Women's Business Workshop Robin Walker

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How to be an Event Promoter’s Favorite Speaker

In March of 2017, I hosted the Women’s Business Lakeside Conference. I asked some of my favorite business experts to speak, and then opened up applications to fill the remaining spots. I was blessed with amazingly generous, knowledgeable, and professional speakers. They not only rocked the conference, they became friends.

After that event, women asked me how they can be chosen to speak at the event in 2018. I was planning new topics and new workshops, and honestly,  I did not even open speaker applications because I already had my favorite experts on the new topics in mind. When they all said yes, I didn’t need to search any further.

How do you become a promoter’s favorite speaker?

Here are some do’s and don’ts when you speak at your next conference.

 

Pre-event:

Appreciate the honor that it is to be asked to speak at an event. There are thousands of speakers and want-to-be speakers that would gladly step in to your place. They chose you. Be humbled and give them your best.
Respect deadlines. Answer emails in a timely fashion. Turn in contracts and paperwork on time. Life happens, we get busy. We have all been behind on a looming deadline. But deadlines are there for a reason, don’t let the timeline get held up because of you. Be clear with the promoter if you are having trouble getting info to them on time, or are waiting on a new headshot.
Engage with the community. Join the event facebook group and engage, offer value, and get to know the members. Build your know, like, and trust factor before the event even begins. When you arrive at the event, they will recognize you and it will make connecting and collaborating so much easier.
Say no to spam. Don’t spam the group or attendees before the event. Just offer your expertise so they will see you as an expert with value to offer. This includes unsolicited private messages.
 

Event Day!

Plan ahead. Don’t plan your presentation last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to practice, tweak, and perfect your speech. Have copies made and tech checked. And…life happens, so don’t wait until the night before. You owe it to the attendees to have a polished, value packed presentation.
Show up. Show up at the beginning of the event and stay as long as you can. Don’t sweep in just for your speech. Don’t show up 5 minutes beforehand and expect to be able to get your tech ready, set-up, and be ready to start on time. Use your time at the event to make new connections, take in the workshops, and learn something new.
Be approachable: While at the event, engage with attendees, sit with anyone, be approachable. Offer help and value when you can. This can be harder for introverts, but resist the urge to hide in your hotel room or only sit with your assistant. Take those selfies with the attendees, have some conversations, and then take a time-out to fuel up. Then head back in!
Be helpful. Help out the volunteers or promoter if you see something that needs fixing or is out of place. You directly benefit from a more successful event, and it is just a nice thing to do.
If you want to be blessed by this group of phenomenal speakers, sign up to be notified when tickets to the 2018 Lakeside Conference go on sale. Speaker announcements are happening August 31! Don’t miss it!
What are your tips to be a promoter’s favorite speaker? Post below!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzanne Brown says

    I would add to promote the event the day of and share what you might learn from other speakers. Find out the hashtag for the event, if you miss that information. And, if it’s recorded, promote your videos and others you found helpful or insightful (and share why).

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