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Building A Successful Speaking Program
After a marked drop-off in the past two years,
conferences are again becoming a good vehicle for
reaching customers, prospects and industry
influencers. This time, they're much more sponsorship-
based, and most are smaller and more targeted. As
budgets rebound and the audience returns, it's a good
time to take the podium, both to build visibility, and for
the unpredictable benefits that often deliver the most
value -- like securing unsolicited funding, or a regular
column in a top publication.
Because speaking opportunities require such a big
investment, it's essential to have a strategy: which
shows to target, who should speak, and how to make
sure that you win more than your share of
acceptances -
with and without sponsorship.
Choosing the Right Events and
Speakers
One of two principles govern most speaking
programs:
quality or quantity. Each industry has its must-have
shows, usually just two or three. These are also the
most competitive, and require a significant up-front
investment of time. You may need to be involved in the
trade organization, and pay your dues with committee
work. For many start-ups, a technical panel slot may be
the best entry point for speaking.
At other points in a company's evolution,
widespread visibility is key, and it's valuable to be seen
in a
broader audience - including business, venture, Wall
Street and sales-focused events.
With smaller speaking programs, it's best to have
just one speaker who can build a name. Create a bio
(not a job description) based on expertise and potential
topics to circulate to conference leaders and key
organizations.
If your goal is to be on the podium at every
possible event, then your messages may need to
become broader. Expand to 3-4 designated speakers if
you're aiming for more than a dozen speaking
engagements yearly - it's a good rule-of-thumb to have
speakers address peers-in-title, who think about issues
the same way.
Getting Started
No Web site has comprehensive resources;
tsnn.com is a starting point. One of the most fruitful
venues can be your own customers, which often have
unpublicized company and partner meetings that ensure
a highly qualified audience for sharing best
practices.
When weighing sponsorship for the most important
events, speak with companies that have sponsored in
the past - not those selling the packages - to
determine the most productive level of participation.
Odds of acceptance depend on the nature of the
event, but landing one speaking abstract out of four
submitted is considered quite good; the average of
non-sponsored submissions can actually drop to one in
six.
To improve your chances, you want to become a
futurist - forecasting trends and key learning a year
from now. Keep the abstract simple, loaded with the
keywords most relevant to each conference.
How to Win the 'Nod of Approval' from Conference Coordinators
Stack the odds
The best way to increase your chance of being
selected for an upcoming speaking opportunity is
determining who really makes the decisions, and getting
on their radar as early as possible to understand their
goals for the conference and how to tailor your
nomination accordingly. Success breeds success: share
good speaker evaluations from past shows, or if last
year's presentation fell flat, consider fielding another
candidate.
Phone a friend
Most of the plum slots are sewn up early, as
advisory board members pick from their own rolodexes.
Use your contacts - analysts, consultants, academics,
organizations, editors, and anyone else who influences
decisions.
Showcase customers
Some customers who won't endorse you in the
media will be glad to speak in front of their peers. The
best is a side-by-side presentation with you; if that's
not available, then highlight case studies.
Keep an open mind
Staying in front of the conference organizers can
help drive speaker acceptance and can also provide
access to more opportunities. Communicate the value
you can deliver, not just the presentation you've
proposed. Then, if the track is filled, the conference
organizer may recommend another panel.
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Making the Most of Every Speaking Opportunity
Speaking events often require a significant time
commitment, including creating a presentation,
traveling, and spending at least one day on site. Here
are a few ways to make the most of it.
Meet and Greet
Get a hold of the 'list of attendees' a few weeks
before the show starts and identify targets for
meetings, including prospects, customers, reporters,
analysts. Don't be limited to the list; reach out early to
anyone important who may be there, as well as local
prospects and customers.
Make Some Noise
If you have a customer, company or product news
to talk about, issuing a news release at the show can
help drive significant traffic to your presentation and
booth. Offer your top media outlet an exclusive, and
secure additional coverage in show dailies. (Make sure
the coverage includes your booth number and session
title.)
Recycle
Conference presentations can become Webinars,
analyst updates, bylined articles and even other
conference presentations. (Remember to reposition
these for each new audience.)
Stay in Touch
Building relationships with conference organizers
and industry heavyweights while you're on site can
grease the skids for next year's nomination. Consider
adding the organization's leaders to your company's
newsletter.
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