Some mistakes are small.
Others have a much greater impact.
But there’s ONE costly mistake that you should always avoid.
Here’s the deal:
If you’re a meeting planner, you probably have some pressure from several directions: Attendees are expecting a great time, but your higher-ups are demanding that you stick to a tight budget.
Skimping on a speaker to save money is a bad move with dire consequences for your whole event.
Here are four negative outcomes of not hiring a speaker to open and close your event.
1. You won’t have an impactful session that people remember
Without the right speaker – or any speaker at all – you’re not giving the audience a guide.
An engaging speaker will captivate the audience right off the bat, ensuring that the event and the lessons learned there are ingrained in the minds of the attendees for a long time to come.
Here’s what you should look for in a speaker:
- Fresh content that’s tailored to your audience.
- A presentation that’s high-energy.
- Inspiring the audience to take action.
2. You’re sending your team the wrong message
What message does it send to your team when you don’t want to spend money on a speaker?
It tells them that they’re not important enough to invest in. This is especially true if you have hired speakers for previous events.
When your team doesn’t feel valued, they won’t do their best or be as committed to your shared work.
3. There’s a lack of energy
Everyone has experienced a boring presentation. The kind during which you could use some strong toothpicks to keep your eyes open.
How valuable is that for your audience?
A speaker should bring a spark to the event that you can’t get any other way.
As a meeting planner, you know that when your audience is excited, they’re more likely to pay attention, be engaged and retain the information they’re taking in.
The bottom line is that you need a speaker to create the right energy that will have the attendees on the edge of their seats.
4. You’re going without bookends
A great event needs a clear beginning and ending message.
It gives the experience meaning.
The opening is the time to get the audience hyped up about what the event will entail. It sets the tone for the whole day.
Just as important, a good closing reinforces the theme of the event and ties everything up with a neat bow.
Don’t be a meeting planner whose event fails to wow
As a meeting planner, you know that there’s a lot that goes into organizing an event.
You don’t want to send the wrong message to your audience, risk having a low-energy event that no one will remember, or fail to properly bookend the experience.
A great deal rides on your success and that can be a heavy burden to bear.
That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to hire a speaker that sets the right tone, brings energy and sends the audience off with a plan of action.
Have you felt the pressure to save money by not hiring a speaker for an event you were in charge of?