CAN I CONTACT A SPEAKER DIRECTLY INSTEAD OF CONTACTING THEIR AGENT OR A SPEAKERS BUREAU?

SPEAKERS BUREAU MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS REQUEST OUR SUPPORT AND WILL WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU FOUND THEM

You can contact a speaker directly, however, if the speakers are listed on a bureau website, they will ask how you heard about them or how you found them. We have strong relationships with speaker bureau members, and they will often have us step in to manage the logistics, negotiations and contracting. Although speakers get a lot of requests, we all work together to maintain speaking industry standards and to keep each other aligned with the needs and expectations of each organization regarding the budget and quality of the presentation. Contacting a speakers bureau agent as a first step limits the confusion of how and where you found the speaker and does not impact bureau/speaker relationships.

WHY CONTACT A SPEAKER BUREAU VS THE SPEAKER DIRECTLY?

So, you are aware of how a Canadian speakers bureau operates, speakers charge the same to you directly as they do when working with an agency. The reason they charge us the same is that we secure them gigs that they otherwise would not have gotten without being a member of our bureau, as we often advance multiple speaker options to events and advise organizations on their decision to help speed up their research and selection process. We also screen each speaker and their presentation ability/content and professionalism before admitting them to our bureau. We protect you at each stage of your planning and can offer you an unbiased opinion in selecting the speaker for the event.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF WORKING WITH A CANADIAN SPEAKERS BUREAU?

One major advantage of working with a speakers’ bureau like Speakers Canada is that we can usually find the perfect speaker for each audience at conferences and events. In developing a relationship with a speaker bureau, the host organization can access the knowledge of trending topics and strategic advice for popular speakers for Canadian audiences. We can also successfully negotiate speakers’ rates on behalf of each organization due to our long-term relationships with our speakers and by knowing how to approach each of our speakers to access a discounted rate for a lower fee.

IF I WORK WITH A SPEAKER DIRECTLY, CAN I EXPECT THE SAME IF I AM WORKING WITH A SPEAKER BUREAU?

We protect the client in the case of any cancellations by the host organization or the speaker. Each speaker has a unique way to set their contracts or negotiate their rates. Working with a speaker bureau will keep the speaker under our industry standard contracts and the terms and conditions agreed upon by Speakers Canada and the organization. If the speaker is not able to attend or for any circumstance that may arise from the clients’ end, that causes the event to be rescheduled, we hold the funds until we have found a resolution that will work for each party. We hold the funds between the speaker and the client so that both parties are protected throughout the whole event process until the speaker presents and there is a successful event.

DOES EVERY SPEAKER WORK WITH THE SAME CLIENTS AND HAVE THE SAME PROCESS?

No. Each speaker has major client types and organization of all sizes that they specialize in delivering presentations to. We know our speakers well and are able to position them with audience where they will thrive in delivering a powerful presentation. Each speaker also has a unique process in working with each organization. We help speakers meet and exceed industry standards for each of their speaking engagements. We work closely with multiple provincial and national organizations for their conferences and events giving us a unique perspective to offer speakers before they get to work. We are familiar with all processes before, during and after the event which guarantees that collaborating with us and the speaker will be a smooth and efficient experience. This allows you and your organizing team to be confident in the success of the speakers’ session and to be able to focus on other moving parts in planning, organizing, or delivering the event.

MY EVENT IS COMING UP QUICKLY…CAN I FIND A SPEKAER ON SHORT NOTICE?

If your event is coming up quickly, we can find out if a speaker is available asap since we are in close contact with our speakers. They will also be more open to work for us in a short time frame since there is a level of trust in working with Speakers Bureau Canada and the organizations we work with. The fastest we have secured a speaker for an event is 16 hours prior to the speakers presentation. We always advise to give us and the speaker as much time as we can before the event, but we know that it is not always possible and can work any situation in a short time frame.

CAN THE SPEAKERS BUREAU TALENT AGENT PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH A SPEAKER DIRECTLY?

We also can put you in touch with any speaker of interest or multiple speakers before you make your decision for a pre-event call or video call with your team. Connecting with a speaker at an early stage will often form your decision as you can discuss their presentations and your event details, while learning their approach to your event and audience. We find that a quick conversation usually helps organizers determine if the speaker is the right fit for your group. If you do select or shortlist one of our speakers, we will tie you into an email trend with the speaker of interest to help speed up communications. Please contact us regarding any decisions made so that we can put you in touch with the speaker directly asap.