There are plenty of occasions where a celebrity keynote speaker can make a huge impact at an event. At charity fundraisers they can help raise extra money, at university graduations they may be able to inspire graduates to reach their potential, while at a company’s Christmas Ball they may simply tell some jokes to help keep morale high amongst staff.
Celebrity speakers are also great for generating a buzz at the launch of a product or attracting headlines for the opening of a new store. While a celebrity speaker can raise the profile of any event, even the most famous of faces won’t get very far unless they have something interesting to say.
What have they got to say for themselves??
If you’re debating whether to hire a celebrity speaker for your event there are a few things you’ll have to consider. The first thing is this: are they actually any good as a public speaker? A famous actor or television presenter might be able to deliver lines perfectly in front of a camera, but how do they cope in other surroundings?
A little bit of googling will usually let you find out if someone is renowned for being particularly good or bad at holding an audience’s attention. As long as you do your homework before you book a celebrity speaker you should be fine. Otherwise you might be trying to usher them off-stage before they put your guests to sleep.
Are they worth it?
You’ll also have to bear in mind that the most recognisable names can cost a considerable sum. You’ll have to make sure you know your budget, or you might find yourself having to relocate your reception from that swanky 5-star hotel to the local bingo club.
Will your guests even recognise the speaker?
Another thing to think about is the fact that ‘celebrity’ can be a fairly subjective term. Who is your audience and what do they want to see? For example, would they be more impressed having a motivational speech delivered by an elite athlete or a successful entrepreneur? Equally, if your audience is likely to be older they might respect a famous face from years gone by, whereas a younger audience won’t understand what the fuss is about.
How relevant are they?
A few years ago a leading diabetes charity managed to get five-time Olympic champion Sir Steven Redgrave to give a keynote speech. This on its own is impressive enough, but what makes it extra special was the fact that Redgrave himself has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes himself. He was able to draw from his own life experiences to give an incredibly inspiring speech that no doubt helped to raise thousands of extra pounds.
Of course, it’s not always possible to find a celebrity speaker that has such a strong link with the event you are organising. However, if you can book a speaker with some kind of connection to your event – even if it’s rather tenuous – you’ll find that they’re able to do a much better job when the audience finally settles down and waits quietly for some words of wisdom.
The article was written on behalf of Celebrity Speakers, The global speaker bureau.
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