The New Normal Cheat Sheet for Conference Speaking

You have probably noticed a trend in our last few newsletters.  After a year without live events or speaking engagements, I’m happy to say “They’re baaaaack!” And while this statement holds more excitement for me than when the late Heather O’Rourke uttered those words in the 1986 Poltergeist sequel, it is still met with some apprehension for some.  The conference industry has changed quite a bit over the past year, and even as many return to convention centers and hotel ballrooms, some events will continue to be held either online or as hybrid conferences. Although executives, their communications professionals, and other subject matter experts applaud the flexibility this offers, we are also faced with several new questions and considerations before determining whether to accept a speaking opportunity.

To help you make these decisions more effectively, we offer a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ speaking invitation cheat sheet for conferences in today’s environment.  Here are important considerations for when you are invited to speak at a conference for the foreseeable future:

Always start by asking:

Obviously, this focuses on the logistics. We still advise our clients to evaluate each speaking opportunity to ensure it meets their business objectives, reaches the right target audience, and includes peer-level speakers. There are, of course, numerous other considerations to be made, but we hope this cheat sheet gets you started down the right path!