Community Speakers

Community speakers offer great value for event planners, a fact that too often gets overlooked in the quest for the high-profile guest. That's because messages aimed at the community level often resonate much more deeply with audiences, who have a concrete frame of reference from which to work. Talk about life on the road as an NFL quarterback, and your audience may find it interesting but entirely alien to them. Talk about improving schools and city streets, and the whole crowd can participate.

Second, community speakers are generally much more affordable than past presidents, CEOs, and world-famous athletes, many of whom command upwards of 100,000 dollars per appearance. A community speaker such as a city council member or local school superintendent often costs event planners nothing more than an honorarium or token fee. In a few cases, the desire for publicity is so great that a speaker will even opt to appear free of charge. This is especially true during campaign season.

Working with Community Speakers

A third huge advantage of working with community speakers is logistical ease. Most city officials and local celebrities aren't surrounded by their own band of assistants and lackeys and are therefore much easier to reach. Often it takes nothing more than a phone call to book an outstanding guest who's also known to be a dynamic and engaging speaker.

Finally, hiring community speakers is a fantastic stepping stone for burgeoning event planners. If you've never pulled off a gala dinner or keynote address before, it's much easier to warm up on a regional level where you can learn the proverbial ropes. Once you've gotten adept at planning and implementing first-rate local events, you can set your sights on more in-demand guests from the national lecturing circuit.