Is there such a thing as too many keynote speakers? Maybe so! But, sometimes, to deal with a tricky crowd, you need a variety of speakers that can engage the group. However, you must ensure that you keep the crowd interested. You don't want to change your speaker when he or she is getting interesting, and then the next speaker has to do their dirty work.
And while you're in the middle of changing keynote speakers, the event ends up losing its purpose. Thus, before you shortlist your keynote speakers, make sure you consider a perfect blend of quality and quantity for the successful completion of your event. Ideally, you should map out the whole event. Decide what type of content, inspiration, and humor you will need at different slots during the day. Do you want a funny opening keynote speaker or do you want to save this to close the event?
Before you create a keynote speaker shortlist, you need to know the number and type of keynote speakers you need to hire. Decide this based on your budget and the event timeline.
Funny or Serious Speakers – How Many of Each Kind?
A shortlist of keynote speakers is based on the demands of your audience. Carefully consider the type of keynote speaker you need at each point in the conference. You can't afford to be careless when your audience is a room full of CEOs. However, that doesn't mean you cannot add humor to your session. Many audience members will demand the event to be inspirational. People come to events to be inspired, informed, and to laugh. You need to balance the agenda.
Nonetheless, you have to match that perfect funny-serious ratio to keep the audience in their seats. So, to achieve that excellent ratio, it's best if you shortlist two serious candidates, and a couple of inspirational or funny motivational speakers to keep the audience entertained. Also, remember to schedule keynote speakers smartly, i.e., make a sandwich of two serious speakers with the funny one in the middle.
Don't Forget to Invite Notable Individuals to the Party.
Some notable distractions to your agenda can do wonders as well. Put, if you want your session to leave an impression on the minds of the attendees, you need to invite notable people there.
From celebrities and industrial experts to funny keynote speakers, you have a plethora of people from which you can invite. However, it would help if you kept in mind that most celebrity motivational speakers come at a hefty price tag. So, you have to keep in mind the budget of your event and be smart about it.
Booking a Last-Minute Keynote Speaker
It's better to be safe than sorry! Keynote speakers are only human and may have to cancel due to different reasons( like travel or sickness). However, you cannot cancel out the event in which you spend weeks, maybe months to organize.
So, you have to be swift in your actions and alert a last-minute keynote speaker to attend your session. For your convenience, many speakers provide services on a last-minute basis. Still, that speaker would never be able to discuss the core concept behind the topic of discussion in such short notice. Make sure you shortlist a keynote speaker that can present two keynotes if another speaker can't show up.
So, now you have a pretty good idea of how to shortlist keynote speakers
Base your list on what kind of keynote speakers you require and how many your event must-have. Although budget and the nature of the event is a huge factor, the quality and quantity of your keynote speakers could impact your event exponentially.
