May I book speakers with more than one speakers bureau?
You are free to work with as many speakers bureaus as you wish—unless you have signed a contract with a bureau stating that you will book all future speakers through them. Using multiple bureaus often leads to confusion and wasted time, however. Developing a close, on-going partnership with a world-class speakers bureau like BigSpeak is to your benefit because as we get to know your needs better. We are in a better position to provide you with flawless customer service and to recommend precisely the right speakers for your company’s events.

If a speaker has an exclusive contract with a given speakers bureau, must I book the speaker with that bureau?
Not necessarily. BigSpeak can book just about any speaker for you, even if the speaker has an exclusive relationship with another speakers bureau. Because we have extensive relationships throughout the industry, we can “co-broker” speakers with other bureaus at no expense to you.

Wouldn’t it cost less to hire the speaker directly, rather than going through a bureau?
No. Speakers promise bureaus that the fees we quote are the same as those they quote clients directly.

For what speaker expenses should I budget in addition to his or her fee?
You should budget for the speaker’s round-trip airfare, round-trip ground transportation, hotel accommodations, meals during the speaker’s travel days and presentation day(s), and technical requirements (e.g., lavalier microphones, LCD display, flip chart). The speaker’s class of travel (first-class, business-class, economy) should be stipulated in your contract with the bureau. You may also want to budget for the following: purchase of handouts, books, and other products from the speaker, (possible) surcharge for audio- and videotaping of the program, and (possible) surcharge for additional requests such as signing autographs and attending golf outings or receptions.

When planning a conference, isn’t the speaker’s fee a good place to keep costs low?
The cost of a professional speaker or entertainer—even those with the highest of fees—is only a small fraction of the total expense of putting on a conference but is likely to be the most important expenditure you make. The take-home value of a superb keynote speaker and the excitement generated by a top entertainer will have a far more longer-lasting effect than just about any other element of the conference, including your meeting site. Ironically, skimping on a speaker or corporate entertainment is, therefore, likely be a costly mistake.

Why should I use your speakers bureau?
Continue on and discover all the reasons to work with BigSpeak Speakers Bureau.