7 Simple Tips to Help You Find a Captivating Conference Speaker for Your Next Event
As a way to get your brand name out there, you may hold events that are of interest to your target audience. Mostly, what makes these events interesting to them are the speakers you pick.
To ensure your convention is a success, you should find industry leaders who can educate your attendees in an interesting way. But you may be wondering about how you should go about finding these conference keynote speakers.
Here are 7 simple tips to help you find a captivating conference speaker for your next event.
1. Reach out to Organizations
What better way to get a thought leader from a niche industry than to reach out to those niche organizations?
For instance, if your product helps fix problems with pipes, consider reaching out to the United Association, which is a union of plumbers, fitters, welders, and service techs. They’re bound to have plenty of experts who are more than happy to speak at your event.
Not only would it position your company as one that has authority, but it also gives the expert a chance to promote their company as well. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.
2. Check out Blogs
Blogs were once a medium people used to share their private thoughts, so they tended to be more personal. But those days have changed. Today, more and more businesses use blogs as a way to attract organic traffic to their websites.
Take some time to input keywords into search engines to find reputable blog pages. For example, if your products are in the food service industry, you may want to research blogs from experienced servers who offer witty insights.
If you like what you see from any particular business, drop them an email asking if they’d like to speak at your convention. Since this can all be done online, it shouldn’t be hard to reach out to several experts in a short span of time.
3. Go on Online Forums
Forums may seem like an outdated medium, especially since people mainly use live chat functions. But the truth is, many people who are passionate about certain subjects still actively participate in online forums.
If you’re looking for a good convention speaker, online forums can be a great place to find them. For instance, there are medical forums where you can find enthusiastic medical professionals who offer up their advice to anyone who asks for it. You might want to send a few of them a private message to check their credentials and to ask if they’d be willing to speak at your event.
4. Check Your Social Media
If you’ve been in business for a while, you may have amassed a decent list of people in your social media network. A good source is LinkedIn, where you can “connect” with people without having met them in person at all.
So take a good look over your list; you may be surprised at just how many people can be great potential convention speakers. Some may even have connections with reputable industry leaders. Send some messages out well before your event to see if any people are interested in sharing their insights.
5. Check with Your Own Network
In addition to social media, you probably have connections with family, friends, and former coworkers who you keep in touch with. When you need a convention speaker, it’s worth checking in with some of these contacts. For example, you may have a friend who’s recently attended a convention and saw a great speaker, such as one from this reliable service.
Before you try the other methods on this list, it may be worth your time to check out your own network first. It can save you time and money, plus you can delegate the task of finding a convention speaker to others who owe you a favor.
6. Look at Online Databases
Everyone struggles with finding a convention speaker, which is why specific databases have been compiled! they serve the sole purpose of helping people like you find the perfect person to speak at for your convention.
Some examples include SpeakerHub and the National Speakers Association. You can even sort by the topic so you won’t have to waste time filtering through thousands of results.
The downside to using online databases is you usually have to pay a fee to access their information. However, since they may have multiple streamlining functionalities, you may find online databases to be a good investment. You’ll save a significant amount of time when you can find an optimal speaker in a short amount of time.
7. Read Publications
This tip can be especially useful for people from all sorts of industries. For example, if you’re in the scientific industry, you can find potential speakers by reading academic journals and noting the authors. On the other hand, if you’re in the fine arts niche, you can find amazing speakers by checking bestsellers lists.
To get a speaker who’s an expert in your field, you’ll want to read publications that are specific to your niche. By keeping up with things like news sites, you’ll be able to compile a list of speakers for not only this upcoming event, but also for future ones as well.
Get an Excellent Conference Speaker for Your Next Event
Having an excellent conference speaker can mean all the difference. If you get someone captivating, your audience will like what they have to say and they’ll trust in your company for whatever it is they need. So take the time to carefully source your conference speakers and it’ll all pay off in the end.
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