Most event organizers fall into the same trap. They spend months securing that one perfect keynote speaker, the big name that will entice an audience and be featured on all promotional materials, and then they fill in the blanks for the rest of the agenda with budget-friendly and readily available options. Yet this leaves money on the table and a participant experience that becomes apparent to those in attendance.
Sure, a singular headliner packs a punch at one moment. But that’s not all a conference is; conferences span hours and days, and it’s what fills that time that really determines whether someone is attending for one good session and otherwise filler content or receiving value from start to finish.
Take, for example, the truth about audiences at conferences.
What Actually Happens at a Conference
People show up for the opening keynote all jazzed up – they listen, learn, take notes, internalize information, and then coast their way through the rest of the event until they’ve essentially checked out by day two. By the afternoon of day one, people are on their phones checking emails. By day two midday, rooms are half full for anything other than the closing session.
This doesn’t happen because people aren’t interested in what’s being offered. This happens because people can’t engage with one type of speaker on day two just as they can with that same type on opening day. The motivational speaker who opens the conference on fire isn’t going to focus an audience on a technical deep dive. The leading expert in the industry may bring great insights to a Tuesday morning session but can lose an entire room when they’re bored on Wednesday afternoon.
Not every part of the agenda serves the same purpose. Some need to inform, some need to re-energize, some need to challenge thinking while others teach actionable skills. A single speaker type is like hiring one musician to play at the wedding ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. It’s possible, but it’s not the right option.
Where Speaker Types Fit In
When you book a keynote speaker and use a platform to secure them, opportunities generally arise through professionals with different strengths and specialization requirements. Therefore, it makes sense to align speaker types with particular agenda needs rather than trying to secure one person who does everything moderately well.
For example, speakers for opening sessions should charge rooms with a positive tone. They may be motivational speakers or comedians whose presence generates energy among the crowd. They don’t necessarily have to be the most substantive-their job is just to get people in a frame of mind to absorb information throughout the day ahead.
Mid-morning sessions work well with industry experts and thought leaders who provide substantive content. Attendees in this window are awake enough to think critically through detailed analysis. This is where trend discussions and frameworks make the most sense. The best speakers in these instances know their content thoroughly enough to handle any layered questioning as long as it comes from an excited room.
Afternoon sessions need different energy; after lunch, naturally, attention wanes. Fighting this deficit with a highly detailed PowerPoint presentation probably isn’t going to work – they’re likely going to lose half the room. Instead, get speakers who moderate panels or have engaging presentations and can keep people awake and alert when their attention naturally falls off.
Breakout sessions require specialists, those who dive deep into niche subjects. They may not have the stage presence of your headliner, but they provide specific pieces of actionable information that certain audience segments want to learn about during these smaller conferences. Someone who has started three successful SaaS companies is going to be more valuable to startup founders in a breakout session than a general business motivational speaker would be.
The Budget Challenge
Most budgets come from piecing together one incredibly expensive headliner and as many second-rate “fillers” as possible with the rest of the budget. This is largely due to observable quality, though attendees know this immediately when they sit through the opening keynote, looked polished and professional, and then downgrade after downgrade through every session.
A different budget approach spreads resources more appropriately over time. For example, instead of spending $50k on one speaker and $5k on four more speakers at $5k each, consider three speakers at $15k each ($45k), three speakers at $10k each ($30k), and several specialists at $5k each ($from$0to$20k). The overall amounts even out, but the quality stretches evenly across the agenda.
This also prevents risk, when everything is put into one headliner, their cancellation or mediocre performance tanks an entire event. But when there are multiple strong speakers, if one underperforms, there are others who can pick up the slack.
What Attendees Remember
Six months after a conference, most attendees can’t remember details from any one single session; what they do remember is how it felt across the board – was there consistent value or just one great moment in a sea of mediocrity?
More speaker types create variety and interest, and if there’s a major discrepancy between various types of delivery and approach, people will remain consistently engaged when they might otherwise check out between different sections. Someone who loved the analytical expert might not relate to a motivational speaker; however, their coworker sitting next to them might feel differently. This fosters more engagement with multiple sessions instead of everyone just waiting for the main event.
Networking dynamics improve too; if only one session seems worth it, everyone crowds those conversations and networking feels forced. When multiple sessions possess value, however, networking occurs more organically as people discuss what their takeaways were versus what others thought.
Creating Balance
Start by outlining your agenda based on attendee energy levels over time and information needs. Morning sessions can handle denser content through critical thinking; afternoon sessions need engaging tactics; opening and closing must be energetic and memorable.
Then determine what outcomes each session must create, some must inform, others inspire, some should teach skills while others should challenge thinking, and align speaker types inappropriately based on these specific outcomes instead of just booking speakers blindly and figuring out where they fit later.
Finally, consider audience segments; an event hosting both executives and individual contributors needs to have speakers who can address gaps in experience; marketing people need different examples than their sales counterparts all sitting together; one speaker rarely serves all segments well or equally well.
Making It Logistically Sound
Multiple speakers require more logistical management than one headliner worked with effectively; however, operational complexity isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. Most speakers manage travel confirmation and tech requirements according to set procedures, additional set-ups are worth it for reduced risks and improved attendee satisfaction across the board.
Contract negotiations are much easier when you’re not putting all your resources into one person for arrangements; mid-range priced speakers often provide greater value than top-tier names due to their reputations, top-tier names have extensive needs that border on inflexible.
Promotional concerns shift from marketing one big name to marketing one successful experience, which creates more opportunities to promote because different speakers appeal to different audience segments instead of relying solely upon one person’s draw.
The Long-Term Conference Strategy
Conferences that consistently create value for their clients by facilitating excellence from opening to closing develop stronger long-term dynamics than events that become known for “this one great keynote.” Attendees return when there’s overall trust in quality instead of gambling on whether next year’s headliner will be worth it.
Developing connections with multiple speaker types also creates flexibility for future events – the growing network of proven presenters are those who understand your audience and can return for different roles down the line; for example, a breakout speaker in year two might become a keynote in year three as their own profile expands.
Investment becomes compounded over time, the longer a client hosts events like this, they learn what appeals most to their audience on a custom basis so that the process gets refined over time and increasingly effective lineups become possible that produce better outcomes than “the single headliner” ever could.
