Booking a professional keynote speaker can be a game-changer for your company event, seminar or nonprofit fundraiser. Whether hiring a virtual speaker or someone for an in-person address, top thought-leaders entertain, inspire and educate your audience.
More importantly, the best speakers leave lasting impressions that transform work cultures and amplify positive mindsets. They deliver results that reinvigorate legacy corporations while providing next-generation institutions with the tools needed to achieve the next levels of success. They provide expert guidance in areas such as:
- How to foster and close a sale
- Using more effective communications techniques
- Improving staff health and well-being
- Increasing brand awareness with the latest tools
- And much more
Yet the cost of booking a professional speaker must be weighed against your budget and measurable outcomes. Booking fees vary widely based on factors such as speaker expertise, experience and availability. Additionally, analyzing the cost-benefit of hiring a professional speaker can become complicated. In this article, we will look at the range of booking fees as well as the short- and long-term benefits you can expect from booking a qualified speaker.
How much does it cost to book a professional speaker?
The cost of booking a professional keynote speaker varies based on measurable, real-world factors. These include the speaker’s level of experience, expertise in a particular subject and their individual popularity. Other factors may include the length or type of presentation you desire, the location of your event or their current schedule.
Top booking agencies such as the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau offer only the most popular public speakers and coaches available. They include nationally and internationally recognized speakers, TED Talk speaking alums, bestselling authors and leading business moguls such as Daymond John and Grant Cardone.
While relatively new speaking talent may charge as little as $500, speaking fees for a celebrity speaker can be as high as $100,000 per engagement, if not more. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the long- and short-term corporate benefits of booking a professional speaker for your event.
What are the financial benefits of booking a keynote or guest speaker?
Fortune 100 companies such as Walmart, AT&T, American Express and Johnson & Johnson have hired some of the best motivational and business speakers available. Clearly, they see a long-term advantage. But unlike booking an entertainer, the benefit cannot be measured in dollars collected at the door. Rather, the benefits may arrive in forms such as increased productivity and reduced expenses.
Depending on your type of event, cost benefits of booking a professional speaker include:
Top leadership speakers are an investment in your company’s future.
Ideally, every person in your company can step up when needed as situations change due to promotion, absence, retirement or other factors. Using proven methods, leadership speakers build the confidence, mindset and communications skills required to cultivate your leaders of tomorrow.
Sales and business speakers provide a tangible return.
From developing leads to closing the sale, digital and in-person sales are the lifeblood of any successful enterprise. The best sales speakers such as Erin King and Justin Owens provide the tools necessary today to grow an aspirational brand, hold your prospect’s attention through critical phases and close the deal.
Motivational speakers increase employee engagement and performance.
Building a positive corporate culture means that much of your team is motivated, engaged and incentivized to stay with the company. Today’s top motivational speakers such as Mel Robbins and Jay Shetty provide your audiences with the tools needed to increase team buy-in and develop prosperous mindsets. Speakers with expertise in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion similarly help ensure every member of your team feels valued, creating a positive work culture and improving team productivity.
Healthy workplaces are happier… and more cost-effective.
“Total health benefit cost per employee reached $15,013 on average in 2022,” according to the 2022 “National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans” conducted by Mercer. Add to that the additional “$7.8 trillion in lost productivity” Gallup found disengaged employees cost employers worldwide in their “State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report.” Health and wellness speakers such as Shawn Stevenson and Mo Brossette provide expertise in movement and nutrition as a fundamental. But they don’t stop there. They also inspire individuals at every level of your organization to build better habits and mindsets while providing the tools needed to live healthier lives.
Professional keynote speakers help you make the most of your event.
Events themselves can be costly, but keynote speakers can help make them truly worthwhile. They play a unique service role by setting the tone of your conference, webinar or symposium from the outset, building interest and enthusiasm for the proceedings that will follow by engaging audiences in an entertaining way while introducing the major themes of your event. They are the kick-off from which all else follows.
Booking professional speakers provides positive impacts for your event itself.
As experienced storytellers, professional speakers deliver engaging, transformative addresses with a balance of takeaways and critical subject matter expertise. In fact, many top speakers will customize their message to fit your company’s unique needs and goals. Plus, top speakers raise interest in your event through name recognition, increasing attendance and networking opportunities for you and your guests.
Are there other cost and time benefits of booking a professional speaker?
Many professional speakers work through talent services, something which provides additional benefits, as top booking agencies make every step of the booking process quicker, easier and more cost-effective. There is no need to spend hours googling for the perfect speaker when you can choose from an extensive menu of the best speakers available.
Furthermore, agencies such as the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau provide speaker categories, bios, videos, testimonies and speaking topics for each speaker who interests you. We’ll even help you with a personalized analysis to meet your needs and your budget. All you need to do is contact us using a simple form—it’s really that easy!
Once you’ve chosen your speaker, we’ll handle the delicate communications, fee negotiation and even travel arrangements and other logistics. Learn more about the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau and how we can make your next webinar, conference or symposium the most impactful and cost-beneficial one yet.
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