For Event Planners
10 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Keynote Speaker
You have found a speaker you are excited about. The reel is compelling, the bio checks out, the fee is in range. Before you send the contract, there are ten questions worth asking, either directly or through their bureau.
These are not only due diligence. They are signal. A speaker who answers thoughtfully and specifically has done this at a high level for a long time. One who hedges or gives you a polished non-answer is telling you something too.
The Ten Questions
What does your customization process look like?
The most important question on the list. A genuinely customized speaker will describe a specific discovery process: a call with the organizer, an audience survey, a review of your theme and recent organizational context, or some combination. They should be able to tell you exactly what they do to make the content feel written for your room, because the best ones actually write it that way.
Can you share footage from a recent event similar to ours?
Demo reels are curated highlight packages. What you want is a full keynote, or at minimum an unedited 20 to 30 minute clip, from an event matching yours in format, audience size, and industry. Someone who commands a 500-person healthcare conference is a different animal from someone who thrives in a 50-person retreat.
What is your cancellation and backup policy?
Speakers get sick, flights get cancelled, emergencies happen. Understand in advance what occurs if they cannot make it. Does the bureau have a backup they can deploy? What are the financial terms when the cancellation originates with the speaker? Ideally your contract requires reasonable efforts to find an equally qualified substitute at no additional cost.
Have you spoken to our industry or audience type before?
Industry experience matters more than most planners realize. Someone who has presented to healthcare audiences understands the emotional weight of that room in a way a generalist does not. Ask for specifics: which organizations, what events, what outcomes.
What do you need from us to deliver your best work?
Great speakers are partners rather than performers. The best have specific requirements that measurably improve the result: a pre-event call with leadership, a detailed brief, a particular AV setup, a backstage moment before going on. The answer tells you what to provide and whether they are invested enough in outcomes to know what they need.
Can you provide three references from recent events?
Ask, then actually call them. Three things matter: did the speaker customize meaningfully, how did the room respond, and would you book them again. Those three answers tell you more than any page of testimonials. A good bureau offers references proactively.
What is and is not included in the fee?
Most fees cover the keynote itself, with travel, hotel and ground transport billed separately. Some speakers charge for prep calls beyond a set duration, VIP meet-and-greet time, book signings, or rights to record and distribute. Others include all of it. Get clarity before signing rather than at reconciliation.
What is your AV and technical rider?
Every professional has requirements. Some are simple: a lavalier mic, a confidence monitor, a specific clicker. Others involve sound configuration, lighting, or virtual backgrounds for hybrid components. Get the rider early and confirm the venue can accommodate it. A keynote undone by a mic problem is painful and almost always preventable with 30 minutes of planning.
Are you available for pre-event or post-event engagement?
Many speakers will extend beyond the keynote: a VIP breakfast with sponsors, a pre-conference workshop, a book signing, a post-event Q&A, or social content tied to the event. Some include these, others price them as add-ons. Asking opens the door to a richer agenda and more access for your audience.
What do you want the audience to feel when they leave?
The question most planners never think to ask, and the answer is revealing. Someone who names a clear, specific outcome, such as wanting people to feel equipped rather than inspired, has thought deeply about impact.
The best speakers are obsessive about impact. They do not just want to deliver a good keynote, they want to know it changed something, and that orientation shows up in how they answer.
Working Through a Bureau
Much of this gets answered before you pick up the phone. We vet speakers on these dimensions continuously, so we know which ones customize thoroughly, what their technical riders are, who their reference contacts are, what the backup plan is, and where their real strengths sit by audience type. We ask on your behalf so you can move faster.
Even so, it is worth asking directly on your discovery call. How a speaker engages with these questions, the specificity and the focus on your outcome rather than their performance, tells you what kind of partner they will be on the day.
Related Reading
How to Choose a Keynote Speaker | How to Write a Speaker Brief | The Booking Process | Speaker Fees | Cancellation Policies | For Event Planners
Want us to ask these for you?
Tell us who you are considering and what your event needs. We will come back with honest answers on customization, references, riders and fit, whether the speaker is on our roster or not.