Speaker talent
Why I said‘ No’ to a speaker who thought he was bureau-ready
Maria Franzoni offers some insights in the qualities to look for when selecting a key speaker for your event
Maria Franzoni
hen I ran my speaker
W bureau, a speaker approached me. Credible. Strong expertise. Solid stage experience. A fee that wasn’ t unrealistic. He genuinely believed he was ready for bureau representation. Within ten minutes of our call, I knew he wasn ' t.
That gap between how ready speakers think they are and how ready they actually are, usually comes down to a handful of things bureaus notice quickly but speakers can miss entirely. He couldn’ t explain his message simply. When I asked which audiences benefited most from his content, he said his message was relevant to everyone. That’ s a red flag. A meeting planner booking speakers for a conference, exhibition or trade show doesn ' t want‘ relevant to everyone’. They want someone who understands their specific audience, whether that’ s exhibitors looking to maximise their stand ROI, event organisers navigating hybrid formats, or sales teams who need to convert into business.
When I asked what transformation he delivered, I got a 15-minute monologue but no clear answer. He talked far more about himself than the audience. Almost every answer started with " I " rather than focusing on what the audience would walk away thinking, doing, or changing.
“ When I asked which audiences benefited most from his content, he said his message was relevant to everyone. That’ s a red flag”
This matters more than speakers realise. Bureaus aren’ t just matching topics to events. They’ re solving problems for clients who don’ t have time to wade through vague pitches. When an organiser comes to a bureau looking for a keynote speaker for their conference sessions, they need to justify that choice to stakeholders. If you can ' t articulate your value in one sentence, neither can they.
Keynoting at a conference is a different experience from speaking at exhibitions. At a conference, the audience arrives with the expectation that they will attend the sessions because sitting down to listen is built into the day.
Exhibitions and trade fairs are a different environment altogether. Delegates have usually spent hours on their feet moving between stands, meetings and demonstrations. Their attention is divided and their time is limited. A keynote in that setting has to work harder. It needs to capture attention quickly, offer practical value, and give people a reason to stop what they are doing and sit down.
Whatever the event, bureaus, meeting planners, and clients are still looking for the same things now as we were then:
• A message simple enough to be memorable and repeatable
• Professional, current materials
• Crystal clarity on the transformation you deliver, not just your topic
• Openness to feedback
• Testimonials that show results, not just praise
The speaker I turned down wasn ' t a bad speaker. He simply wasn’ t ready. He hadn’ t done the work to package himself in a way that made my job, and the client ' s job, easier. EW
n Maria Franzoni is a former bureau owner, speaker mentor, and author of The Bookability Formula – What the 1 % most booked speakers do( and you can too). Find out more here https:// www. mariafranzoni. me / www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 2 2026 23