How Two Experienced Meeting Planners Hire Speakers (ft. Debbie Lipsky & Jason Callori)

Mic Drop

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2y ago 42:19

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How Two Experienced Meeting Planners Hire Speakers (ft. Debbie Lipsky & Jason Callori)

Perspectives from two meeting planners who hire speakers daily

OPENING QUOTE:

“I think some people are a little more high maintenance than others. And, like, for the event, the conference I work on. It's a C-Suite client conference. Every single person in attendance, all our clients are our VIPs. As a speaker, you're coming in to present and provide education and thought leadership to them. So you're not supposed to be a VIP yourself.”

-Debbie Lipsky

GUEST BIO:

Debbie Lipsky has been running events and hiring speakers for over 20 years in her role at the financial services giant, SEI.

Jason Callori works for Cardinal Health, the 15th largest company in the United States with $162 billion in revenue. He's booked dozens of speakers and runs some of the largest and most elaborate conferences and events in the game.

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[7:51] - What Bookers Look for in Speakers

Straight from the source

What does Debbie want? Customization. In the world of TED talk videos available for free online, there’s no reason to book someone who’s giving the same talk at every event. She wants to receive a custom message, one that is tailored to that exact audience on that day.

As for Jason, he wants dynamism, magnetism, and stage presence. He calls it the ‘phone test.’ If he’s looking down at his phone within ten seconds of watching someone’s videos online, he knows they’re not the person for his event.

[11:04] - Bureau or No Bureau?

An answer to the classic question— what do bookers want?

Despite doing a lot of research on his own, Jason does work closely with speaker bureaus for the simple fact that it makes his life easier. Like Jason, Debbie pairs her own research with close bureau partnerships. Overall, 95% of her bookings come through bureaus.

[18:38] - New and Exciting or Tried and True

How do bookers decide which way to go?

Network matters. Proven success matters. But both Debbie and Jason assert that what it really comes down to is picking the right person, with the right message, for the right event. Sometimes that means going with someone who has a massive portfolio of previous talks, and sometimes it means going with a new upstart who doesn’t have many keynotes under their belt but who has otherwise demonstrated their value.

[27:57] - Setting the Volume Knob

Setting the right tone to attract attention

Do bookers want a rock concert-like atmosphere from their speaker, or a more substantive and information-driven approach? The simple answer: a happy medium. There needs to be a good takeaway and substance, but there also needs to be energy and fun along the way. Generally, that fun factor will need to be even higher when it comes to the opener and closer of a multi-day conference.

[32:11] - The Old Razzle Dazzle

Debbie and Jason reflect on what ‘wows’ them

If you ask Debbie and Jason, ‘dream’ speakers do the little things right. They have their slides locked in at least two days before the event. They take the time to know the business they’re speaking to— the audience’s roles and goals. They don’t just want to impress the higher ups, they want to create real impact for the employees themselves. If you want to get booked, nail all the little things.

RESOURCES:

[2:33] About SEI
[2:43] About Cardinal Health

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ABOUT MIC DROP:

Brought to you by eSpeakers, hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it’s starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers; sponsored by ImpactEleven.

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ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar.

Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.

Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza.

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com

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