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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
Quick answer: To choose a keynote speaker, start with a broad list of industry leaders, crowdsource suggestions from your planning committee, define the takeaways you want attendees to leave with, match candidates to what your audience expects, narrow the list by budget, then rank your top choices and reach out in priority order.
Planning an event is like building a house. You start with the major details - the date, the location, and the purpose - then work your way into smaller and smaller decisions once the larger structure is set. One of the big decisions that takes the most work to sort out is your keynote speaker.
Your keynote speaker will be one of the cornerstones of your event, whether it’s an in-person, hybrid, or virtual event. So how do you find the perfect fit for your conference, meeting, or convention? We’ve broken it down into six clear steps.
It helps to take a top-down approach. Start with a very broad list of industry leaders, thought leaders, and people with unique angles or experiences relevant to your event. Treat this as a brainstorming session and aim for at least 15-20 names - you’ll gradually narrow the list in the steps that follow.
Once you have your initial list of names, ask others on your planning committee for their ideas too. Chances are they can think of a few great speakers who slipped your mind. As you go, take note of any names that several colleagues mention - those should move toward the top of your list.
While you’re asking around, also check whether any colleagues know or have a connection to an industry leader. Those names deserve priority too, because a warm introduction makes the logistics much easier.
Think about the “big picture” of your event. What is the ultimate takeaway you want attendees to gather? What do you want them to be thinking and feeling when they leave? If it’s a self-development conference, the top takeaway may be that great success starts with small steps. If it’s a neurology conference, you might want attendees excited about a particular frontier of neurology.
Your keynote speaker plays a major role in getting that message through - they’re the headliner of your event. Once you’ve defined the target takeaways, look through your list and highlight the speakers who would be most effective at delivering that message.
Why are your attendees coming to your event, and what do they expect to get out of it? Are they looking for motivation, or for empirical data and practical knowledge they can put to use?
Both are valuable goals, but they’re very different, and attendees who expect practical knowledge won’t be happy if the keynote offers less tangible information than they hoped for. Think about your audience’s goals and highlight the speakers on your list who could best meet them.
The budget is rarely the fun part of planning an event, but it’s a critical way to narrow your list of potential keynote speakers. Speakers can range from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 or more, so your budget determines how big a name you can bring in.
Remember that your keynote budget also needs to cover any travel and accommodation costs the speaker may incur. With $10,000, you could hire someone local whose speaking fee is around $10,000, or someone from overseas whose fee is $5,000 - because flights, lodging, and other expenses could take up the remaining $5,000.
You may not know specific fees for each candidate yet, but you can anticipate that high-profile celebrities and public figures will cost $50,000 or more, which gives you a general idea of who is and isn’t in your price range.
By this point you’ve made a long list and narrowed it little by little based on each speaker’s messaging, the value they offer, and their anticipated fees and expenses. Now pick out your top choices in order of priority and build a wish list: your #1 choice, your #2 choice, and so on.
Finally, it’s time to start getting in touch. Beginning with your top choice, contact each speaker to ask about their fees and availability, and be upfront with the details - the event location and format, the length of the speech, and so on. If your top choice doesn’t turn out to be the right fit, move to the next person on your wish list.
A keynote speaker delivers the headline talk that sets the tone for your event and carries its central message. They’re usually the biggest draw on the agenda, so the right choice shapes both attendance and what people take away.
Speaking fees range from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 or more, and high-profile celebrities and public figures typically cost $50,000 and up. Budget for travel and accommodation on top of the fee itself.
Filter it in stages: keep the names that can best deliver the takeaway you want, then those that match what your audience expects, then those within your budget. Rank whoever is left into a wish list and reach out in priority order.
Yes. At a hybrid or virtual event, your keynote can present from anywhere, which removes travel costs and widens the pool of speakers you can afford. A platform like Canapii - which has powered 2,000+ events across 45+ countries - streams a remote keynote to on-site and online audiences alike.
Your keynote speaker is one of the most foundational elements of your event - and so is the platform that hosts its digital side. Get a demo to see how Canapii handles the technology, so you can focus on booking the perfect keynote.