Locating a speaker for your next conference or event no longer means flipping endlessly through a pile of "expert encyclopedias." The Web is loaded with sites created to help meeting planners and PR executives track down the right speaker or get their CEO and other top executives listed as speakers. While the majority of sites are run by companies representing a stable of speakers or membership societies, others allow new listings to be added for free.
While corporate meeting planners often are the ones choosing speakers, the PR department is playing a larger role in the process. "[The Web] is becoming a fairly popular place because access is so easy," says Beverly Babb, manager of membership for the Tempe, Ariz.-based National Speakers Association. Babb's site (http://www.nsaspeaker.org) allows users to search for speakers by name, topic, geographic location and other keywords.
Requests have risen dramatically over the past six months for speakers listed on Speakers Platform (http://www.speaking.com), says Mike Frick, president of the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company. Frick's site does not charge a fee to list basic speaker information such as name, company, fee range and a short description. A $399/year membership fee gets speakers a photo, extended bio and other benefits. Frick says any membership fee less than $1,000 is worthwhile because the added information greatly assists planners and one booking per year generally pays for the fee. Other sites with a membership fee include the International Society of Speakers, Authors & Consultants (http://www.issac.com) and the National Speakers Association.
Both Frick and Babb strongly urge PR executives to leave time for further research before choosing a speaker from the Web or placing their client on a site. Babb suggests calling references to verify the speaker's capability (some of which are provided with the speakers' bio). Frick advises calling or writing to a site and asking four questions:
- What is your site traffic?
- Who is looking at your site?
- Where do you advertise and promote the site? and
- How many bookings do your speakers get per month? (NSA, Beverly Babb, 602/968-2552; Speakers Platform, Mike Frick, 805/892-2386)
Following is a listing of sites to view and to avoid, arranged alphabetically and with our bookmarking suggestions:
The Agency
http://www.4speakers.com/start.htm
Meeting planners can submit an online form with required topic categories, date and location of event and their contact information, and the company will supply names, fees and availability at no cost. Only five speakers and their bios are included on the site, which doesn't provide a way to list executives.
Celebrity Speakers International
(http://www.speakers.co.uk)
Though based in Europe, the site pledges to provide speakers for events throughout the world. The slickly designed site (you can analyze the company logo while waiting for your free search results) is divided into 43 categories, such as finance, government, women's issues and medical. Planners will find a bio, photo, topics the speaker can cover and the type of engagement (keynote, seminar, etc.) for which the speaker should be booked.
The International Group of Agencies and Bureau
(http://www.igab.org)
Here's a great site to bookmark and use as a resource for tracking down companies that represent speakers and authorities. No speakers are listed, but companies to contact (all of which are IGAB members) are categorized by geographic zones (Northeastern, Southeastern, etc.).
International Society of Speakers, Authors & Consultants
(http://www.issac.com)
The site lists members and activities of the society, whose goal is "expanding the careers, increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of speakers, authors and consultants." Member listings provide speakers, addresses, phone and fax numbers, email and Web address, and a one-sentence description (no titles are provided). Membership is required, with fees ranging from $225 for a full-membership to $3,500 for lifetime benefits. A good resource for improving the speaking performance of your clients.
Keynote Speakers Inc.
(http://www.keynotespeakers.com)
The site's front page, promoting its more than 1,200 speakers and 100 topic areas, shows such promise. But just one of the company's speakers is described here, and no listings are provided. For a firm specializing in the emerging technologies industry, Keynote shows zero innovation in bringing its services online.
Leading Authorities Inc.
(http://www.leadingauthorities.com)
More than 450 speakers are included on this easy-to-use site, searchable by keyword, topic, name and geographic location.
Sam Donaldson, Geraldine Ferraro, Dave Barry and Pat Buchanan are among the familiar names the company handles. Planners looking for more than what's provided in the bios can fill out an online form to receive specific fees, video and audio tapes and other information.
National Speakers Association
(http://www.nsaspeaker.org)
The king of all speaker sites contains more than 4,000 listings, searchable by keyword, name, location and topic. The actual listings lack photos, detailed descriptions and fees, which is a little disappointing considering this organization's prominence. Check this site first for listings and the 10 helpful tips for finding the right speaker for your event.
Speakers On-line
(http://www.speakers.com)
Very recommended for the depth of its topic categories - 48 to be exact - covering such areas as "corporate culture," "conflict management," "ethics and values," and "adventurers." The biography pages offer a black and white or color photo, fee range, an informative two-screen biography and comments from meeting planners about the speaker. The bottom of the front page says speakers can be added to the site, but the accompanying box isn't hot-linked. Call 301/445-6500 for more information.
SpeakerSearch.com
(http://www.speakersearch.com)
The site, which promises "the perfect speaker at your fingertips," lets users search by name, topic of expertise (covering everything from entertainment to education to sales and marketing), home state, books authored and affiliations. Basic listings (the information above) are free, but for an additional fee, extras such as a bio and photo ($200 for both), digitized video clips ($200) and a link to the speaker's home page ($400) can be added.
Speakers Platform
(http://www.speaking.com)
One of the most thorough of the sites we checked, Speakers Platform provides thorough information for more than 2,000 speakers knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics (including seldom seen categories such as hypnosis, ecology and spirituality). Speakers can get a free listing with name, company name, location, fee range and a description of up to 60 words. The $399/year membership fee gives space for a more in-depth bio, photo, testimonials, priority returns on search results and other benefits. Check here early in your search.
Speakers' Spotlight
(http://www.speakers.ca)
Need the reasons why you should pick a Canadian speaker for your event? This site's got 'em. Though just five of the company's speakers are listed, the site is useful for its list of questions to ask before choosing a speaker, such as "Does your meeting have a particular theme?" and "Has he/she spoken to a similar group before?"