The Star Treatment
Alberta Venture (March, 2008)
By Shannon Sutherland
How to get Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to say yes to your next event and what to really expect when booking a high-profile speaker.
Minutes before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. landed on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport, a cement truck tipped over, blocking all access ramps to and from the Toronto terminal. Soon Kennedy would be stepping off his flight and would be left just standing there. Waiting. Wondering where the hell his driver was and what the organizers were going to do without him in 30 minutes when he was supposed to appear on live television. Any event planner will tell you two things critical to booking high-profile speakers. First, expect the unexpected. And second, always be prepared to pull off the improbable.
“I had a great driver and had him drive on the shoulder of the road to pick up Mr. Kennedy,” says Rich Bruggeman, Kennedy’s agent and a marketing strategist with Influentials, that has offices in Toronto and New York. “RFK Jr. was appearing live on Fox News downtown 30 minutes after his flight. My driver not only got us there in time – in heavy traffic which usually takes at least 45 minutes – but we also had time to stop to pick up additional requested items. An unpleasant situation would have occurred without on-site handling and on-going contingencies in place to avert unforeseen circumstances.” It’s all in a day’s work when you’re getting VIPs from A to B.
This kind of handling is still essential to people who bring in speakers and who work for agencies such as Brookline Public Relations Inc., the Calgary-based PR and marketing agency that brought Kennedy to Calgary to speak at the Conservation and Cuisine Gala 2008 in January. The event, which was a fundraiser for The Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area, was something of a coup for the PR firm. “For Brookline PR, we were able to book Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a Saturday in Calgary,” says Bruggeman. “This is unprecedented and one of the first times he committed to doing a Saturday private speaking event so far from his home state of New York.”
So, what was it that enticed Kennedy to attend an event in Alberta? “If we want a key speaker for a particular event, we will ensure we do research and determine areas where we can connect with the candidate,” says Shauna MacDonald, principal and founder with Brookline. “Depending on the level of speaker, oftentimes you are competing against other offers for the same time frame or date. So you need to consider factors that will attract the speaker. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. we knew the environment was a strong speaking pillar for him so we offered a guided horseback tour of the Cross Conservation Area.”
If it’s so much extra work to get a big name or well-known expert on this and that, why bother? Bringing in General Colin Powell last November “gave the Chamber the notoriety it deserves,” says Tracey Abbott, events manager with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. But a big-name speaker doesn’t always guarantee a sellout. Powell attracted 1,750 guests, but there were still a few empty seats. In the end, there were still about 100 tickets left, which Abbott attributes to the city’s continued focus on issues that relate to the energy industry.
Conversely, when the Chamber worked with the University of Calgary and Enmax to host an evening with former American vice-president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Al Gore, the event sold out in two and a half hours. Abbott says the Chamber does do its homework before bringing in speakers regardless of how big the name might be. When the Chamber brought in Powell, it canvassed the business community as to the interest level and to identify potential sponsorship investment, and then it hired a professional event group to assist with the logistics. Organizers also had to work with Powell’s agency on issues such as security. “Our event group hired local security with Powell’s approval and then worked with them on particulars,” she says, adding that overall the experience wasn’t really onerous at all and was absolutely worth the effort.
Choosing the type of speaker needed to make an event or meeting extraordinary, however, is no simple task. Politicians, comedians, musicians, Olympians, CEOs, academics and authors by the thousands are available to wow crowds for the right cause or the right price. Keynote speakers come in many forms. Some have pure star power and can fill a room with very little expertise or experience,” says MacDonald. “Industry conferences are going to demand expertise and credibility. The best is a combination of both. Robert F. Kennedy is a great example. He has the ‘Camelot’ name but also brings a significant amount of credible experience to the table.”
Planners prefer to book speakers within their client’s industry over those outside of the industry by a four-to-one margin, according to a 2006 MeetingNews survey. Topical experts are used by half of corporate planners and four out of five association planners. The survey found association planners rarely use motivational speakers, but almost one-third of corporate planners do. Business executives, followed by consultants, were rated as the most effective speakers by both corporate and association planners.
Speakers engaged for Chamber-sponsored events have to meet three criteria. They must be marketable, sponsorable and relevant to the Chamber’s membership. “They can be identified by long-term Chamber partners as part of a series or they can be presented by PR firms or we will choose them if they align with current Chamber initiatives,” says Abbott. She says the “celebrity element” makes sponsoring the event much easier, but content is still the most important factor. Political speakers seem to engage the greatest interest initially, but well-known presidents, CEOs and cabinet ministers seem to have the greatest impact, says Abbott.
“I think the most important question we ask a client is, ‘When people walk out of that room, what do you want them to have experienced?’” says Martin Perelmuter, president of Speakers’ Spotlight, a national speakers bureau with hundreds of names on its roster, including the likes of Justin Trudeau and Pamela Wallin. “Some people want people to feel valued or motivated and others want to feel entertained. I think it’s also really important for clients to understand that not every speaker customizes their presentation to an event. Do you need someone who will do their homework or do you just need someone to tell their story about how they won a gold medal?”
Corporate planners book more speakers based on entertainment value than their association counterparts do, according to the MeetingNews survey. Media personalities, athletes, coaches and politicians ranked lower, and association planners favoured politicians, while most corporate planners ranked them as least desirable.
Of course, it’s a supply-and-demand market and A-list speakers demand a premium. Planners pay an average fee of $15,000 in the U.S., according to a survey published on MiMegasite.com, but American speakers are much more costly than their Canadian counterparts, says Perelmuter. MacDonald says the calibre and experience or star power of the speaker all determine the budget. “We have booked speakers ranging from $2,500 to $50,000 or more,” says MacDonald. Perelmuter says that for a solid Canadian speaker, a client can expect to pay between $5,000 and $15,000, and while paying more doesn’t necessarily mean the client will find the best fit for an event, it’s important to prioritize. “The difference between a speaker that charges $5,000 and one that charges $7,500 or $10,000 can be enormous,” he says. “If you’re paying $100 per person for food and beverages for 500 guests that means you’re paying $50,000 for food. It might be worthwhile to look at your ROI and invest a little more in a speaker and maybe make the dessert a little less extravagant, because people are likely to remember the speaker more than the dessert.” Perelmuter says, however, if you can’t find someone who will adequately meet your needs within your budget, then it is best to simply give people an hour to socialize rather to schedule someone to speak who offers no value to a particular event. That’s the kind of thing people remember rather unkindly, and it’s often exceedingly unpleasant for the speaker as well.
It is also important to remember that the fees are far from all you will pay to bring in a speaker. “Once a speaker has been confirmed, their riders are reviewed and prioritized,” says Jocelyn Flanagan, the principal at e=mc2 event management Inc., a Calgary-based event and conference management company. “Often these riders include requirements for specific levels of accommodation, security, et cetera. Each speaker has specific requirements regarding travel, accommodations, food and beverages, green room requirements and such. Generally you might offer a perk to a speaker if you are looking to build a relationship with the speaker, or if you are asking for a not-for-profit rate or asking them to champion a cause for you.”
Perelmuter says he has encountered some ridiculous riders in his time. One speaker, whom he says wasn’t particularly well known, requested that a hot meal be made available upon his arrival in the hotel, and he gave incredibly specific requests for entrees, vegetables and the like. He also wanted his suit pressed 30 minutes prior to appearing on stage. “We just said, ‘No way,’” says Perelmuter. “We told him he could order room service when he got there, and he could contact the concierge if he wanted his suit pressed. And it was fine. You have to remember that you can negotiate these things.”
Planners on a particularly tight budget might want to consider recruiting an academic – preferably an entertaining one with plenty of speaking experience. “Most of the time academics will speak for free, but I know that I’m becoming increasingly particular about where and when I speak,” says Don Getz, a professor in the Tourism and Hospitality Management Program at the University of Calgary, who has spoken at events all over the world. “The location is probably one of the biggest considerations, and when I spoke in Spain, I asked for two days of wine tours instead of a fee. I know a colleague of mine usually asks that his wife’s trip is paid for as well instead of asking for a fee or any other perks. You have to be careful though when you’re inviting academics and consultants, because I find it insulting to be sitting next to someone who is being paid a huge fee. When I was in New Zealand, I had a good time and was treated well, but it was a little frustrating to know that the other speaker who was from the private sector was being paid $20,000 and I was being paid nothing.”
It may be best to approach academia with caution, however. At the risk of dissing academics, some, not all, may tend to be a little, how shall we say... dry? Dull? Mind-numbingly, Soul-crushingly tedious? And booking boring speakers seems to be a very real risk regardless of whom you book. Only one in five respondents surveyed by MeetingNews agreed strongly that most speakers they have booked have been entertaining, and only one-third said speakers left a lasting impression and were worth the money.
Know what you want to accomplish, research the options, come to the table with themes at least and a few names at best, and start early. “I recommend looking at researching your speaker well in advance, at least six to eight months,” says MacDonald. “It can often take a few months for confirmation because formal proposals are often reviewed by agents or bureau committees to ensure the opportunity is the right format for the speaker. Clients need to understand that although they may be very interested in particular speakers, availability is not often there. And although budget may permit a ‘star’ speaker, planning well in advance is crucial.” Preparations for Spruce Meadows’ annual round table begin about 18 months in advance, says spokesman Ian Allison.
One of the distinct advantages of working with a specialized firm or speakers’ bureau is that there is always someone there to receive an SOS when a speaker goes AWOL leaving you SOL.
“The good news is that booking speakers – even with the travel conditions during a Canadian winter – is very safe,” says Perelmuter. “Last year, we booked about 2,000 speakers, and there were only five situations where we had to do some quick thinking to replace or reorganize a speaker’s appearance. Those are pretty good odds.” But then again, so were the odds that a cement truck would not tip over outside Pearson International Airport.
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