So you want to be an event speaker? A keynote speaker? A professional speaker, you say?
A great gig, incredible hourly rate, and no apparent barrier to entry. Perfect.
Yes, but…
First, you need an event to speak at, and the event needs an audience. Basic, I know, but bear with me.
Speaking at Toastmasters doesn’t count for this, although I’ve done a “guest Keynote speaker’ for London Toastmasters. Toastmaster events are a public speaking school.
Corporate events differ from Commercial events, but they may use speakers from one or more of the following categories, as well as mainstaging the CEO and other business or regional leaders.
Commercial Events have a business model based on paid bums on seats plus advertising. Large events like LEAP and SXSW have huge audiences and a range of speakers at their events.
As these commercial events become well-known and prestigious, their need for Main Stage Magnets reduces – speakers of every type want to be associated with the event.
Main Stage Magnets
At the top of the speaker pyramid are the Main Stage Magnets. These highly paid professional speakers enhance the event and persuade people to buy tickets. If enough people are present, sponsors become interested. It’s an ecosystem of co-dependent levers. Get the speakers, then you get bums on seats, then you get the sponsors. They are what WWF calls “the Talent”.
These people are the draw. They are accomplished, well-rehearsed, polished professional speakers with a personal brand – their appearance at the event is almost more important than what they say. In fact, half of their fee is for getting bums on seats, and the other half is for delivery.
Main Stage Magnets are usually famous A-listers with huge profiles, such as Guy Kawasaki, Steven Bartlett, Boris Johnson, and David Cameron.
They get first-class travel, limo service, tickets for their team and a beautiful pay cheque.
Semi-Professional Speakers
Then comes the next level of speakers – I call them semi-professional speakers because they get paid, to an extent. Some will only get flights, some will get flights and accommodation, and some will get a speaking fee. Some may earn very respectable fees of £5000 to £25000 – some will be delighted with £500. They generally have a day job, and speaking is jam on top.
These speakers are warm-up acts for the Main Stage Magnets or speakers on B stages that contribute to making the event ticket worth buying. They would be called supporting or opening acts at a concert, and at a sports event, they would be the curtain raisers.
These generally have a niche profile, such as broadcasters, journalists, former Olympians, and academics.
Profile and Career Builders
These speakers speak at events for free to practice and/or raise their profile, or to enhance their career. They might also be trying to sell books and courses. They speak for free and self-finance their accommodation and flights.
Brand Mouthpieces
These are speakers who get time on stage because their company sponsored the event. Their quality as a speaker is hugely variable. Their company has bought their slot on stage, included with their package of exhibition space – and it is their title and their company that puts them on stage, not their name or their speaking ability.
Some are enthusiastic and accomplished speakers with deep knowledge of their subject. At LEAP, the CEO of Zoom, Eric Yuan, spoke. For me, he might have been a Brand Mouthpiece, but he was also a magnet whom I wanted to hear speak. He was also very good and really owned the stage.
Some are sent to represent their company, and although they know what they are discussing, they are as dull as dry dust in a desert.
Then there are the outliers.
- Strategic Partner Speakers: At LEAP 2024, one of the speakers was Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the US President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies in the White House.
- The Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs): Where do they fit? Between Profile Builders and Semi-Pros, or running parallel. These are the deeply knowledgeable insiders – academics, specialists, or senior industry figures – who may not have a personal brand or PR presence but are booked for the depth of their insight. Sometimes they’re flown in, sometimes they’re volunteers.
- The Workshop Wizards. Where do they fit? Slightly off the main pyramid – often breakout room heroes rather than main stage. These speakers offer highly interactive, hands-on sessions or training. They might not draw a crowd with their name, but attendees love their sessions.
- The Insider Insiders. Where do they fit? Adjacent to the Brand Mouthpieces. Not external speakers, but senior internal stakeholders, founders, or leaders from the event’s host organisation. They’re often on stage as a formality or strategic visibility play.
- The Emerging Voices. Where do they fit? Below Profile Builders, or as a sub-category. Newcomers who win speaking slots through competitions, open calls, or to get team members engaged, or for diversity initiatives. They’re not yet hustling the speaking circuit – they’re just starting out and often have never spoken on a big stage before.
- The Moderators and MCs. Where do they fit? Alongside the pyramid, not on it. Often overlooked are the professional hosts and panel chairs – often journalists, or personalities who keep the show running. They aren’t “speaking” per se, but are always speaking.
