Picture this: You see an exciting brochure for an upcoming virtual event on a topic that calls out to you. It is the right thing for you at the moment, and you cannot wait to attend. The speaker looks qualified and catches your intrigue and inspiration. You register immediately.

But alas! When you attend the event, it is far more underwhelming than you could have imagined. The keynote speaker looks bored and doesn’t look like they want to be here. Everything that you learn in the virtual event sounds like stuff you could have read a blog about. You are disappointed. Not only is your faith in the utility of virtual events gone, but you have also lost trust in the organization or entity that hosted the event. You are very unlikely to ever waste your time attending an event such as this again. 

Now picture the same scenario from the point of view of the organizers. What could they have done to make their virtual event better? What could have engaged the audience more? Did they keep in mind whether the event was actually relevant or did they just want some traffic and recognition? Had they chosen the right speakers, would their event have been successful? Had they chosen a more sophisticated event organizing platform, would things go differently? 

These are some questions you could find answers to and gain some clarity about after reading this blog. Having a unique idea for your event can be exciting, but failing to see good results because of bad decisions is a shame. Here is a quick, comprehensive guide on how to end the ultimate right speakers search for your event.   

Step 1: Define Your Event and Clarify Your Objectives 

The first step of event preparation and management is always defining its objectives. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised to notice how many times as an organizer one may fail to do this beforehand. The definition and objective of your event give you a blueprint to follow and apply to your next steps in planning your virtual event as well as TED talks would. 

If you already have a concept you want your event to be about, start there and do your research on what content could be relevant to the concept. If you haven’t thought about your concept, it could be a good idea to look through the interests of your potential target audience. 

To define the goals of your virtual event, consider answering the following three questions well: 

• What is the purpose of this virtual event? Is it to increase your company’s visibility, or is it to contribute to an industry hot topic? 
• What will your audience take away from the event? Try to understand not only who they are, but also what they will want to take away from your event.
• What could the keynote speakers do to contribute to the event’s success? This does not imply delving into the specifics of their presentation styles, but rather defining what is expected of your speakers by you and your audience both.

Answering these questions helps you define your goals. Defining your goals helps you estimate your speaker requirements, making a budget, choosing a good Event Organizing Platform, whether you are expecting your speakers to promote your virtual event and get you an audience, the due dates, and so on. 

Step 2: Know Your Audience 

It is not just speakers or organizations that host events that make a virtual event successful, but it is also the right audience that makes your virtual event stand out. When you tap into your target audience’s interests and appropriately give them what they desire: you see beautiful results! They will talk about your event with their peers, and remember your organization and its values. They will respect you as an organization and your goals are likely to be successful. 

It is therefore imperative for you to research the interests of your target audience. If you are expecting the audience to be from your database and network, then look into their specific interests. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes: if you were attending this event, what would engage you? What new authentic concepts would you like to explore? What speakers do you look up to? 

Step 3: Consider Your Budget and Resources 

The budget and resources you have as an organization are crucial in keeping your goals and expectations realistic. If you aim too high, you might not be able to use efficiently the resources you do have. Thus, appropriately making a budget and ironing out the logistics is imperative before you decide to hire a speaker that may not complement your budget and resources. 

Understand that your speakers don’t always have to be big, shiny, and famous for your virtual event to be a success. In fact, in the case of virtual events, even big names in the field you’re exploring may not be as efficient keynote speakers due to a lack of screen presence. 

Properly marketing your event by highlighting what it offers your target audience would be a better way to go about it. The point is, if your budget has constraints, you don’t have to always seek people at the top of their careers. At the end of the day, big names shall only bring you a large audience – it does not ensure a successful, engaging virtual event. 

Hiring young but engaging speakers, and popular but new content creators, and giving people a chance to shine with their innovative presentation styles could be what makes your virtual event a success. 

Step 4: Speaker Hunt 

Let the games begin! With your objectives, expectations, target audience, and budget for the virtual event sorted – you are as ready as you could be for your speaker hunt! Here are the characteristics you would want to consider to end your right speaker search:

Consider Their Expertise

When you have your virtual event and its goals planned out, you must have a specific topic or subject in mind. It is a good idea to look for speakers who work in or are associated with your content’s Industry-related Organizations. These are hubs for potential keynote speakers who have the right expertise and knowledge for your event. Choosing speakers who have personal experience both in the subject and in speaking at virtual events is ideal.  

Screen presence 

There exist people in every industry that are incredibly rich in knowledge, expertise, and personal experience. However, it may not translate in your virtual event if your speaker does not have a good screen presence and the correct presentation style. This is something that speakers themselves have to work on, and you have the option of working with them to improve their screen presence if you have the resources to do so and their willingness. If not, you may have to leave an expert behind for someone who can engage the target audience virtually. 

Attitude toward their audience 

As we have already mentioned, your target audience must take something away from your virtual event for it to indeed be called a success. Therefore, even with a screen presence and flexibility, if your keynote speaker is unapproachable and does not interact with their audience, it reflects badly on your virtual event. Humble speakers who care to listen to your audience’s questions, enjoy interacting with people, and are friendly will help your audience truly enjoy hearing from them rather than someone who is high in expertise but does not engage. No amount of personal experience can make up for a bad attitude toward the audience. 

Authenticity 

We have gotten the expertise, we have got the screen presence, and we have an engaging speaker. What is missing? 

Authenticity. With the number of nuanced perspectives and information that we have on the internet, authenticity has become more important than others. It is not enough to have basic knowledge of a topic – it is important to have an authentic perspective on a topic. Ask yourself, what new perspective is your speaker adding to your virtual event? When your audience leaves the event, will they have taken away with them something no one has ever told them? Ideally, your speaker should have an authentic personality and viewpoint. They must have the unique “it” factor that makes your audience believe in the relevance of their ideas and personal experience. 

Takeaway 

Hosting a virtual event is no child’s play – but with the right event organizing platform, well-planned objectives, a good idea of your target audience, knowing yout resources, and the right speakers – you can pull off the perfect one. 

It may seem difficult to find the perfect speaker, but looking back at the blueprint of your virtual event can help you tremendously. The first step is always to plan out your objectives, followed by putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, considering your resources, and then finally picking the perfect keynote speaker. Your keynote speaker must have the appropriate expertise, screen presence, attitude toward the audience, and authenticity to make your virtual event successful.