Expertly Speaking: Speakers Bureaus Come of Age

By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 1/10/2005

Conference-goers expect more from their keynote conference presentations these days, and the speakers bureaus that supply meeting planners with talent are evolving to keep up with today's demands.

Like most jobs, the business of speaking has changed in the last few years. For starters, just as exhibitors want more return on the money they invest in their tradeshow booths, so do meeting planners expect more for the thousands of dollars they pay people to speak to their attendees.

"You don't want glitz, you want substance," said Anne Blouin, vice president of learning and community of the Center for Assn. Leadership. The center now handles the educational programs of the American Society of Assn. Executives, which has a reputation for landing the best keynote speakers of any meetings-industry association.

Blouin, who has had a hand in planning ASAE's conference content for about 20 years, said her group never really went for motivational-type speakers to begin with, but even its attendees have gotten pickier about content.

"People are spending a lot of time and dollars to attend meetings. They're looking for interesting information they can use," she said. "We want our general sessions to be compelling and thought-provoking."

Her view describes a larger trend.

Jim Montoya, executive vice president of the Intl. Assn. of Speakers Bureaus, said the growing demand for expertise has been a hot topic among the IASB's 102 members recently.

"How polished somebody is as a professional speaker is secondary," Montoya said. "(Meeting planners) want someone who is knowledgeable on a certain topic. That has created quite a challenge for our members."

Professional speakers, who make themselves known to speakers bureaus as a necessary part of self-promotion, abound in the bureaus' databases. But if a planner wants a specialist on, say, thermonuclear dynamics, to come speak at a meeting — that poses more of a problem.

When such requests first started coming in, Montoya said, many bureaus were left scratching their heads. But ongoing demand has made them more resourceful, and through the IASB they have developed a shared — and growing — network of academic, government and business contacts who can point them in the right direction.

Another challenge bureaus have reflects one also faced by their meeting planner clients: shorter lead times. Whereas bureaus used to get bookings six to 12 months before an engagement, Montoya said, in the last three years that advance notice has dwindled to one to three months.

These pressures have caused speakers bureaus to band together. Independent bureau owner Dottie Walters began the IASB (then the Intl. Group of Agencies and Bureaus), in 1986 — a time when, as Montoya put it, "the speaker bureau business was highly competitive, almost cutthroat."

Walters convinced major bureau owners to get together in Boston. They elected John Palmer, of the Natl. Speakers bureau in Libertyville, Ill., their first president.

Reluctant at first to share their star performers with other agents who stood to profit from them, speakers bureaus have evolved since that first meeting. Now, Montoya said, most understand they can grow as an industry sector by sharing ideas and supporting one another.

Evolving technologies have also propelled speakers bureaus into the 21st century. Holly Vosnos, vice president of Speak, one of the largest bureaus in the United States, said Web technologies like streaming video have enhanced the selection process for meeting planners.

"People can go directly to our Web site to do a speaker search, where they have an opportunity to watch speaker video clips," she explained. "They can also provide us with their criteria and we'll e-mail a customized proposal, which includes speaker photos, biographies and video links."

This is a far cry from the days when hard-copy proposals and expensive glossy photos had to be mailed back and forth between bureaus and planners. Next on the agenda, said 14-year industry veteran Vosnos, is to move speaker demos from bulky VHS tapes to the lighter DVD format.

Blouin, who works year-round with several speakers bureaus, considers them an indispensable part of the conference-planning process. For one thing, she said, it's impossible to get directly in touch with the personalities that bureaus have in their databases. Besides, planners would waste a lot of time doing the legwork it takes to track down the people that bureaus already have on file — not to mention the paperwork it takes to actually book them.

Many specialize: Some have athletes; others, members of certain industries. The massive Washington Speakers Bureau, for instance, is known for its access to politicians, news anchors and famous businesspeople.

Another factor that distinguishes speakers bureaus is their business model. Some, like Washington, have exclusive contracts with their speakers — meaning it's their obligation to book business for their speaker clients.

Others, like Speak, work with presenters that are signed up with many different companies. These consider the meeting planner their client.

Both types are effective; choosing the best one depends on the circumstances, Blouin said. In fact, she advised meeting planners to sketch out the framework of what they want a speaker to accomplish before they even approach a bureau.