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About Us
We Manage Speaking Enquiries
Organisations want speakers, moderators, hosts, panellists and workshop leaders for their internal and client events, executive retreats, conferences and internal programmes.
To find the right people, they come to us.
They value our expertise, experience and integrity to match their needs with the speakers and presenters that we represent, knowing that we will only recommend those speakers who most closely match their requirements.
Our Clients
Our clients include the world’s leading corporations, major event planning and event management companies, banks and private equity organisations, healthcare institutions, world-famous universities and associations.
For more than twenty years, we have worked hard to earn their trust and their loyalty and are proud to be associated with them.
We Represent Speakers
In addition to requests for recommendations, we also receive enquiries for the speakers we present on our website.
However, for some speakers we handle all of their enquiries including the ones they receive directly. They recognise that we can manage their enquiries more productively, giving them more time to focus on building their thought leadership, authority and expertise.
They rely on us to handle each enquiry from the time it comes in right up to the point where contracts are signed and payments are made.
Why Work With Us?
We represent and promote the interests of professional speakers like you.
If you have experiences to share and value to offer organisations and business audiences, find out more about how to register as one of our speakers in the next section.
Benefits Of Working With Bureaus
Two reasons why registering with speaker bureaus makes sense:
You can access 'bureau-only' enquiries
Many larger organisations prefer to work through bureaus, preferring the extra layer of protection and reliability that doing so gives them. If you are not available to book through a speakers agency, these engagements are simply not available to you.
You can bypass 'preferred supplier lists'
Some corporations operate preferred supplier lists and will not do business with companies or individuals who don’t make the grade.
The process to be included on these lists is often difficult and laborious; requirements can include minimum levels of public and private liability insurance, turnover and financial details, quality assurance certification such as ISO 9001 and many others.
Many speakers cannot fulfil these requirements but, as an agency we can. When you work through us, we are able to put you forward for these types of engagements.
Speaker Registration
All the speakers we represent have achieved success in their fields.
They may have overcome immense difficulties and formidable challenges, led successful teams in fields as diverse as business, sports and exploration or have innovated, inspired, catalysed change and ushered in new eras.
Often they are leading experts in their field, considered as authoritative voices and thought leaders and regarded as key people of influence.
Whatever their background, without exception, they mesmerise and captivate audiences. They share insights, knowledge and experience. And they elevate thinking, change behaviour and transform entire organisations.
If this is you and you have a message and experiences to share, use the button below to register with us today. Or read about exclusive representation in the next section.
Common Questions
Here are the most common questions we receive about speaker registration.
Do I need to pay to register?
We do not charge speakers to register with us or to be on our roster.
How do I register?
You can register with us using the button in this section and completing the registration form that appears.
This will take approximately 15 minutes. If you don’t have time now, we recommend you bookmark this page and return later.
What happens after I register?
Once you have completed your registration, we will review your details. Please note: we receive many registrations every week and it is not always possible to respond in full. We also cannot always respond to questions regarding your registration.
If we feel we can successfully represent you, one of our senior agents will contact you to arrange a phone call. The purpose for the call is to explore how we will work together.
If, at the end of that call, you and your agent agree to work together, your details will be stored on our speaker database. We currently maintain details on nearly 4,000 speakers worldwide. We often draw from this when selecting speakers for our client enquiries.
Your agent will also discuss adding your profile to our website. This is a great opportunity to get in front of our visitors. At the time of writing, we receive more than 77,000 unique visitors to our website each year. Many of these visit to find speakers to book for events. If you and your agent agree that this is appropriate, a member of our website team will get in touch with you to collect all the information required to do this.
How do enquiries work?
Every day we receive requests via our website. Some organisations ask for specific speakers while others ask for our help in selecting the right speakers for their events.
In both cases, we confirm availability and fees and provide the client with detailed speaker biographies along with any other relevant details.
When we are asked to recommend speakers, our existing roster of registered speakers is our first port of call. If you are one of the speakers we recommend for an engagement, we will let you know and confirm that you are interested and available to speak. If the client wishes to proceed further, this may involve a pre-booking conference call.
Once we receive a firm invitation from the client for you to speak, we send our contract to the client. Once they have signed this to confirm the booking, we send you a separate contract between you or your company and Speakers Associates. This intermediary arrangement protects all parties and ensures that everything runs smoothly.
What about fees and expenses?
There are several models for handling speaking fees currently used by speaker bureaux.
Most commonly, we add our commission onto your fee, although we will discuss this with you prior to your first booking. Alternatively, some speakers prefer that agencies quote a standard fee for them and instead offer a percentage of that fee as commission. We are happy to comply with these arrangements as required.
Travel, accommodation and expenses are usually in addition to the speaking fees we quote clients, unless otherwise specified. You cover your own expenses and invoice us separately for these post-engagement.
Finally, in most cases, either you or the client will make the necessary arrangements for flights, accommodation and transport. If you wish us to handle this for you, we charge a small administration fee. Simply let your agent know and we will take care of it.
I am already registered. How do I update my profile?
If your profile is already on our website and you want to send us an updated bio or make alterations to your profile, please send an email to updates@speakersassociates.com.
Your updates will be sent to our profiles team and your agent will be in touch to acknowledge receipt and to let you know when the changes have been made.
Exclusive Representation
We offer exclusive representation to speakers with the potential and the desire to grow their speaking business.
What does exclusivity mean?
Exclusivity means that you work with one speaker bureau. That bureau handles all of your speaking enquiries and engagements on your behalf. Your bureau will also liaise with other bureaus around the world. This ensures that you receive the coverage that you need across multiple agency websites without having to deal with multiple agencies.
There are a number of benefits of working exclusively with one bureau. These are described in this section. In addition to these, your exclusive agency will proactively recommend you for incoming enquiries that they receive.
Is exclusivity for you?
Every successful speaker understands that building a thriving speaking business is a team effort. This is why exclusivity works best for speakers who want to focus their attention on growing their personal brand and the authority of their thought leadership.
When you choose to work exclusively with us, you get your own dedicated agent and a range of support services to help you achieve your speaking goals. You will also be joining one of the most prestigious groups of professional speakers including some of the world’s most prominent economists, academics, politicians, futurists, thought leaders and renowned authors and scholars.
Enquire about exclusivity now or explore the unique benefits of working exclusively with us in the following sections.
General Exclusivity Benefits
These are the general benefits of registering exclusively with a speaker bureau.
Appeal to professional event organisers
Many event planners like the benefits associated with hiring a speaker who works exclusively with one bureau. They know that the bureau has immediate access to the speaker and that enquiries and logistics are often dealt with swiftly.
They also know that the bureau’s agents are likely to have seen you in action and can give an honest appraisal of your capabilities and skills, or can suggest an alternative if you are not available.
We handle fee negotiations on your behalf
Negotiating your own fees can be difficult. Many speakers who approach us for exclusivity are looking for help in this area.
We have more than 30 years of experience in the speaking industry and, over that time, have negotiated hundreds of successful speaker contracts. Often we are able to procure higher fees than our exclusive speakers could achieve on their own.
Additionally, we have become a trusted partner to many major organisations. They are happy to share their speaker budgets with us because they know and trust us to recommend the right speakers and obtain the best deal for all parties involved.
We ensure you get paid more quickly
Cashflow is important to you. You want to be paid promptly and on time and yet many organisations that hire speakers have payment terms of 30 days or longer.
When we organise an engagement for you, your contract is with us and we pay you within 72 hours of satisfactorily completing that engagement.
You don't need to deal with complex contracts and legalities
We deal with all the legalities including your speaking contract for each engagement and the contract with the client. Not only does this protect you, it ensures consistency and that all parties are aware of their obligations and commitments.
Other Ways We Represent You
Beyond The Keynote
Traditional consultancy, delivered by people who have only limited hands-on experience at the highest levels is no longer sufficient. And we believe more and more organisations will start to seek expert advice and assistance from people who have been there and done it.
They want input from practitioners and experts who have the extensive experience and insights needed to face today’s challenges.
We help many organisations with requests not only for coaches, mentors and workshops but also for entire organisational development programmes spanning several months and requiring the involvement of several practitioners.
If you believe that you have something to offer and would like us to represent your insight and expertise to our clients, submit your application below.
Please Note
To apply to be listed under the Professional Coaching service or the Workshops and Programmes service, you must already be registered as a speaker and be on our roster.
Fees
Because of the complex nature of some of the organisational development programmes we are asked to create, we will agree our commission with you on a case-by-case basis. As always, our objective is to ensure the best deal for all parties involved.
