the bureau agent’s address. If they want to present your request to their clients, they will call you back with an answer. Most of the time, this process may take anywhere from one week up to three weeks or even longer, depending on what type of events do you have planned for your organization’s future schedule.
Another option is finding available speakers directly through the bureau website listings via online or offline channels. You can find and select speakers you like and then contact them directly for their fees and availability to be your keynote speaker.
There are some speakers bureaus that may send you a list of available speakers without any evaluation, but the fee is very high. This option should be used only when other options do not work out or if you need a speaker urgently (like within the next few days). If the bureau selects your event as one of its priority events, they will present your request to their clients immediately and let other agents know about it so that they can share their contacts with you too.
If a particular speaker has spoken publicly within the last 12-24 months, he/she will have an electronic press kit. In addition, if a speaker has a social media presence, it may be used to contact him/her.
If you have an agency that represents speakers and deals with your topic, these types of questions can be asked: How successful is this speaker? What opportunities has this speaker had to share his/her message? Is the topic unique in comparison with others from the bureau’s roster of speakers? Does this speaker fit your budget so he/she will not exceed it with additional fees for travel expenses or other related expenses for services for media releases etc.? What is the level of appeal of the audience in terms of age range and geographic area? All these questions should be answered before booking any event through a particular bureau. A good number of questions are asked when you seek a speaker through an agency.
If there is no bureau in your area that represents speakers, then the next best option is to find someone who may provide the same services as a good speakers bureau. It can be either an individual speaker or a small business organization with no fee involved. This avenue will help you get more confidence about who they represent and what type of publicity they have secured in their areas. You will need to ensure that this person has public speaking experience by asking all related questions before contacting him/her for any events, including keynote speeches, seminars, company meetings, etc.
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