As those who have been in their presence can confirm, celebrities feel different. They have a certain aura that attracts and compels our attention, and studies have shown that people trust and respect the rich and famous due to a combination of psychological and social processes that factor in the human need to look up to a familiar and powerful figure. Unsurprisingly, this makes many celebrities sought after guests, moderators and presenters at events, with organizations capitalizing on their charisma, reputation, and level of impact to create elevated experiences and dial down on audience takeaways.

If you have an upcoming event and have been asked to find a show-stopping headliner, our bureau is well-equipped to assist. We’ve had the honor of working with all-star athletes like Magic Jonhson and Grammy award-winning composer Imogen Heap, helping our clients craft once in a lifetime events around the world. While our team of advisors are always happy to assist with inquiries, we’d like to get out in front of the process and candidly discuss one of the most pertinent questions many event planners have when it comes to coordinating with famous talent: cost.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, we must stress that it’s important to be realistic about expectations. Much like brand name products at the grocery store cost more than generic, with a famous speaker, you’re paying for their name and reputation as well as their insights.. We also recommend that you create a shortlist of potential presenters rather than setting your heart on an individual, keeping in mind that price is only one factor when it comes to booking a busy celebrity, to prevent disappointment when the chairman’s personal hero may not be available for the requested date or budget.

We field plenty of inquiries from groups hoping to book a household name on shoestring budgets, and while  it’s true that some celebrities have fees that are surprisingly affordable, starting around the $50K mark, others command ranges that will give even the most experienced event planners sticker shock. It’s fair to say that for an iconic speaker such as Shark Tank’s financial expert Kevin O’Leary or legendary baseball star and businessman A-Rod, you will need to plan for an outlay in the low six-figure range for a standard presentation, while also planning to cover travel, accommodations, and other on-site needs.

Other big names we have worked with are seriously hard to come by for most audiences, with fees exceeding the $1 million mark for their time. These folks are an exception to the rule, however, and represent the absolute ceiling for people on our roster. For the most part, a good rule of thumb for a celebrity speaker with “Please Inquire” listed on their page is to plan to budget between $50K to 150K for their speaking fee. There are exceptions on both ends of the pricing range, but budgeting this amount for your celebrity speaker will offer a good number of options in various industries

Some well-known speakers have certain expectations around travel arrangements, and may require that members of their team or security personal travel with them. The cost for this may be included within their fee for a keynote, or may be an additional fee on top of this that may range up to an additional $5-10K. In some cases, cost can be reduced when holding events in major cities that are likely to have a good number of local celebrities, such as New York or Los Angeles. Famous speakers, including real estate mogul and Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran often offer discounts or reduced fees for hometown events, and a conference on their doorstep will not require spending on a plane ticket or hotel room.

Another economical option is booking a celebrity speaker for a virtual engagement, erasing the need to budget for travel and accommodation entirely. Fees for virtual events typically run to between 25-50% less than a speaker’s in-person fees, with the tradeoff being that even the most engaging speaker cannot hold an audience’s attention for as long virtually as they can in-person.

Given the high serious money required to book a famous speaker, is it worth it? As with any other event-planning consideration, it depends. If you are planning on selling tickets to your event, it makes more sense to bring in a presenter who can actively drive interest and attract attendees. Likewise, for an audience of corporate workers that have been in the industry a while and have seen their fair share of keynotes, sometimes only the star power of a celebrity can guarantee their continued engagement and increase their likelihood of remembering important takeaways.

TL;DR for those in a hurry: so how much will it cost to bring a celebrity speaker to your next event? For certain Olympic athletes, TV hosts, and entertainers likely to be known to a decent portion of your team, you will certainly be able to find options for presenters and moderators starting around $40K. Going up a level to household name recognition, generally plan for a budget between $50K-150K. Moonshot speakers like current film stars, touring musicians and tech moguls can put you out up to seven figures.

Budget approved and ducks in a row? Reach out to us at info@bigspeak.com to inquire about booking a celebrity headliner to make your conference unforgettable.