Organising a new business event? how to choose the perfect keynote speaker

A great keynote speaker gives an event a sense of purpose. They bring the central theme to life, offer a fresh perspective and give people something to discuss long after they’ve left the room.

Choosing the right person starts with understanding your audience and what you want the event to achieve. A well-known name might attract attention, but relevance, expertise and the ability to connect are what make a session land.

Whether you’re planning a customer conference, a leadership away day or your first industry gathering, here’s how to find keynote speakers who fit your brief.

1. Start with what you want people to take away

Before looking at speakers, get clear on why you’re bringing people together. Are you helping customers understand a changing market? Giving employees confidence in a new direction? Challenging leaders to think differently?

Try completing this sentence: “After this event, we want our audience to…”

The answer might be to understand an opportunity, feel more confident about change or take a specific action. That gives you a useful starting point for your speaker brief and a way to assess potential names.

Ask yourself: what should people think, feel or do differently after the keynote?

2. Understand who will be in the room

“Business audience” covers a lot of ground. A room of experienced finance directors will bring different expectations from a gathering of early-career entrepreneurs, even if both are interested in leadership or growth.

Consider your audience’s sectors, roles, seniority and familiarity with the subject. Age, career stage, cultural background and accessibility requirements can also inform the brief, without making assumptions about what any individual will enjoy.

Think about their working lives, too. What challenges are they facing? What questions keep coming up? What would make attending feel like time well spent?

Ask yourself: what does this audience already know, and what would be useful or surprising for them to hear?

3. Define the event’s core message

An agenda can cover several subjects and still have a clear thread running through it. Your keynote should help establish or strengthen that thread.

If the event is about navigating change, for example, you could choose a futurist to explore what’s coming, a business leader to share lessons from transformation or a psychologist to examine how people respond to uncertainty. Each brings a different perspective to the same theme.

Decide which perspective will help your audience most, then use that to focus your search for business event speakers.

Ask yourself: how would you describe the purpose of the event in one sentence?

4. Match the speaker’s expertise and style to the brief

Subject knowledge matters. So does the way someone shares it.

Some keynote speakers build a compelling argument through research and analysis. Others use personal experience, humour or audience participation. Consider the balance your event needs: practical advice, challenge, inspiration or space for reflection.

Watch footage of speakers addressing audiences similar to yours where possible. Look at how they explain ideas, use examples and hold attention. Testimonials can help, particularly when they describe the brief and what the speaker delivered.

Ask yourself: will this person make the subject relevant and engaging for our audience?

5. Think about the speaker’s place in the programme

An opening keynote can set the tone and introduce questions that run through the day. A closing speaker can draw ideas together and leave people with a clear next step.

The surrounding sessions matter, too. After several technical presentations, a different pace or perspective may help the audience re-engage. At a leadership away day, a keynote followed by facilitated discussion could give teams time to apply what they’ve heard.

Factor in the format early. A presentation, an on-stage interview and an interactive workshop ask different things of both the speaker and the audience.

Ask yourself: what does this session need to contribute at this point in the day?

6. Build a realistic budget and timeline

Speaker fees are one part of corporate event planning. Depending on the booking, you may also need to account for travel, accommodation, technical requirements and any permissions to record or reuse the session.

Share your budget and preferred date early so recommendations are realistic. If you want to record the keynote, stream it to colleagues or use clips afterwards, include that in the initial conversation.

Allow time for shortlisting, contracting and briefing. A clear brief also helps an agency explore suitable options when you’re working to a tighter deadline.

Ask yourself: have we explained the full scope of the booking, including how we want to use the content?

7. Give your chosen speaker a useful brief

Once you’ve made your choice, help the speaker understand the room.

Share the event’s purpose, audience profile, central message and wider agenda. Explain any relevant business developments, sensitive subjects or challenges the audience is facing. Be clear about timings, questions and the level of interaction you have in mind.

A briefing call gives both sides a chance to test ideas and agree where the speaker can add most value. Their outside perspective is part of what you’re booking, so leave room for them to shape how the message comes across.

Ask yourself: what context would help the speaker make this session feel relevant to the people attending?

Finding the right keynote speaker with Pomona Partners

You don’t need to arrive with a name in mind. A clear sense of your audience, objectives, date and budget gives us a starting point for finding someone who fits.

At Pomona Partners, we help event planners explore their options and connect with speakers who bring expertise, personality and a fresh perspective to the stage.

Organising a new business event? Explore our keynote and business event speakers, or get in touch to talk through your brief.