What a speakers bureau can do for you

By Mike Garibaldi-Frick

The bureau’s job is to know where and how to find the right speaker for your event, send you materials to review, schedule conference calls, secure or contract the speaker, and facilitate financial arrangements. Like travel agents, speakers bureaus will smooth the process for securing talent for your event and charge you nothing while saving you enormous amounts of time. Since speakers bureaus get paid from the speaker’s fee, they receive compensation only when you book a speaker they suggest.

Bureaus act as partners for researching speakers and finding the perfect match for your event. They can assist with determining the appropriate mix of content, personality and entertainment for the presentation. Finding the right speakers who can meet your needs and budget is the bureau’s objective. Bureaus generally represent a large roster of speakers (ranging from local business experts to worldwide celebrities), and can also book speakers they don’t exclusively represent.

Speakers bureaus work with professional speakers who are seasoned experts and have demonstrated excellent speaking skills, professionalism and expertise of their topic. The bureau interviews them, checks their references, reviews their performances in person or on tape, and determines that they will deliver the best presentation for your event.

First, bureaus will ask you about the goals and objectives for your event and about your organization. During the interview, a bureau agent will listen to your program needs and assess what type of speaker would fit your program objectives and budget. Is your organization experiencing tremendous change and growth? Is there a need to communicate a specific message? What is the conference theme?

Next, your bureau agent will research the large pool of available speakers to develop a short list of the top candidates for your event. Your agent will then send you press kits and/or videos of the speakers whom you find most interesting. Finally, they will confirm availability for the speaker(s) you have chosen and will arrange all contracting, finances, and specific presentation and travel requirements.

One Bureau Advantage
Since speakers bureau services are free, meeting planners will often contact numerous bureaus to help find a speaker. This can lead to confusion and wasted time. Instead of developing a close relationship with your chosen bureau and receiving a few excellent speaker suggestions for your event, you will receive piles of speaker kits (many duplicates) and dozens of calls from various bureau agents and speakers.

By using numerous bureaus, you can quickly diminish the time savings you would gain in the first place. Often, bureaus will not devote much time to these “multiple bureau” projects since they have less chance to close a deal and the speakers they work with will be confused by multiple bureau contacts.

It is important to clearly communicate throughout the speaker search process. Give your bureau agent as much information about your goals and your chosen event theme as you can. Provide clear and quick feedback on speakers they suggest and keep them informed about your selection process.

We all know the meeting process can be ever-changing, especially committee run selection processes. Your bureau agent knows this, so don’t be afraid to involve them in your process, even if it means letting them know that the budget has been cut this year or that the theme has changed. Your bureau agent wants all your events-for years to come-to be successes.

If you are using other sources, it is always a good policy to let your bureau(s) know others you may be working with. Let them know immediately if you are considering booking a speaker from another source. This way, multiple bureaus won’t continue contacting the same speaker trying to secure “holds” for your event date. It’s the professional thing to do.

Speakers bureaus take care of many of the details for booking speakers-from locating the perfect speaker(s) available for your event to contracting negotiations and presentation details-which ultimately saves you time and money.

Mike Garibaldi-Frick is founder and president of San Francisco-based Speakers Platform, a leading full-service speakers bureau.