5 Mistakes to Avoid When Booking a Keynote Speaker

Booking a keynote speaker can be the defining moment of your event planning. The right speaker lifts the room, anchors your message and leaves your audience inspired. But the wrong approach? It can lead to missed opportunities, budget stress and a talk that falls flat.

At Inspirational Speakers, we’ve helped hundreds of clients find and book the perfect speaker for conferences, corporate away days, leadership retreats and community events. And we’ve seen what works — and what to avoid.

So here are five common mistakes to steer clear of when booking a keynote speaker (and how to get it right).

1. Leaving it too late

The best speakers get booked months in advance, particularly for busy seasons like autumn or early spring. Waiting until the last minute can severely limit your options and lead to higher costs, extra stress or compromise.

How to avoid it:
Start the conversation early, even if you’re still finalising the event format. We can hold dates provisionally and help you secure the right person before diaries fill up.

2. Focusing only on name recognition

We all love a familiar face, but a well-known name doesn’t always guarantee the right fit for your audience. Sometimes, lesser-known speakers with incredible stories and outstanding delivery can have a bigger impact, especially if they connect deeply with your theme or goals.

How to avoid it:
Be open to recommendations based on style, relevance and audience engagement… not just fame. We’ll guide you towards speakers who consistently deliver, whether or not they’re household names.

3. Not thinking about the audience

It sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly common to choose a speaker based on what the organiser likes, rather than what the audience will respond to. A powerful corporate story might not land with a room full of sixth formers, and a technical leadership talk might go over the heads of a general team.

How to avoid it:
Tell us who’s in the room – age range, industry, roles, challenges, and we’ll help match a speaker who speaks their language.

4. Forgetting the brief

Speakers need direction. Even the most experienced keynote speaker will deliver a better talk when they understand the purpose of your event, what’s happening before and after their slot, and what you want the audience to walk away thinking or feeling.

How to avoid it:
We provide a briefing sheet, not just for logistics, but with questions such as ‘What impact to do you want your delegates to walk away with?’ and ‘Has anything happened in the company recently that may help the speaker to make the talk more bespoke?’
Following the breifing sheet, we will arrange a briefing call with you and the speaker to discuss in more detail.

5. Skipping the logistics

It’s easy to forget the practical bits: travel, accommodation, tech needs, and timings on the day. Small gaps in planning can cause last-minute hiccups that affect the speaker’s performance (and your peace of mind).

How to avoid it:
We’ll help you think through the entire speaker journey – from booking and briefing to arrival and delivery, so everything runs smoothly.