The After Dinner Speaker: Your Secret Weapon

Are you hosting a conference and worried your audience may not be as large as hoped? Are you planning an organisation’s annual dinner and hoping to make it memorable? Are you anxious about introducing your latest product or business technique to colleagues and employees? Are you organising an upcoming charity event and keen to boost attendance and donations? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it might be time to consider an after dinner speaker.

Many event organisers would agree that in any of the situations mentioned above, an after dinner speaker would be their weapon of choice. And in cases where the speaker is a little bit famous, their impact could be twofold. And that doesn’t just include convention, TV celebrities, but anyone who is respected in their own field.

In the business world, an after dinner speaker might attend anything from the dinner following an AGM, a training day or a conference. In this context, a speaker renowned for their knowledge or experience might be more handy than a conventional celebrity. Certainly, hiring an after dinner speaker with experience and a successful track record in the right field could add authority to new techniques you are trying to introduce.

The after dinner speaker is also highly useful to fundraisers. A famous face, provided he or she is appropriate to the charity and the expected audience can make a massive difference. Even before the event, the very mention of your celebrity after dinner speaker can arouse interest. Along with interest comes increased attendance and increased attendance almost certainly boosts funds. So be sure to make the most of your after dinner speaker.

Don’t fall into the trap of assuming it’ll be easy to choose an after dinner speaker. A showbiz, or television celebrity may be the obvious choice, but ensure that the audience’s age, gender and any common interests are taken into consideration before making any concrete decisions.