Advice & FAQs about speakers

In the current economic climate, isn't a speaker or celebrity a luxury item?

When times are tough, the need to inspire and motivate staff becomes even more important.  Communicating company strategy with clarity, training staff, seeing the future in a positive light, rewarding achievement and inspiring the troops to pull together are all key - and a professional speaker or facilitator becomes more of a necessity than ever.

Internal speakers can be superb, but however brilliant your MD or other senior management may be, a quality external speaker or celebrity will simply add another dimension to your event.  When asked what has the most impact at a conference - video, catering, accommodation, internal or external speakers, recent research has shown that over 70% of conference audiences described guest speakers and performers as 'the most memorable aspect of an event'.  Once you have experienced the benefits, you will never go back!

Why use a speaker bureau and why Speakers Corner? 

Selecting a speaker is a daunting process and choosing the right person from the thousands who claim to be amazing can be nigh on impossible.  The internet allows the luxury of sometimes too much choice and without being able to listen to a speaker before your event, how can you judge the quality. Any respectable speaker bureau will have the knowledge you require.

Clearly knowledge and understanding of who's who in the world of politics, sport, business, television and comedy is key to our game, but equally important is knowing the idiosyncrasies of the individual artist and how they will fit in with you and your event.

At Speakers Corner, we do not have any affiliation or allegiance to any individual act, entertainer or speaker and therefore we can recommend artistes in a completely unbiased way. In short, we offer completely objective and impartial advice to create the best match between artiste, audience, client and budget.

I've never booked a speaker before. Where do I begin? 

Since you are reading this, you have no doubt browsed around our website, but as we have a further 4,000 or so people who are not on the website, it's best to pick up the phone and pick our brains.  Call us on +44 (0) 20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk and we’ll assist you through the process! We are more than happy to advise without any obligation whatever stage you're at.

What will it cost me?

Professional speaker and celebrity fees range from hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds.  There are speakers and celebrities available whatever your budget and it's our job to help you find the right person within your budget.

General rule of thumb on pricing -

• Under £5,000        A professional speaker, chair or host who is unlikely to have a media profile.  Although the name might not be a draw card, the artistes available at this price point are some of the most professional and appropriate options available.  They are certainly better value than big names and in our opinion,  often better!
• £5-10,000            The name and the face may be recognised in some circles, however an artiste at this price point does not have the highest of profiles.
• £10,000 or more   Prices can reach six figure sums, but at this fee, the majority of artistes will have a fairly high media profile.

Most fees are negotiable and will depend on a number of factors - location, time commitment etc. We are more than happy to give you an indication of costs once we have a full brief, but in many instances, it is only possible to give an actual quote once you have decided who would fit the bill and we start the negotiation process with the person selected.  We always negotiate the very best possible prices for our clients.

No booking – no fee? 

Our advice is completely free.  Our commission is within the artiste’s fee and the only additional cost is their expenses and VAT.  So, no booking, no fee.  

Celebrities are brilliant at creating the wow factor, but there are many occasions when an exceptional, relatively-unknown or up and coming speaker will cost a good deal less and may achieve your goals equally well, if not better.

I can't see the person I want on the website? 

We only have a fraction of our database featured on the website and the likelihood of us working with the individual you are interested in, is very high, so please give us a call on +44 (0)20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk

Where Do You Send Speakers? 

Speakers Corner is a London based company sending speakers and celebrities (home grown and international) to every corner of the globe.  Recently we have sourced speakers for conferences in Vienna, Budapest, Monte Carlo, Barbados, Jersey and Paris as well as Northampton, Caerphilly, Harrogate, Manchester & Stratford on Avon!

Who else do you work with?