Take it from a futurist keynote speaker and online virtual speaking presenter – meeting and event planners would do well to keep a number of tips in mind when looking to hire a professional speaker.
- Review expertise – Ensure speakers have legitimate futurist credentials, not just a technology background. Look for futurist keynote speakers who provide future-focused thought leadership.
- Match content – Evaluate if their common topics and speech titles align with your event theme and audience outcomes.
- Consider their process – Do they use engaging forecasting methods and frameworks to develop insights? Can your futurist keynote speaker express opinions in a compelling way?
- Check references – Ask past clients about working relationship, speaker flexibility and ability to customize content.
- Assess speaking style – Make sure their delivery is engaging and accessible, not overly academic if the audience is more general.
- Interview first – Have a call with shortlisted speakers to determine fit, tailor content, discuss logistics.
- Share audience info – Provide futurist keynote speaker info on attendee demographics, knowledge levels and goals to shape content accordingly.
- Request examples – Ask for testimonials or samples of previous talks to assess speaking ability and delivery polish.
- Mind the logistics – Discuss ideal presentation length, AV needs, facility specifics and other event logistics.
- Allow time to craft – Give futurist keynote speaker adequate lead time to develop fresh, customized content vs recycled speeches.
- Think about pricing – Balance budgets with value delivered and outcomes you’re hoping to achieve.
Hiring the right futurist speaker requires aligning presenter strengths with audience needs for maximum future relevancy and strategic impact.