cred is uniquely positioned to touch almost all aspects of events, as we have two sides of our business: the speaker management team and the event management team. Our speaker management team works to build thought leaders by connecting clients to the right speaking opportunities, and the event management team specializes in creating impactful events of all sizes through thought leadership. We’re frequently able to learn from one another, and the speaker and events team can often collaborate on sourcing speakers.
With event season in full swing, we’re highlighting the speaker team and event team’s collaboration through Q&A. This will be a two-part feature, the first being the speaker team asking the events team hard hitting questions about how we decide which speakers to work with and best practices for content and preparation. You heard it right folks, this is the beginning of our crossover episode!
Q&A: Event Team Edition
What are the top three traits of a stellar session?
Relevant content: When forming a session, the most important thing to keep in mind is your audience. Content should be audience-centric, prioritizing the audience's interests, learnings, and needs, and speakers should aim to provide key takeaways that the audience can easily implement in their own organizations and teams. Start with the purpose of the event and why the audience is there, then tailor session content to fit those purposes.
Storyline: The session doesn’t have to start with once-upon-a-time, but it should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Speakers should think about their session as a story arch, with the title of the session acting as their thesis. Sessions should begin by introducing the problem, providing anecdotes, data, and points to back up their thesis, and conclude with a resolution and key takeaways.
Stage presence: Speakers can have great sessions filled with meaningful content, but no one will listen if presentation style is not engaging. Having an ability to connect with the audience and communicate clearly is essential when presenting your ideas. If you’re not excited about your content, no one else will be. Psst, our best tips for connecting with an in-person audience here!
What are red flags that would discourage you from inviting a speaker back to your stage?
Repetition: All events want to be unique and highlight fresh content that will provide attendees with new perspectives and tangible takeaways. Make sure your sessions are fresh and have not been presented previously at other conferences. We know this is more work, but it will be worth it in the end.
Promotional material: Attendees don’t want to hear a product pitch. If the session is focused too much on highlighting the speaker's product or service, over what they can tactically provide to the audience, the session will not perform. Attendees are smart. Make sure it is true thought-leadership, and the key takeaways don’t include using your product or service as a solution.
Professionalism: You never know where the decision maker is in the room. Both speakers and event organizers need to support and respect each other to ensure a session is successful. Be kind to everyone, and try not to let ego get in the way.
Guidelines: Make sure you adhere to them!
What are the top mistakes speakers typically make when preparing for an event and how can they avoid them in the future?
Not showing up: Speakers who back out consistently or at the last minute are always remembered. It is imperative that speakers show up when a commitment is made, and event teams will not want to work with speakers in the future when the wrong precedent is set.
Not being timely: It’s important that speakers adhere to deadlines and always get content submitted for review on time. Event teams have a lot of competing priorities in the weeks leading up to events, don’t make chasing down content one of them.
Not reading the speaker brief: Event teams try to set speakers up for success. Before asking questions, make sure you first check all materials that have been provided.
What are some event trends speakers should be cautious of in the year to come?
Be an expert: Know what you are talking about. Everyone wants to hop in on the current hot topic, but not everyone is equipped to do so. For example: everyone wants to talk about AI, but not everyone has the experience to back it up.
Lean into Q&A: Regardless of event size, people want the opportunity to get their questions answered. It is important to continue providing the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation and provide clarification when necessary, and being open to Q&A sessions goes a long way here!
Be flexible on format: It’s important for speakers to be amenable to exploring different formats so event organizers can continue offering a variety of content for attendees to engage with. At large conferences, this could include panels, large keynote stages, smaller workshop stages, and round-table discussions. People learn differently and making sure there is unique content for everyone to engage with goes a long way. Speakers understanding that a diverse range of programming, presenters, and formats will make an impact on the audience is key.
Stay tuned for part two in this Q&A series to hear from our speaker team!
This post was authored by Isabel Zarrow and Caitlin Harper.
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