Speakers: Loud, Clear and Available

Choosing the right speaker for an event, meeting or tradeshow is an important decision for any planner or organizer. Not only can a good or well-known speaker boost attendance, it also can help create a positive and memorable experience for attendees, helping to entertain, educate, motivate or inspire.

While choosing the right one is key, the task can be daunting. That's where a speakers bureau can be a show organizer's best friend, able to match the right speaker to the right event.

As one of the top tradeshow destinations in the country, it only makes sense that Las Vegas would be home to a variety of speakers bureaus able to accommodate the local, as well as the national, tradeshow and convention market. Though, for a show taking place in Las Vegas, using a local bureau has many benefits.

A local bureau can find the appropriate speaker to command an audience and save a company or association money, stress and hassle. As the local convention industry has grown, so have the number of professional speakers living in Las Vegas.

For anybody hoping to make a living as a professional speaker, moving to Las Vegas is a smart career move, said John Futrell, president of the Las Vegas Executive Speakers Bureau.

"Las Vegas has become the mecca of speakers," Futrell said. "It's a major booking destination. If they live here they can ideally get more business, and not have to travel as much."

While local speakers can take advantage of professional opportunities in and around the events industry, McCarran Intl. Airport also is a hub, allowing a speaker to fly anywhere to outside engagements. Still, many professional speakers would rather drive to the Strip for work rather than spend time on planes or hotels, Futrell said. Using Las Vegas as a secondary residence also has great tax advantages for the career speaker, he added.

Professional speaker Robin Jay agreed. As a local sales, networking and motivational speaker, author of "The Art of the Business Lunch" and president of the Las Vegas Convention Speakers Bureau, she said she believes that Las Vegas is a great home base for someone in her line of work.

"The reason more and more high-end speakers are choosing to move here is not only because there's a lot of work available in Las Vegas, but because it's a great hub," Jay said. "They can speak anywhere west of the Mississippi and travel won't be a big factor. (Still) it's more productive to be able to work in your own back yard."

Many speakers will often negotiate better rates for local work, said Bob Jacques, general manager of Advance Incentive Travel, a full-service incentive travel, meeting and event company. With many years of experience in hiring speakers and entertainment for corporate events, Jacques is a firm believer in the benefit of hiring local speakers for two basic reasons: peace of mind and cost savings.

"Whenever possible we try to use a local bureau," he added. "We like using local people because they're generally more involved and more invested, and there's the peace of mind that they're going to show up."

Futrell agreed that many professionals don't come cheap, and that their travel demands can be expensive. With a challenging economic climate causing many companies to tighten their belts, the financial savings of using a local bureau and speaker can be an incentive.

Greg Killingsworth, owner and president of Killingsworth Presentations, also agreed that going local is the best bet.

"If you can find (a speaker) based in Vegas, you've just saved yourself a ton of money," Killingsworth said. "Cost is a big thing when it comes to bringing (speakers) here and putting them up. You might save anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000."

Another benefit of using a Las Vegas bureau is avoiding other potential hassles of flying in a speaker from another city. By sourcing locally, a meeting planner can avoid the nightmare of a speaker missing an engagement due to canceled flights or unfavorable weather.

In those instances, a local bureau can save the day. Local speakers have the ability to fill in for last-minute engagements, and a Las Vegas bureau will have access to a wide range of back-up speakers, Jay said. If local talent doesn't fit the bill, a good West Coast speaker can be flown in at a moment's notice, she added.

A local speakers bureau also will have a better understanding of its city, according to Scott Washburn, executive vice president of Baskow & Associates. "There are more specialized speakers in the hotel, gaming and leisure industry here," he added. "They can talk about what makes Vegas Vegas."

Futrell added that a local bureau will not only be more familiar with its city, but also its talent.

"We know who the local speakers are, the great ones from the not so great ones," he said.