Booking a keynote speaker for your event should be a smooth, stress-free experience. At Key Speakers, we’ve streamlined the speaker booking process to help event planners, corporations, schools, and organizations find the right fit for any occasion. From motivational keynotes, sales kickoffs, a leadership seminar, or a commencement address; here’s a step-by-step guide on what to expect when you book a speaker with us:

Six steps for booking with Key Speakers

Step 1. Understanding Your Goals
You’ll be matched with a dedicated Account Advisor who will get to know your event through a quick call or email exchange. During this discovery phase, we’ll ask about your event goals, audience demographics, budget, preferred speaking topics, and what kind of impact you’re hoping to make. This helps us align you with the ideal keynote speaker who fits your vision.

Step 2. Brainstorming & Proposal
We’ll provide a personalized list of hand-selected speakers, typically 3 to 10 options that are tailored to your criteria. Each speaker profile includes detailed bios, presentation topics, videos, and links to any published books, if applicable. If you’re looking for a motivational speaker, a celebrity speaker, a thought leader, or a diversity and inclusion speaker, we’ll help you find the right match. Here’s an example of what one of our interactive proposals looks like: Inspiring Business Women

Step 3. Identify a Shortlist
After reviewing the recommendations, we’ll help you narrow it down to your top picks. We’ll then confirm the speaker’s honorarium and check availability for your preferred event date. If the speaker is available, we’ll hold the date provisionally while we move toward a formal offer.

Step 4. Submitting a Speaking Invitation
To move forward, you’ll complete a short Speaker Offer Form (just two pages), which allows us to submit an official invitation to your chosen speaker. Response times vary depending on the speaker, but we’ll always keep you informed and manage expectations throughout the process.

5. Contracting
If the speaker accepts your offer, we’ll create a custom contract with your event details and industry-standard terms and conditions. A 50% deposit is typically required upon signing, with the remainder due 30 days before the event. We handle the paperwork so you can focus on planning.

6. Planning and Logistics
After the contract is signed, your dedicated Logistics Coordinator at Key Speakers will take over, managing all communication with the speaker regarding travel, presentation needs, and run-of-show details. We’ll also schedule a pre-event planning call between you and the speaker to align on content, event objectives, and technical requirements.

Event Day!
Everything is ready, and you can focus on hosting an unforgettable event. Your chosen speaker will deliver a high-impact, customized keynote presentation that engages your audience and supports your event’s goals.

A Few Additional Notes

  • Most speakers deliver a 60-minute keynote or a moderated Q&A.
  • Travel is typically covered by the event host and can be structured as a flat travel buyout in order to avoid expense reimbursements if needed.
  • Some speakers have limitations around media or recording, make sure to include this request in your firm offer submission if you’d like the speaker to consider this.
  • To ensure speaker availability and smoother planning, we recommend booking speakers 3–6 months in advance. But we’re also able to help you pull things together in less than a week, just expect fewer options closer to your event date.