How to secure key speakers

Finding speakers and key opinion leaders (KOL) can be a difficult task, and getting them to appear at your event means dealing with a number of factors. After tackling availability comes the travel arrangements, potential accommodation, ensuring they have access to the facilities they need and making sure they can meet the schedule, all with a deadline looming.

Talking with Meeting Design Institute President and CEO of ABBIT Maarten Vanneste at The Meeting Show seminar KOL Engagement with Multi-City Meetings, Vanneste discussed some solutions for managing key speakers around the world.

Understand the law
With no European standards for what should and shouldn’t be covered when accommodating a key speaker from another country, you need to research the laws of each country you operate in carefully. Different countries require different standards and levels of approval, the quickest and most efficient way to learn the laws abroad could be to outsource your organisation to a local team.

Embrace technology
Instead of bringing a speaker to the venue, or taking your clients to the speaker, there are a number of ways technology can reduce travel costs. Setting up video conferences can be good for 20-30 people, and can still allow for viewers to directly engage with speakers. Alternatively you can live-stream a conference in another country, or offer the talk on demand for your clients to view later. Simply viewing a video can greatly reduce viewer retention, but live streaming with the option of messaging in can prove particularly effective.

Don’t underestimate young people
Finding well respected leaders and fitting into their schedule can prove to be time-consuming and not very cost effective, but the youth may hold the key. Launching young speakers programmes, as well as scouting similar schemes could lead to discovering fresh talent with just as much enthusiasm as a more established name. While a known name can have pulling power, Vanneste warns that they can still end up disappointing or failing to engage with a room, and an up-and-coming speaker can offer a new perspective on the industry.

Go multi-hub
Introducing multi-hub meetings to your clients means bringing local talent to the closest audience to increase convenience and reducing costs. Having different speakers in different branches means individual speakers can engage with local audiences, while also streaming talks across the country or even internationally.

Hoping to encourage bigger, more engaged audiences and reduced hassle, Vanneste is promoting multi-hub meetings as a hybrid meetings format for the modern age, and you can learn more by clicking here