At JLA, we provide hundreds of after-dinner speakers each year, and humour is the key attribute of many enquiries.
Whether it is a comedian who comes on after pudding for twenty minutes of stand-up or a string of anecdotes masterfully woven together, entertaining after-dinner speakers are hard to beat. Telling good jokes is an essential skill for after-dinner speakers, and the ability to deliver meaningful content that keeps an audience captivated over coffee can add tremendous value to organisations.
What is an after dinner speaker, and should I hire one?
After dinner speakers are notable personalities who come from all walks of life. Our fantastic roster of personalities includes:
- Sporting speakers
- Stage and screen speakers
- Inspirational speakers
- Business speakers
- Political speakers
- General interest speakers
These speakers seamlessly integrate into any conference or event. They will pick proceedings up after dinner with entertaining, engaging speeches centered around the themes of the evening.
After-dinner speeches are ordinarily light and informal. They effortlessly weave poignant messages, humorous stories, personal experiences, anecdotes, inspirational insights, and commentary on key topics. By employing the help of an experienced speaker, you will re-engage your audience and undoubtedly provide one of the highlights of an entertaining evening.
With this in mind, we have compiled a selection of the best after dinner speakers who deliver valuable insight and the occasional one-liner.
Kelly Holmes
Double Olympic Gold Medallist
One of the most recognisable and well-respected British Athletes of her generation, Kelly Holmes is a speaker who audiences rightly get excited about. Her story is inspirational, charting the ups and downs of remarkable career that led to one of the most memorable Olympic performances of the modern era.
When it comes to resilience there are few speakers that can match Kelly’s will to succeed, something that becomes clear as both a conference speaker and after dinner speaker.
Robert Guest
Deputy Editor, The Economist
The Foreign Editor at The Economist brings up to date geopolitical insight, creating an image of what is happening in the world that is both coherent and compelling. Robert has travelled the globe researching areas as diverse as political upheaval Africa; what Trump means for business; and the implications of the rise of China for Asia and the West.
Robert’s speeches shift depending on the events of the day, as he ties in the different strands of world events. With such a broad range of interests, Robert’s challenge seems to be what to leave out, rather than what to put in – something of a theme amongst political after dinner speakers!
Ellis Watson
Business Leader
Drawing stories from a varied career, Ellis is a hugely entertaining speaker who has dealt with some of the biggest names in business and entertainment, from Murdoch to Cowell.
Very funny and charismatic, Ellis’ real skill is taking on a brief and ensuring that his content resonates with the audience, leaving people motivated and with actionable messages that they can take away and apply at work. Having the audience rolling in their seats while leaving them with useful takeaways is quite the skill.
Hannah Fry
Mathematician & Broadcaster
Interesting stories are a key tool for after dinner speakers, and a look through Hannah Fry’s research is both entertaining and gives real insight in to the uses and failures of data.
Hannah uses some fascinating examples around how data science and mathematics can be used to solve problems as varied as shopping habits, transport and violent crime. Her latest book examines the machine learning and artificial intelligence, exploring whether we should believe the hype, what is possible at the moment and in the future.
If you’d like to discuss any of these after dinner speakers or enquire about additional acts, hosts or conference speaker suggestions, please get in touch with JLA.