You probably don’t know this about speaking events😮

Before I became a speaker, I wasn’t aware of the different types of business models that events use, to create profit.

I also wasn’t aware of how many different ways a speaker can earn income from events. I also didn’t understand the different ways that speakers end up on a stage.

Most people assume the traditional business model. Sell a bunch of tickets, exceeding the cost of the venue rental and support, and pay the speaker fees. Mix in a few corporate sponsors, and profit is made. Usually no pitching or selling from stage. This is the “paid speaker” path, which I prefer.

Next up, there is the pitch-fest type events. This is when an event host invites speakers who have a high-dollar offer to sell on stage, and they agree to share a percentage of the sales with the host. Sometimes the speakers are there for free because of the potential sales, sometimes they even pay to get on that stage to pitch. This is the “pay to play speaker” path.

Now for the one you may not know about; The false influence events. These are events where the host pays a few recognizable names to speak, and then inserts relatively unknown speakers in between the main names. These unknown speakers pay $2K-30K each to get on that stage. That money pays for the celebrity speakers, and covers the cost of the event. The lure is hopeful recognition, having the ability to say you “shared a stage with (star)”. It’s clever marketing.

Then you have the recruitment events. These are often disguised as large events with hundreds of attendees, with dozens of speakers that you’ve never heard of. In most cases, those speakers are members of a group, and the event is hosted by the group leader. They created the event to give members stage time, but they also pitch membership and usually do the “buy a ticket and bring a friend free” offer. That free guest is hopefully the next recruited.

There are a several variations of these events. I hope this post raises your awareness, and saves you some time and money. As a hopeful speaker, you’ll also understand the game better.

-Tony