The Incredible Mr Sebastian Terry

http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=588829d2dcaeb0bf23f2bf2da&id=413c896c3e&e=271de6d5e0

Sebastian Terry is nothing short of amazing.

If you want inspiration check out his latest blog post!!!

AMZING DUDE!!!!!!!!

A Time Saving Resource When Booking Talent

HOW TO BOOK A SPEAKER

While I was researching information which is available online about booking talent, I was surprised to find a lack of comprehensive information around the subject. I searched Google (well beyond the first page), behold there was still little in the way of robust documentation around my search "How To Book A Speaker".

I decided to write a short, condensed guide on the subject which will be released in the coming weeks based on the experiences and day to day running of the The Entertainers Australia, a Speaker Bureau based in Sydney Australia.

Fortunately we have received positive feedback from both Speakers and Clients who have road tested the book for us. It would see that not only those who book talent are starved of accurate and transparent information around the workings of a Speaker Bureau, Speakers are also learning from the contents.

This is an excerpt from the book and it explains briefly what exactly is a Speaker Bureau.

The book will be available through Amazon, details will be forthcoming on this blog how you can pick it up.

What is  Speaker Bureau?

A Speaker Bureau is a company, which operates to facilitate Speakers for clients requiring after-dinner Speakers, motivational Speakers, awards hosts, cabaret acts, conference facilitators and keynote Speakers. It also provides entertainment options such as bands, comedians and other acts.

Speaker Bureaus maintain a database of personalities and their agents, as well as other hard to come by information. The Speakers hail from fields as diverse as politics, sport, business, television and comedy. A Speaker Bureau has the benefit of extensive industry contacts, as well as access to a wide range of useful databases.

If you have ever tried to track down a celebrity or media personality, you will understand that it can often take way too much time searching for a direct contact; some individuals are quite purposely invisible. It is a Speaker Bureau’s intellectual property that makes it such a valuable asset.

Speaker Bureaus service a range of clients ranging from SMEs to large corporate entities, charities and organisations, and they provide a fast track and trusted link between the Speaker, act or entertainment option and the client. The Speaker Bureau then mediates between both parties, from the primary stages of making contact, through to the booking and logistics process.

Traditionally, Speaker Bureaus are reluctant to give the client any contact details until the contracts are signed. This is to alleviate the possibility of the client contacting the talent directly after receiving the talent’s contact details. While this type of practice is not that common, it does happen. It may not surprise you to know that the Speaker will always be loyal to the source of the lead; they will likely pass the inquiry back to the Bureau should an agency or organisation try to take the direct route. The Entertainers believe that getting the Speaker involved in the early stages of the proposal for the benefit of all is much more beneficial. Disregard the cloak and dagger stuff and rely on integrity. It is a small industry and news travels faster than a speeding bullet, good or bad!

Speaker Bureaus assist the client and the Speaker to negotiate a speaking fee for an event or a conference. The Speaker, or the Speaker’s agent, usually sets this fee. Once the contract terms are agreed upon the account manager of the Speaker Bureau will hand the client to her/his event coordinator within the Bureau to generate the contracts and handle the logistics.

This involves fees, transport, accommodation and timings, as well as communication between Speaker and client with briefing calls and any one-on-one meeting that may be required.

Earl de Blonville - The Catastrophic Failure of Leadership

Earl de Blonville (FRGS)

The Entertainers comments:
Earl de Blonville is an Author/Keynote and Explorer. His work is based around Postformal Leadership. The video below gives an excellent description of the nature of his work.  Earl is clearly passionate when he tells us that we are facing an uncertain future surrounding Leadership, particularly the void which exists between Baby Boomers and the Millennials.

He does not hold back during his keynote, his commitment to improving our current Leadership paradigms is evident by his impacting and hard hitting message. Certainly more suited to a higher level audience, however he has many strings to his bow and as such Earl can tailor nicely to suit other audiences; as was the case recently with a Melbourne Council Program Earl decided to support. Earl is also developing a Cyberstalking keynote after being subjected to a Cyberstalker himself.

Full of relevant content! A great option for a big impact! 

Based:  Melbourne VIC

Tags: International speaker | Leadership Researcher | Explorer | Business | Motivation | C-Suite 

Fee Range: $8000 to $10,000

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since 1984 & Expedition Advisor

In 2012 Earl was selected by Australia’s premier business magazine BRW as one of Australia’s top six leadership thinkers. He is a speaker with over 35 years experience and a consultant who has created high value outcomes across a range of sectors, scenarios and situations. 

Earl is a down-to-earth and creative practitioner, and a gifted communicator with a wry sense of humour who thrives on interaction with a wide range of audiences and clients.

His news is challenging; some will find it confronting. And his big picture insights will astound you. Earl’s doctoral research has identified three extraordinary leadership challenges that are coming our way and can’t be avoided: big ones that MBA schools are ignoring. He reveals how they will change the way that future leadership is understood and practiced. As an invited speaker this year in Denmark, France, Germany and Romania, his talks on ‘future leadership shock’ included two future-focused academic conferences, inspiring European and international audiences alike. Earl offers all audiences easy to grasp insights on what will rock global leadership and what can be done now to prepare for it, whatever the sector: business, government or non-profit.

Leadership is much more than a theory for Earl. He offers unforgettable insights drawn from 25 years of expedition field leadership, more than a decade of C-Suite leadership coaching, and some surprises from his global leadership research. His extraordinary stories of historical and contemporary field leadership, including his own extreme Arctic experience, reveal how leadership really works under the kind of pressures we will increasingly experience in tomorrow’s exciting world of chaotic global transition.

Earl made his name as an explorer in 1986 leading Australia’s first expedition to the Arctic, with the Prince of Wales as patron and Lord Shackleton as a key advisor. Earl’s dramatic leadership experiences in Greenland have generated widespread print and broadcast media, an internationally released documentary film, a successful Australian art exhibition, and inspired his acclaimed leadership book “Seventh Journey”.

Earl divides his time between Australia and Europe where his current research, speaking and consulting are focused.

Topic: The Catastrophic Failure of Leadership

Tags: Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Explorer, Author, C-Suite Executive Coach, Global Leadership Researcher, Program Leadership Coach

Dr Ross Walker - A Passion for People and Health

The Entertainers Real Time Interview Series

The Entertainers comments:

Dr Ross Walker is an engaging, intelligent and extremely personable Author, Speaker and Cardiologist. He articulates the problems we face with regards to how we manage our health amidst the current busy schedules most of us endure.His insights are based on his experience as a cardiologist and he is deeply passionate about the need for us to address the multitude of risks that we face and to heed the warning signs that many of us ignore. If you are looking for an engaging health and wellness Speaker to really have an impact on the productivity of your employee's, Dr Ross Walker is the right man for the job!

Based:  Sydney 

Tags: Health & Wellness | Media Personality | Motivation | Productivity 

Fee Range: $5,000 to $10,000

Dr. Ross Walker is an eminent practicing cardiologist with a passion for people and health. Considered one of the world's best keynote speakers and life coaches, he is the author of seven books (all of which have been best sellers).

Dr. Walker is also a regular presenter on the Nine Network's TODAY Show, A CURRENT AFFAIR, and has most recently appeared as the medical expert on EXCESS BAGGAGE. He also presents on radio stations 2UE, 6PR, 4BC and 3AW.

 

http://theentertainers.com.au/dr-ross-walker/

Why Real Time Video Interviews work for The Entertainers

"A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. Video makes it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly, it offers massive value given that people in the Events industry and for that matter any industry are time poor.

Without going into how our minds receive information, it is obvious to most that we are not all speed readers, suffer info-glut, are bombarded with strings of information daily, reports, contracts, letters and so forth, invade our lives daily. Collectively, is it possible that we read more now than we ever have? Email, Facebook, Blogs, Ebook's , articles demand our attention if we are to survive in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Let's face it, there is a lot being written that just goes "via the cape",! Not because it is badly written, not because it offers no value, we are just too damn busy to invest the time to read everything that comes across our desks.

Speaker BIO's are a prime example. While a full page of facts and figures about where the Speaker is from, where he/she lives with his/her spouse and children, where he/she grew up, the odd funny line thrown in and other superfluous information may feel appropriate, it does little for some time poor soul looking for key facts.

Personally I feel that printed BIOs and pictures do not enhance any Speakers fortune. If ever a poor representation of talent was exhibited, it is an email with a bio and pic attached. 

Ask yourself, how on earth can anyone make an informed decision about something as complex as a Speakers capabilities reading a BIO. Very poorly would be my answer and due to the talent we have in Australia,  this outdated method of pitching is successful, may I say, thanks to the Speaker and not to lazy Bureau who used such an antiquated pitch.

That old worn out boot pops up again, "It's just the way we do things around hear".

The Real Time Video Series The Entertainers are creating is in it's embryonic stages. We are making lots of mistakes, we are working with inferior equipment, I am not the worlds greatest interviewer, we do not have a production team with lights camera action, no studio, no clap board.

There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come is an apt quote by Victor Hugo to describe the way forward for this format. While our interviewing capabilities are currently raw and basic and our production values are simplistic, our message is hitting it's mark. The interviews are time consuming but well worth the effort.

The feedback we have received has been more than encouraging from prospective and current clients and also from Speakers themselves. The information that we can extrude in a short period of time while offering refreshing and entertaining content is massive value. It gives our clients an accurate insight into the Speakers capabilities, personality and attitude. It enables people to make a much more informed decision, while giving the Speaker an opportunity to advertise their true capabilities and strengths.

We will continue to grow our video database improving on production values to create a rich and valuable repository of Speaker interviews.

While there are other aspects to the advantages I could talk about such as Speaker showreels, flashy commercials, SEO and other aspects of Speaker marketing, my belief is that there is nothing that compares to a naked video interview to get to the heart of any Speaker apart from meeting them in person.

Are Speakers a commodity?

Albert Einstein said "The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly." By way of example, when Galileo insisted that the sun, not the planet Earth, was the center of the universe, he was met with "violent opposition," despite his offering advanced "scientific proof" of his findings. 

I do not propose to compare myself in any way shape or form to both of the gentlemen discussed above. However my experience in the entertainment world, running my own production company, working with speakers bureaus, entertainment agencies, working for an exceptional motivational speaker and my research, has allowed me to form opinions and commentary on what I feel works, what is old hat, what is just plain silly and all the bits and pieces in between. Particularly when it comes to current practices regarding booking and working with keynote speakers.

Everyone has moments when something that is said in a given situation that you know is just not right. Mine is this tardy line "it's just the way we do things round here". This rings out in my ears, akin to a hangover from the good old days when a gallon of petrol cost more than a gallon of water. Times, they are a changing! Even if there is a better way of doing "it", any sense of reasonable alternative is cancelled out so we can get on with things as per normal and make hefty margins even if we do treat this noble art and those who practice such, akin to what we pull out of the ground at a mine.

While I am certain this lack of thought process is rife in most business practice, I would like to open discussion on how we engage with Speakers and the intrinsic value they bring to events and conferences. 

The sad truth is that Speakers are not treated with the respect they deserve in our industry. They are paid well for a reason although that is another story. There is seemingly an urgency for bureaus and agencies to get every Speaker possible onto the books, prop up the SEO, let the other Bureau's "read em and weep", get all the good ones as exclusives, ........ ad nauseam. Due to current attitudes and practices, underneath the veneer of social events and industry meetings, bookings and testimonials, very little real respect for the rich pool of Australian Speakers is evident from those who book them.  After all, without the Speakers, who allow us to profit from their efforts, there would be no bureau or agency.

A typical request from a client, be it a PCO or direct corporate client may state that they have a $4000 budget, they want a Speaker to deliver x,y,z., the budget is tight and they cannot spend another cent. At the same event with 1000 people in attendance, they will pay $30 per head for attendee's for coffee and nibbles (30k). While the later is customary, most necessary and an essential element of any event worth attending, apart from gaining an extra kilo, the value that it delivers is forgotten almost instantaneously. I do enjoy some of the delicious treats served up, however there seems to be no logical correlation between the cost and value each deliver.

A well placed professional speaker should deliver value long after the event has been bumped out, months, perhaps years. Could it be that old habits and current practices are a result of little or no education in this area? After all the Speaker is seldom booked by the person who is responsible for the outcomes of the engagement, the booking is made not by the buyer but by someone who has one thing in mind "budget"!

There are many reasons for this which may include client confidentiality, fear of loosing a client to the opposition, work overload for the person to which the objectives originated, lack of trust in an ultra competitive industry and many more

But hey........"It's just the way we do things". Speakers are not commodities and trying to put a fixed price on what they deliver is pure folly and a little lazy until process consultation has taken place. Not two weeks before the conference! Three months before the conference. Call on the speakers expertise to assist you in creating absolute value and ROI which is noticeable, real and authentic.