TOP TRENDS IN THE PUBLIC SPEAKING INDUSTRY – Part 2

There are some trends in the conference industry that speakers should be aware of. If speaking at conferences is your goal, then pay attention to these trends.

1) Conferences are packing more and more in. More speakers with less time. More variety of content. This is the reason why your content must stand out among the crowded field of speakers.

2) Conferences are allowing for less networking. A big value in going to a conference is meeting others with the same interests and share new and trending changes in your industry. Making part of your presentation to meet and share valuable content and ideas during your presentation or providing a special networking opportunity that you sponsor after your presentation, like a book signing can keep the conversation going.

3) Conference fees are going up. With more technology involved and the cost of venues, conferences have become more costly. Be the speaker that makes the fee worth the cost, because you gave so much value that they can recoup their investment and more.

4) Cycle between conferences seems to be shorter. Many corporations are doing regional conferences as opposed to huge conferences. Remember, if you rocked the stage at a regional conferences, be sure to offer your expertise at the other regional conferences or the national conference.

5) Selling form stage is heading for a slow demise. Audiences are savvy and they can smell a pitch a mile away. Going to a conference with one pitch after the next is a not my idea of a good time.

6) Corporations and associations are still doing conferences and they goal is to bring the best talent and the biggest impact to their audiences. Be the answer to their prayers and solution to their search. Give more than expected and make the conference professional the hero of their event.

Conferences and associations are a great way to share your expertise and build your tribe. I encourage you to do a search on conferences in your area of expertise. Niche it down to your specific niche. Recently, I did a search on knitting conferences in 2019. Here’s my result: Bing gave me 57,300,000 knitting conferences in 2019 and Google gave me 18,500,000 knitting conferences. If knitting is your niche, then there are probably some stages waiting for you.

If you need help defining your target market and finding your niche, reach out to the professional at Engaging Speakers at https://engagingspeakers.com/
Gail Brown, Founder of Engaging Speakers, gail@engagingspeakers.com