Frequently Asked Questions About Booking Speakers and Working with Speakers Bureaus What does a speakers bureau do? A speakers bureau maintains relationships with numerous speakers on a variety of topics, in a variety of fee ranges, providing meeting professionals access to thousands of speakers with just one contact. Speakers bureaus are constantly evaluating speakers -- including reviewing materials and checking references -- in order to be able to recommend the perfect speaker solutions for a planner's unique program objectives. Speakers bureaus are capable of offering expert advice to event planners and helping them through the speaker booking process. This begins with providing the necessary materials for reviewing speaker candidates and continues through to the issuing of contracts and invoices, to coordinating advance details of the speaker engagement, to evaluating the speaker's performance after the event. back to top How can I benefit from working with a speakers bureau? Speakers bureaus have been valuable partners to meeting professionals for more than 50 years, helping them secure the perfect speakers to achieve their unique program objectives and create successful meetings. A speakers bureau can provide you with expert information and suggestions about speakers who are appropriate for your event. Once your have selected and confirmed your speaker, the speakers bureau will manage all the advance details of the speaker's visit, allowing you to free up your schedule for handling other critical aspects of your meeting. In addition, you can rest easy knowing that you have an expert partner on your side in the rare occasion any emergencies arise. back to top Why should I choose The Speakers Group as my speakers bureau partner? There are many speakers bureaus available to support you in your event planning efforts, and you, the planner, always have the freedom to work with the bureau of your choice. The Speakers Group is neither the oldest nor the largest speakers bureau in the industry. As a matter of fact, we are one of the youngest and smallest. We consider both to be strengths, giving way to innovation, flexibility, and personalized service. We frequently call ourselves a "boutique" speakers bureau. What is most important for you to know is that we are consistent, dependable, knowledgeable and friendly in our service. We can help you secure virtually any of today's leading speakers, and you can trust us to stand by your side from speaker selection through the completion of your event. We'd be happy to share references with you, and we would be honored by the opportunity to introduce you to The Speakers Group's signature service. back to top Is The Speakers Group a member of the International Assocation of Speakers Bureaus? Yes, we are. IASB (formerly the International Group of Agencies and Bureaus) is the worldwide trade association of speaker agencies and bureaus. Like all IASB member bureaus, The Speakers Group subscribes to the IASB Code of Ethics and adheres to a high level of professional standards. By working with an IASB member speakers bureau such as The Speakers Group, you benefit from "one stop shopping" -- meaning you have easy access to speakers in any market through the networking power of IASB. An IASB member bureau is "The Meeting Professional's Partner." back to top Is there a fee for working with The Speakers Group? No, we earn a commission on bookings which is built into the speaker's fee. back to top This is my first time booking a speaker. Where do I begin? When booking a speaker for the first time, a trusted speakers bureau partner such as The Speakers Group can be your best friend . With thousands of speakers on the circuit, the selection process can be overwhelming if you go into it alone. We will listen to your program objectives, take your budget in mind, and help you secure the perfect speaker(s) for your program. And any questions you may have along the way, we will be happy to answer. We commit to providing you with friendly, knowledgeable, dependable service -- and a great speaker! -- so you walk away as the hero of your important event. back to top How much should I budget for my speaker? Speaker fees are set by the speakers and range from zero to more than $100,000. Speakers who speak for free are often technical industry experts who do not count speaking as their profession or speakers who are just launching their speaking careers -- neither are typically engaged through speakers bureaus. The majority of the speakers on The Speakers Group's roster have fees between $5,000 and $75,000, although we work with speakers above and below that range, as well. These appearance fees typically do not include expenses which may represent additional costs in the form of a flat travel fee or actual expenses such as airfare, hotel, ground transportation, and meals. We will inform you of each speaker's expense requirements when discussing options for your event. back to top Are speaker fees affected by the length of their presentation? Each speaker has a unique fee schedule, but in most cases, fees do increase based on the length of a speaker's presentation. For example, a speaker may have a base fee for a keynote presentation (typically up to 60 minutes), another fee for a half-day presentation (typically up to three hours), and another fee for a full day presentation (typically up to six hours). We can provide you with an exact fee schedule for your speaker(s) of interest. back to top Will my speaker attend additional functions at my event, such as a dinner or reception? We will propose your desired agenda for your speaker at the intial offer stage, and the speaker will inform us of whether he or she can accommodate all of your requests. In many cases, a speaker is able to participate in additional activities, but sometimes travel itineraries or other factors prevent a speaker from doing so. An additional fee may or may not be required. Again, it is important to outline your desired agenda on the initial offer sheet. back to top Are there any additional expenses I should budget for when booking a speaker? Each speaker is unique, but in most cases, you should budget for the speaker's appearance fee plus his or her airfare, hotel arrangements, ground transportation, meals and other necessary expenses. Some speakers do have an all-inclusive fee. Others have a flat travel fee. As we are discussing speaker candidates for your event, we will inform you of each speaker's expense requirements so you can budget accordingly. back to top Does The Speakers Group represent celebrity speakers? Yes, The Speakers Group represents speakers of varying degrees of notoriety, including "celebrity" speakers. These may include best-selling authors, popular media personalities, world leaders, Hollywood actors and actresses, and others. Through our network of contacts with other agencies, we can help you book virtually any speaker of interest. back to top Can The Speakers Group help me secure speakers not listed on this site? Yes. With more than five thousand professional speakers on the circuit today and new personalities coming into prominence every day, it is impossible for us to include every possible option on our web site. We have selected some of the most popular keynote and motivational speakers to feature on our online roster, but we are able to book virtually any speaker of interest to you. Please call us or email if you have a particular speaker in mind who does not appear on our site and we can provide you with the necessary information. Even in the rare instances when we cannot book a particular speaker, we can direct you to the appropriate contact. back to top Can The Speakers Group help me with unique speaker needs? Absolutely. Every speaker proposal from The Speakers Group is customized to a client's unique event objectives and desired speaker profile. Even in the event we do not have your ideal speaker match in our files, we are equipped to research and engage our vast network of contacts to find the best candidates for your program. Or if you have particular speakers in mind who are not currently on our roster, we are still able to provide you with the necessary information about those speakers. Whatever your speaker needs, The Speakers Group is prepared to help. In the rare event we cannot secure the appropriate speaker for you, we will gladly direct you to the appropriate sources to continue your search. back to top The speaker I am interested in is exclusive with another speakers bureau. Do I need to work with that speaker's exclusive agency? Except in rare cases, you can work with your speakers bureau of choice to book any speaker for your event. If you have a speaker in mind who is exclusive with another bureau, or if your content consultant at The Speakers Group determines that another firm's exclusive speaker is the perfect speaker for your meeting objectives, we can partner with the exclusive agency to deliver the speaker for you with no additional fee and the same quality service. The process is similar to the way a buyer's agent and seller's agent work together on a real estate transaction. This leaves you, the meeting planner, in complete control of choosing your bureau partner. back to top What is the process for booking a speaker through The Speakers Group? Once you contact us via phone or email, we will conduct an initial consultation to learn about your unique meeting objectives, budget and desired speaker profile. We will then prepare a customized speaker proposal for your consideration and provide the necessary materials for you to evaluate the recommended speaker candidates. Once we have agreed on the best match for your event, we will begin a three-step booking process: (1) We will e-mail the Offer Sheet to you to verify your event itinerary and other relevant details. Once you fax back this signed form, we have permission to present the firm offer to the speaker. (2) We will submit the Firm Offer to the speaker for his or her consideration. The speaker will inform us if he/she has any questions or concerns, or if he/she is unable to accept for any reason. If the speaker does accept (most speakers do), he/she will fax the signed Firm Offer back to us. (3) We will issue the official contract to you along with the invoices for payment. Our attention will then turn toward arranging all the logistics of your speaker's visit. back to top Can I preview The Speakers Group's speakers before making my selection? Absolutely! We have a growing library of speaker preview videos available online, and in other cases, we can send you a demo DVD. There are rare circumstances where a speaker does not have any preview video footage available. In those cases, you may be able to see a speaker's presention in person if he/she is appearing in your area. Otherwise, we can provide you with references and other information in lieu of a video to help you in the decision-making process. We want you to feel absolutely confident in your selection. back to top May I speak to a speaker of interest before contracting that speaker? In most cases, yes, and we encourage it. Once you have a short list of one to three speakers of interest for your event, we will gladly arrange for a brief conference call between you and/or your committee and those candidates so you can discuss your specific program objectives, express any concerns, and ask any questions that will help you make your final decision. These conversations are excellent evaluation tools and will usually leave you absolutely confident that a speaker is, or is not, the perfect choice for your program agenda. back to top What happens once I have my speaker under contract? Once your speaker is under contract, our team will work with you to arrange all the logistics of the speaker's visit to your event. This begins with an online questionnaire to gather additional details about your venue, audience, meeting objectives, etc. to share with your speaker. After the completion of this questionnaire, we will coordinate the booking of airfare, hotel arrangements, ground transportation and other details between you and the speaker's office. Each step of the way, from confirmation of your speaker to the day of your event, we will be available to answer any questions you may have and keep things moving smoothly forward. back to top Will I be responsible for making my speaker's travel arrangements? In most cases, you will be asked to secure hotel accommodations for your speaker, and occasionally ground transportation. Airfare and any additional arrangements are typically made by The Speakers Group or by the speaker's personal office. Rest assured, our team will work with you to coordinate all logistics of your speaker's visit in the most convenient and efficient manner possible. back to top What happens if my speaker is delayed or is forced to cancel his/her appearance? We know that one of the greatest concerns of a meeting planner is that his or her speaker will not show. There are rare occasions where a speaker is forced to cancel due to overriding professional obligations (when a media personality is called on to report on a major news story, for example), travel delays, illness or other unavoidable circumstances. These instances are extremely rare. Nonetheless, we must be prepared for them, and we are. In the event of a cancellation, you have the option of receiving a full refund of the speaker's fee, or we will work with you to secure a comparable replacement speaker so your event can go on as planned. back to top Is it acceptable to record the speaker's presentation? Most speakers do allow audio or video recording of their presentation, but prior permission is required. If you wish to record your speaker's presentation at your event, let us know and we will guide you through the approval process. back to top Will The Speakers Group help me secure copies of my speaker's books for my event? The Speakers Group is not directly involved in book sales for our speakers, but we can guide you to the best source of your speaker's books based on the needs for your event. In some cases, it is best to order books directly from a speaker's publisher. In others, it is best to partner with a local bookseller. And in others, it is best to order through an online seller such as Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. We can help you determine which solution is best for you. back to top May I communicate directly with the speaker prior to my event? We will help facilitate the most convenient, efficient and effective means of communication between you and your speaker leading up to your event. In some cases, it is necessary for all communication to be routed through The Speakers Group. In many cases, though, it is possible and recommended that you communicate directly with your contracted speaker. back to top
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