Frequently Asked Questions on After Dinner Speakers
What is an After Dinner Speaker?
An after dinner speaker is a guest speaker who delivers an entertaining, insightful, or inspirational speech at a dinner (sometimes a lunch) event, typically at or towards the end of the dinner. From a variety of backgrounds, they can tell their story and offer insights in an engaging, often amusing way. Depending on their background and message, their speech may contain varying degrees of humour. For example, a former politician could balance some serious analysis and insights with a few amusing stories, or alternatively they could deliver a speech almost entirely of entertaining tales of meeting famous people, what really happens in government, and strange parliamentary rules.
What do After Dinner Speakers talk about?
After dinner speakers can combine insight, humour, ideas and inspiration. They might cover topics such as personal or team success stories, business leadership, or a behind-the-scenes look at politics, media or sport. Sports figures and adventurers share tales of endurance and dedication, while others discuss current affairs or industry trends, both alongside stories that are lighter in tone.
You may feel a famous or recognisable name is important, or it might be that the speaker’s content or delivery matters more. JLA’s knowledge and experience covering a vast number of speakers, over hundreds of events, can help guide you towards the right one for your event.
How long will an After Dinner Speaker speak for?
Most after dinner speeches typically last between 25 to 35 minutes, providing a balance of engagement and entertainment. Some speakers can adjust their speech to be shorter or slightly longer to suit your needs (although longer may risk the audience’s attention drifting after drinks and a meal). It can sometimes be appropriate for the speaker to take questions from the audience, which you may need to account for. Most speeches take place after or towards the end of the meal, but the content or style of the speaker, or the agenda for the evening, may mean placing the speech during or before the meal. To discuss factors like duration and content,
contact JLA.
How much do After Dinner Speakers cost?
JLA work with a wide range of clients, from small businesses and trade associations to global brands and organisations. We understand that budgets can vary considerably by client and the nature of the event. We offer access to after dinner speakers across a broad spectrum of fees, from a few thousand pounds to six-figure sums. That said, as we work with speakers that bring a certain level of achievement, experience and/or recognition, we may not always be able to accommodate very low budgets. If you’d like to explore what kind of speaker might be possible within your budget, please
contact JLA.
What’s the difference between an After Dinner Speaker and a stand up comedian?
The two are often confused. An after dinner speaker’s role is not generally to tell jokes but to tell stories, often lighter in tone, from their life and experience. These stories often reveal something unexpected about people or situations the audience are familiar with. After dinner speakers come from a particular area – politics, sport, media, business – and so combine an insight into those worlds with their story and amusing things they’ve experienced.
Conversely, a comedian’s sole aim is to entertain the audience with a crafted performance similar to that you would see in a club or on TV. Although some elements of their performance will be adjusted to take account of the event and audience, they will aim to perform their strongest, funniest routine. After dinner speakers will carefully tailor their stories to who is in the room and what would most interest them. One way to look at this is: a comedian will view a room as a group of individuals to entertain; an after dinner speaker will view a room as an invited audience with a shared interest (an organisation or industry) and will seek to balance insights and stories based on that.
Another difference between the two is whether the speaker/performer joins the audience for dinner. A comedian will almost never join attendees for dinner (there are a very small number of exceptions) and so are not really a presence throughout the evening. Their performance simply forms a key part of the event. Almost every after dinner speaker joins attendees for the meal and often pre-dinner drinks etc. This means they can understand the event and audience more, whilst comedians preserve their performance in order to create maximum impact when on stage.
Finally, comedians will always require things like a stage, lighting etc. whilst an after dinner speaker can, if required (and depending on the size of the room), often address the room by simply standing at the table they’ve joined.
Do we get to brief our After Dinner Speaker ahead of the event?
Yes, when you book an after dinner speaker through JLA we will arrange a pre-event briefing call between you, your team, and the speaker to make sure their content fits with your event and audience. We will also discuss a written brief to be provided to the speaker before the call, so they have an early overview of the evening, and maintain and organise any further communication, as required, up to the event itself.
