Article - How To Get the Best Wellness Speaker for your Conference/Special Event:

Okay, good work. You know exactly the type of speaker you are looking for and how much you want to spend. Now let’s show you the best places to go for the speaker you want.

1.         You want ‘The Best’: Your Budget is $5,000 +

Okay, easy one. Go straight to a Speakers Bureau. See ‘Contacts’ below.

At this price, most wellness speakers get booked through a bureau anyway, so go straight there. You don’t pay anything for the service (they take a fee from the speaker) and you get the best possible speaker suggestions. As the top speakers are with all the leading bureaus, there is no promoting their ‘own’ speaker, so it’s unbiased.

Tips when using Bureau’s:

i)                    Ask to receive some ‘1 sheets’ (bureau talk) on 3, 4 or 5 speakers, not just 1 or 2. Then ‘you’ can choose, rather than just going on their suggestion.

ii)                  If you have questions/need help with your general event/conference 

                organisation etc, just ask them. They can be a great all-round resource.

2.         You want a Quality Speaker: Your Budget is $3000 - $5000

At this level, speaker’s bureaus are still a good (low hassle) option, but I think it can work really well to also try contacting some speakers direct – especially if you want extra value for your money. You see, it’s pretty competitive at this budget range, by contacting some speakers directly, they are more likely to add in some extras (books, videos, consultations, prizes, some follow-up, free e-zines etc etc) to give you much more pluck for your buck. They may still want you to book them through a bureau (which is fine), but you’ve got yourself some handy extras.

Where Else Do I Find $3,000 - $5,000 wellness speakers?

Good question. It’s a little tricky, but for this range I would start with Search Engines (more details at bottom). Search for whatever type of speaker(s) you are after – conference health speaker, wellbeing speaker, lifestyle speaker, female wellness speaker etc.

If a wellness speaker is listed high on a search engine or advertises, and when you go to their site, it is predominantly a wellness ‘speaker’ site (i.e. not a consultant or someone who just speaks ‘on the side’), then you can be pretty sure you’re dealing with a ‘professional’ speaker…and therefore in this fee range (or higher).

Some speakers list their fees on their site, most don’t. Contact the ones you like the sound of and ask not only what their fees are, but ALSO, what you get for that fee. There is no obligation and never any harm in asking.

The National Speakers Association (NSAA) can also be good. On their site (below), you can look up speakers under different states & topics. If they have an ASM, APS or CSP accreditation (CSP being the highest), they will be good quality speakers you can depend on.

3.               You would like a ‘quality’ wellness speaker but your Budget is Less than $3,000

* May apply if you are a non-profit, educational or ‘small’ business type group.

Step 1 – Don’t despair!! While, in Australia, professional speakers generally start at around the $3,000 mark, don’t think you have to go and ask the janitor to speak just yet. Understand that not all speakers are just about making money. There are some creative ways you can still get a top speaker.

Step 2: Get some creative strategies.

Strategy 1:

If you are involved with a charity, a community type group, some other ‘good cause’ group or even just a ‘small’ budget corporate group, I would still approach the top health speakers. i.e. as a special request. Obviously, if the speaker feels it is a worthy cause, or you can offer some other incentive (see below), some will do it to help out.

We personally have a set program, where we offer a Reduced Fee Talk for ‘special groups’ once a month. It can be great, because it’s often your type of groups that are the most rewarding to work with (& appreciative), and I know other professional health speakers that feel the same way. So again, just ask (put your case), if they say no, you’ve lost nothing.

Strategy 2 – Give Alternative Incentives:

This is where you want to target the health speakers that are good (their set fee is $3000+), but are not yet fully booked or booked regularly with bureaus.

* Unless you genuinely have a restricted/low budget, it’s better not to ask for a reduced fee, as it’s not fair (unless you are a ‘special case’), for speakers to give a talk at one price for one group and another price for another.

If you are genuine though, you basically find the wellness speaker(s) you most like (from Search engines, checking out their website etc) and offer them alternative incentives.

As these speakers are in the process of ‘building their businesses, offer them things that can help that and you’ll get a much better response.

Suggestions can include, offering to

1) Write them a (good) testimonial (if you genuinely like/value their talk).

2) Refer them on to others group you know - particularly larger/corporate groups you have contacts with etc.

3) Let them sell their products if they have them – books, tapes, coaching sessions etc.

4) Guarantee ‘multiple talks’ – i.e. with other divisions of your group, or book a talk every 3 months for a year etc. This way although the fee per talk is less, they benefit from guaranteed future talks.

5) Have their talk ‘professionally videotaped’ or have professional photos taken.

* This one can work really well. For professional speakers, having quality photos / a video of them presenting is ‘promotional gold’. However, many just don’t seem to get around to it, don’t have time etc.

By offering to do it for them, (it will only cost you a few hundred dollars and a bit of organisation time), and you could get a top speaker for peanuts.

* Note: I would advise NOT contacting bureaus at this level. There are in business to promote their paid speakers. It’s not really fair on them (or up to them) to consider special rate talks. It’s best to approach speakers directly at this level.

* JUST NEW (April 2006):

There is a new site which long-time Australian Industry Speaking leaders, Susie Christie and Ian Harvey have just been launched for Speakers Under $2000.

It’s at http://www.almostfamous.com.au

This is the only service I know of exclusively for speakers at this price. Check it out.

Contacts / Where to Look

Speakers Bureaus:

I won’t recommend individual bureaus. All are good and work much the same.

i)              Look in Yellow Pages under ‘Speakers’.

ii)            Search for ‘Speakers Bureaus’ in search engines.

* Most bureau websites are good places to visit as you can see a range of speakers in the topic you are after. Some even give a fee range for each speaker, allowing you to compare who you like with what fits your budget.

Search Engines:

Good for contacting individual health speakers. Be as ‘specific’ as possible.

E.g. ‘motivational’ keynote speaker not just keynote speaker, ‘brisbane’ sales speaker, ‘female’ keynote speaker if you want a female etc.

Professional Speaking Associations:

National Speaker’s Association:

This gives a good list of professional speakers, topic by topic. Also lists an

Accreditation level – ASM, APS, CSP – so you can see how

experienced a certain speaker is. See http://www.nationalspeakers.asn.au

Last Straw – You Still Can’t Find Someone Suitable?

If you’re still unable to find a suitable wellness speaker, I am happy for you to contact me. Simply let me know what type of speaker you are after, budget etc and if I can, I will be happy to give you some suggestions/recommendations based on wellness speakers I know / have seen etc.

If easier, send details via http://www.australiaspeakers.com.au

Good luck. I hope your event is a spectacular success.

Mark Bunn

* For any questions or speaker recommendations etc, feel free to contact Mark anytime.