Run through this list. Add a couple of factors that are specific to your meeting.
For example, maybe your meeting is in Orlando, Florida. You might want to give
additional weight to a keynote speaker who lives in Orlando – or least in Florida. If
your meeting is in the Winter, you’ve eliminated any concern about your keynote
speaker being stuck in a Des Moines snowstorm at the exact moment they’re supposed to
be opening your meeting.
Maybe your meeting is in Naples or Miami or West Palm. If your keynote speaker lives in
Orlando – or anywhere other than the Panhandle of Florida – it’s probably
just as easy for them to drive to your meeting as it is to fly.
And while that’s not going to make or break your budget, it does make a difference
when you tally up the costs.
Books add another layer of value. Planners who have meetings in Orlando, Florida
usually find it helpful for a keynote speaker to be able to integrate some Disney points
with the rest of their content.
Tom’s book, Inside the Magic Kingdom provides the perfect vehicle
for that integration. Because he works with other clients, he is able to illustrate points
with examples from Disney as well as other world-class companies. Beyond that, he also
integrates examples from your participants’ real-world experiences to provide a
seamless flow of ideas that give your meeting participants a new sense of reality.
While you shouldn’t use the checklist as your only means of selecting a keynote
speaker, most people find it helps clarify their thinking.
Tom Connellan is a
business keynote speaker regularly used
by leading firms such as GE, Neiman Marcus, Dell, FedEx and Marriott to strengthen customer
loyalty and leadership practices. When looking for a keynote speaker, Tom probably belongs on
your short list of possibilities.
