Five Things to Check Before You Sign the Speaker Contract
Congratulations! You have identified and finalized the speaker for your event. You have successfully negotiated and agreed upon a fee.
You have confirmed the date of the engagement. And you are ready to sign the speaker agreement. Right? Wait!
Once you sign the agreement, you have very little wiggle room to change anything.
So, hold off on signing the contract until you have checked the following:
Legal Review
Did you send the contract to your legal team for review? When they scan the document with their legal eye, they’d be able to catch stuff that you might not have thought of. It is the responsibility of the legal team to look out for the best interest of the organization and protect the organization against potential threats. They’d appreciate you looping them in early so they can look out for any clauses that may not serve the organization well. For example, they’d be able to add an out clause in the contract in the event the speaker cancels the engagement or gets embroiled in a controversy that your organization would want to steer clear of.
Finance Approval
While you might be aware of the speaker budget you need to work with, it is always a good idea to give your finance team a heads-up. Most speakers ask for a portion of their payment upfront to lock-in their engagement. Some speakers want a donation made to a charitable organization of their choice as their payment. Many others might want their payment in installments and provide a timeline. Bringing in your finance team early in the process will allow them to plan and make sure the payments are made in an orderly and timely manner.
Executive Buy-In
Make sure your executive team and senior leaders are onboard with the speaker you selected. They might have personal likes/dislikes or opinions about certain speakers. Make sure they are happy with your selection and excited about the speaker. As mentioned in our previous posts, a speaking engagement could pave the path for a long-term partnership between your organization and the speaker. If your executives and senior leaders are as thrilled with your speaker choice as you, they’ll embrace the speaker more whole-heartedly. They’d be willing to invest the time and the effort to educate the speaker about your business, purpose and mission—thereby building a long-term relationship with the speaker.
Event and Logistics Plan
Whether you have an in-house event planning team or an external vendor, make sure they are aware of the speaker requirements before signing the contract. A speaker might have specific requirements including audio visual, stage setup, transportation needs, on-site security or a secret entrance to avoid being stopped by the crowd. You might not be fully aware of the venue and the site plan. So, check with the events team to ensure you can comply with the special requests before you sign the contract.
Marketing and Promotion Opportunities
Many speakers require that you do not broadcast their engagement live. Some require that you get all photos, video clips and other marketing materials including press releases, blog posts and social media posts approved before sharing with public. Work closely with your marketing team so they can figure out the best way to work with the speaker on promotion opportunities. If the speaker is willing to help promote the event through social media or other channels, your marketing, audience acquisition and events team would be thrilled to leverage that speaker for promotion opportunities.
At ROKK Speakers, we believe every event and every speaking engagement is an opportunity to elevate an organization’s brand, vision and mission.
We have a proven track record of helping organizations find the speakers that best suit their needs. If you are looking to secure a speaker for your next event, email us today.