What’s the difference between a speaking agent and a speaking manager? How does a meeting planner differ from both? What role does a speakers bureau play?
These are common questions when learning about the speaking industry. Being able to answer them can help you to make more informed decisions, set realistic expectations and communicate effectively with individuals in each of these roles.
So let’s break it all down. Here are some of the speaking industry’s key players:
10 roles in the speaking industry
1. Speaking agent
A speaking agent typically represents multiple speakers and focuses on securing speaking engagements, as well as negotiating fees. They may also provide some marketing and promotional support, but the core of their role is getting speakers booked.
2. Speakers bureau
Agents work at a speakers bureau, where those looking for speakers can go for help. Bureaus book speakers all the time, so they can listen to exactly what is needed and then help to identify the best speaker that fits these needs.
There are a significant number of bureaus out there, many of which have their own niche. Some may be exclusive, which means you, the speaker, work solely with their bureau.
A few examples of popular bureaus in the U.S. include: SpeakInc., The Speaker Exchange Agency, Gotham Artists, Premiere Speakers Bureau, Washington Speakers Bureau (WSB) and BigSpeak (which has a great FAQ page on the roles and responsibilities of speakers bureaus here).
Of course, getting in front of bureaus and developing a relationship with them is key. You just need to make sure you’re ready before reaching out. You only get one chance to make a positive first impression on these important players.
3. Talent agency
If an agent does not work at a bureau, they may work at a talent agency that also represents actors, models and other performers. Agencies share overlapping functions with bureaus, in that they can represent multiple speakers and help them to book engagements. They also typically have a network of contacts within the industry.
One difference is that many agencies manage a speaker’s career more comprehensively, which might include increased branding, marketing and tailored career services in comparison to a bureau.
4. Speaking manager
As a speaker, you may choose to bring on a manager to help lighten your business lifts. Not all speaking managers offer the same services, so you would need to focus on finding someone who could help with your individual needs. For example, depending on who you hire, a speaking manager could help with responsibilities like finding speaking engagements, managing your pipeline, creating networking opportunities, handling negotiations around speaking fees and more. A few specific responsibilities that tend to vary widely among speaking managers include whether or not they are willing to book travel and also the amount of sales and marketing support they offer.
Overall, a speaking manager tends to provide a more personalized and strategic approach than an agent, who often focuses on multiple speakers. Speaking managers can also be a little more generalized in their support than agents.
5. Personal assistant
Some speakers choose to hire a personal assistant specifically to handle their schedule and travel. Like a speaking manager, this is another optional role for speakers who prefer not to handle these things on their own.
6. Meeting planner
Meeting planners work for companies that have events. Among other responsibilities, these individuals are in charge of finding the right speakers to bring into these events. This means they are one of the channels you can get in front of to find speaking opportunities.
Meeting planners work directly with both speakers and agents.
7. Event company
These are companies — like production companies, for example — that get hired to run events. They perform tasks like organizing the agenda, selecting the venue and managing the budget. They also sometimes find speakers for these events. This makes event companies another channel that can help you to land speaking engagements.
8. Speaking development / training professional
This is part of what we do here at ImpactEleven. While we are a business, there are also individual consultants you can work with in this category. Either way, the responsibility of someone within speaking development and training is to share knowledge and resources that will elevate your career. The type of knowledge and resources will vary from vendor to vendor, but it all centers on helping you to grow your speaking business — and, hopefully, the impact that comes with it.
9. Speaking association
A speaking association is a community you can join that includes other professionals within the industry, like those from the roles above. Associations offer a great opportunity to develop relationships with the industry as a whole. They also provide you with resources, such as events, for networking and education. (Bonus: Sometimes these events also offer speaking opportunities.)
One great example of an association is the National Speakers Association. It's been around for more than 50 years, has solid learning resources and is a key community for speakers to join. While this is a North American example, speaking associations span the globe. There’s even the Global Speakers Federation, which exists to provide support and resources to leaders of speaking associations around the world.
10. Marketing and/or public relations professional
Some speakers also choose to hire outside help for various marketing channels, like search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. There are also public relations (PR) experts out there whose main responsibility is to help speakers generate media coverage. These roles can exist within a company or through an individual who is acting as a consultant.
Give yourself grace as you’re learning the speaking industry — there’s a lot to uncover. The good news is that now you’ve got a key piece of it down. By having a basic understanding of these ten roles, you’re in a position to build stronger and more productive relationships. That’s a pretty great place to start.