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Choosing a Keynote Speaker for Your Association
Association Meeting Speaker
Association leaders often spend a considerable amount time planning their annual conventions and conferences, including deciding which keynote speaker would be the best received. With many associations struggling to keep their members, the annual meeting is frequently one of the major determinants as to whether members continue to renew and remain active with the organization. Although the speaker line-up is just a single aspect of that meeting, it is one of the most crucial factors having a direct impact upon the membership. Not too many years ago, many association annual meetings were little more than a thin disguise for travel, socializing and entertainment, all expense paid and tax free. However, in almost all circles this has changed dramatically. Although the destination venue may still be a glamorous resort, the mindset has changed radically.
Business today is just plain T-O-U-G-H in most industries. Many association members are fighting to stay in business themselves and are looking for answers, more than they are looking for a few extra days of “fun in the sun” each year. And the answers they are seeking are not easy ones. Global competition has companies and even entire industries reeling. Therefore, when deciding whether to attend a national meeting, conference or convention, more often than not association members are asking what new and valuable content will it provide them.
Today, just as attendees are looking beyond the fun and vacation aspects of an annual meeting or convention, they are also desirous of more than purely motivational and inspirational speeches. Although it is important for professional speakers to motivate and inspire attendees, they must also do far more. They must impart knowledge in the form of vision, experience, solutions, tools, illustrations, examples and stories that enable the audience to return to their work significantly better equipped to deal with the daily complexities and decisions they will face, tomorrow, next week and next year.
The buzzword in business is ROI, Return On Investment. This is quickly becoming the prominent measure for all business activities and the basis for decision-making, including the decision to maintain membership and active participation in an association. Did the meeting result in practical learning that will make a tangible bottom line difference in the coming year? Associations that focus not merely on content, but on new, creative, innovative, cutting-edge content, will continue to effectively serve their members and thus, will flourish.
When planning your next association meeting, think beyond entertainment. Seek out professional keynote speakers that will deliver solid education in a personable, enjoyable style. In a word, think VALUE! Will this speaker enable our members to return to this event a year from now, financially healthier, more competitive and bolder in their marketplace then they are now? An affirmative answer to that question will go a very long way to ensuring your association's continued viability.
