By: Brian Elliot
So you’ve been tasked with securing the speaker for your next fundraising banquet. What do you do now? The options seem overwhelming. You can’t figure out the fee or if the speaker you want is even available! Not to mention all of the ideas and opinions coming from your banquet committee, which leads you back to Google to fill out endless inquiry forms on speaker websites. It can be a real headache.
Premiere Speakers Bureau exists to help connect you with the right speaker for your event. We want to help you look good to your board and make your life easier. Our seasoned agents are familiar with speaker fees, schedules, preferences, and overall speaker effectiveness with events like yours. We strive to be a valuable partner who can help guide your speaker selection process so all details are covered and you have a successful engagement with the speaker.
Here are a few helpful tips that will help us to help you!
Have A Budget Range In Mind
We can make helpful speaker recommendations based on the budget set aside to invest in bringing in a speaker. If you are looking for us to provide speaker ideas, we will need to have a sense of an appropriate budget ceiling so we can make realistic speaker recommendations. Speaker fees can vary wildly. Generally speaking, the more household name the speaker is– the higher the fee. Speaking fees are based on several factors including draw and current demand for engagements that the speaker is currently experiencing. If a speaker is in high demand, the fee is going to be higher and more firm. Having a range is helpful. We can recommend speakers in virtually all fee ranges. Here is a good example of fee ranges. $3500- $5000, $5000- $10,000, $10,000- $20,000, $30,000- $50,000 and up.
Date flexibility vs Firm Event Date
We understand that many factors go into selecting an event date. When zeroing in on speaker selection, it can be helpful to verify the speaker’s availability. There is no use considering a speaker the speaker is not available! Some event hosts have multiple venue options and can be quite flexible on the actual event date. In this case, it’s helpful to have 2-3 date options you know would work for you. Your date options can be run by the speaker and we will work to match up the speaker’s availability with one of the dates that work for you. Some events occur on the same Tuesday or Thursday night every year and/or have very limited venue options so the date is quite fixed. If you have a firm date, we are happy to preemptively reach out and verify speakers’ availability so you are considering speaker options that are actually available.
Topic and Theme of the Event
When asking for speaker options, sometimes it’s helpful to share with the agent a little bit about the nature of the event and if there is a specific direction you are looking to take with the topic or theme of that year’s event. This is not totally necessary but it can be helpful for us to make solid speaker recommendations that are in line with the direction you are sensing is right for your upcoming event. Most speakers are able to adapt their talk to support the theme for the night but sometimes an event host is looking to explore a specific topic and might need someone well versed in that topic.
Once the event date is set and the speaker is selected, it’s time to make it official. The first step (assuming we’ve been able to verify the speaker’s availability in advance) is to provide certain information to the agent so a firm offer/contract can be drawn up. Relevant information includes: event date, venue, expected attendance, name of event, event topic/theme, run of schedule for the speaker, and the desired length of the keynote. With these details, the agent can finalize a document for you to review and sign. Once signed, the offer will be officially submitted to the speaker for consideration. In most cases, the speaker will accept the offer and will be officially confirmed. However, there are times when the speaker may decline for various reasons so we ask you to wait to announce that the speaker has been added to the event until you have an official confirmation from the agent. A 50% deposit is due (2) two weeks after a speaker confirms and the balance of the speaking fee is due (30) thirty days prior to the event date.
At Premiere Speakers Bureau, we walk you through the entire process of bringing in a speaker. When the speaker is confirmed, you’ll be introduced to one of our experienced Advance Agents, who will provide access to a questionnaire that will walk you through every necessary detail and who will be available to answer any questions you might have as well as convey information about your center and banquet to the speaker as you prepare for your event. A final itinerary with the speaker’s travel details and all of your event information will be provided 2-4 weeks before the event date.
A successful event for your center is our goal! Success can be measured by various metrics. Most common mark of success is increased fundraising to secure operating expenses for the next year. Sometimes there is a specific goal like a capital campaign for a building fund or a certain project. Other times, the main goal is increased exposure of the ministry to the community. Success for us is that the process of securing and managing the event speaker is made as easy as possible so you can focus on creating a fantastic event and work towards hitting and exceeding your overall goals. Your feedback is important and helps us improve our service to you for future events. Please be sure to let us know how we succeeded and where we can improve.
As the Senior Vice President of Premiere Speakers Bureau, Brian Elliott oversees the bureau’s work with faith-based organizations including pro-life groups and pregnancy centers. Having served faith-based organizations for nearly 20 years, Brian brings a vast knowledge of the mission and goals of his clients and is a trusted source for recommending high-impact Christian & pro-life speakers. He and his wife, Gwen, live in Franklin, TN, and have three children who are now grown or nearly grown.
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