The Brief

Our team starts by understanding not only the where and when your event is taking place, but more importantly what impact you as a client want to have on your audience and what emotional legacy you want them to be left with long after the event has taken place. Each of our clients has a dedicated JLA Account Manager who works with you to learn your culture, working processes and the way you run your events to build an ever-growing understanding of how to give you the best possible service.

The Ideas

Once we know what you are looking for at your event, we provide you with a shortlist of suggested talent to fit your brief – which comes complete with all the relevant biographies, photos, links to other speeches and our personal insights to help you narrow down your choice. Once you have selected your preferred shortlist, we will quickly check with the talent to ensure they are available and help and advise with any other considerations to help you make your final decision.

The Detail

From this point, JLA’s three decades of experience will help you on every step of your journey to the event. We ensure your chosen speaker is briefed to deliver the best possible performance on the day. We are on hand to support confirmation of hotels, flights, transport and make sure that every part of the logistics are organised. We do this while keeping an eye on the less-obvious details to help make sure that, where relevant, all aspects of copyright, publicity, production equipment, dress codes and even things like dietary requirements are considered; it’s the little things that can make the difference between a seamless experience, or a problem that can throw the less experienced off course.

Making sure you and the talent are aligned on all logistics is only half the task. We are also the conduit to ensure the performance is perfectly pitched to create the best impact. We can organise and attend a briefing call to ensure the talent understands the cultural background, commercial context and reasoning behind your event. We help make sure it’s not just the desired content that’s understood and agreed, but ensure there is a nuanced understanding of the emotional impact that the speaker needs to have.

The Dedication

Your dedicated JLA Account Manager will guide you through every aspect from the initial suggestions all the way to the final performance and we are always on hand to support you at every step. On the rare occasions something unforeseeable happens, we have years of experience and are on call round the clock to make sure any issues are resolved. We love what we do, and we ensure we do it better than anyone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good conference speaker?

A good conference speaker delivers a mixture of inspiration and insights. The best guest speakers share their experience and invite the audience to draw parallels, without telling them how to run their organisation. As with all speeches, the secret lies in story telling rather than graphs.

What is a speaker bureau?

A speaker bureau advises which speakers, presenters or performers match the buyers’ objectives and budget. They do not normally represent the talent exclusively, so the advice offered is ostensibly impartial. Unlike theatrical and model agencies, the buyer is the client – not the talent.

What is the best agency for booking speakers?

The best speaker agencies listen to the brief, deliver on their promise and elicit the desired audience reaction. This is still a ‘human’ business – relying on in depth knowledge, relationships and integrity. The last matters because speaker fees vary enormously, giving free range to rogue agents.

Where can I find a keynote speaker?

Keynote speakers are a conference highlight, so the stakes are high when setting out to find one. Unless you know who you want and you’ve seen them speak, you will need expert advice from a reputable agency or bureau. Write a detailed brief, interrogate their proposals and ask for relevant reviews.

Where can I find a motivational speaker?

There are as many types of motivational speaker as there are styles of dress – from Paralympians to entrepreneurs to so-called ‘performance gurus.’ And there are good and less good in each category. The best way to find out who’s right for your audience is to ask a speaker bureau for a range of suggestions.

What do you base your recommendations on?
Before recommending options for a speaker, presenter or performer, we will discuss your expectations, event goals, audience, budget and theme. With over 30 years of experience placing speakers and artists in every type of event possible, all over the world, and with details of over 11,000 speakers on our database, we are confident we will be able to recommend the best fit for you.
Will I get to brief the keynote speaker or presenter I have booked?
Yes, when you book a speaker, presenter or host through JLA we will arrange a pre-event briefing call to ensure their content fits with your event and audience. We will discuss a written brief to be provided before the call, and maintain and organise any further communication required up to the event itself.
What happens if my booked speaker, presenter or performer is ill?
All of the speakers, presenters and performers JLA work with have proved themselves to be reliable, conscientious professionals and they will not cancel an engagement lightly. In the unlikely event your chosen artist cancels due to illness or any other reason, your JLA account manager will inform you as soon as possible and immediately start exploring a suitable replacement, ensuring minimal disruption to your event. Situations like this are covered in JLA’s terms and conditions, so please contact us to understand more about how we support you.
How do I know a speaker or event host will work in my conference?
Before recommending speaker or host options, we will discuss your expectations, event goals, audience, budget and theme. Using our years of industry experience, knowledge and insight of speakers and hosts, we will guide you in selecting the right person. We will discuss the brief for the speaker/host, and arrange a pre-event briefing call to align expectations and ensure their talk and presentation style is relevant and impactful.
What is the benefit of working with a speaker bureau / why shouldn’t I just contact someone online?
While in some cases you may be able to contact a speaker directly, using a speaker bureau like JLA saves you time, offers more options, and ensures a seamless process. We provide easy access to a wide range of talent and offer expert recommendations and insights tailored to your event’s goals and budget. We also manage all negotiations, contracts, briefing and logistics, minimising the risk of any issues.
In the unlikely event the speaker cancels due to illness, we will also be there to arrange a suitable replacement with the minimum of disruption to your event.
What do I need to consider when thinking about booking a keynote speaker?
Consider your event’s overall goals, the audience, and the themes you plan to explore, as well as the budget you can dedicate to a speaker. The speaker should align with these elements, engaging attendees, and leaving a lasting impact. Think about the presentation style that will resonate with your audience – whether it’s a motivational speech to start the day, an expert offering crucial insights into the world or market you operate in, or an interactive session designed to improve performance. If you’re unsure about what will work for your goals and people, JLA is here to help you refine and define these details.

JLA Presents

International Women's Day Event Image
Event - 04/02/2025 - 09:00

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day 2025

Speakers
Maryam Moshiri, Maggie Alphonsi, Penny Mordaunt, and Dr Julia Ebner

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is Accelerate Action, a call to take urgent steps to prioritise gender equality through addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face. We are pleased to welcome a panel of speakers who have achieved remarkable things in their respective fields.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH

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Event - - Date TBC

Speakers Breakfast

Racing to High Performance with Guenther Steiner and Paul McKenna

Speakers
Paul McKenna and Guenther Steiner

Date TBC.  We will be looking at high-performance and mindset with our two excellent speakers.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH

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