Speakers
Why speaker requests are changing dramatically
Theo Reilly picks apart a report by JLA Speaker Bureau about changing trends in event speakers. Geopolitics and AI are the hot topics of the year
ondon-based speaker
L agency JLA Speaker Bureau looked at their booking data and found some striking trends. One of the most eye-catching findings is that over the past five years, bookings for speakers that are geopolitical experts have risen by a huge 350 %.
JLA commented that their requests in this area have not only become more frequent, but also increasingly specific. Clients are looking for speakers with direct understanding of how the changing world could impact their company’ s sector.“ Clients want speakers who can help them understand the short and long-term impact on their business,” the report stated. Companies are trying to steel themselves against a tense, complicated global order.
It’ s not just JLA that’ s noticing the trend. A survey by think tank The Conference Board found that one of the biggest concerns among CEOs across the world in 2025 was global instability. Half of CEOs in Asia and Europe named US-EU-China tensions as one of the biggest threats to their business.
The last five years has seen considerable turmoil. Russia ' s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 disrupted global
“ In many cases, using AI without human supervision has backfired’”
Left: Speaker requests have seen dramatic changes in recent years energy markets. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea forced companies to abandon major shipping routes. The demand for speakers to address these issues shows a fear of more instability.
In its CEO survey, The Conference Board found that 71 % of US executives plan to alter their supply chains in 2025. This is a sharp increase from the previous year’ s 54 %. Clearly, having a secure supply chain is more prescient now than it has been for many years.
AI – to automate or not to automate Predictably, another speaker topic that has seen huge growth in JLA’ s data is AI. Bookings for artificial intelligence experts have risen 221 % over five years. GenAI has been introduced to almost every workplace in the developed world.
But while the tools are massively popular, businesses are often struggling to make sense of the big picture. Forty-two percent of companies have scrapped the majority of their AI projects so far this year, up 17 % on 2024, according to S & P Global Market Intelligence. The ambition is there, but turning ideas into actual ROI is proving to be a challenge.
Costs are an issue, as is trust. Many companies are reluctant to hand over the keys of their internal operations to a shadowy algorithm. And not without good reason – in many cases, using AI without human supervision has backfired. The Philadelphia Inquirer published a summer reading list this year using AI, and it turned out that none of the books on the list actually existed.
Another popular request JLA saw in 2024 was for leadership speakers – up 76 % on the previous year. It’ s not just JLA reporting these findings. Across the Atlantic, the All American Speakers Bureau found that leadership and motivation speakers saw increased demand in 2024, while AI topics overtook DEI as the most requested speaker category overall. EW
40 Issue 4 2025 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk