This week, Pam is on the west coast, leading several presentations about social media and marketing at the CU Conference Social Media Conference in Seattle. Speaking engagements can be a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Pam is always jetting off to different conferences to share her knowledge and meet other industry experts face to face. If you haven’t considered speaking engagements as a way to market your brand and meet new potential clients, it’s time to get started! We’ll share with you a few key ways to find speaking opportunities.
- Colleges and Universities
Colleges are a great place to start. Are you part of an alumni organization? Reach out to professors and administrators and ask if there are any opportunities to lead educational forums. You can invite not only students and faculty, but also alumni and community members.
2. Networking Group
Networking groups can be a great resource for any business owner. They provide the opportunity to meet and learn from other business owners, find leads and find opportunities to get exposure for your business. Networking groups may be the first to find out about conferences and other opportunities for speaking engagements. Let the group know that you are interested in speaking and see what kind of connections you can make.
3. You Clients
Your very own clients can help you find speaking engagements. They are already tapped into their own industries and know about industry-specific conferences and events. Let them know that you’d be happy to speak on their behalf at these events.
4. Online Conference Directories
The internet has many great resources for finding speaking engagements and conferences. Check out AllConferences.com, Lanyard, Conferensum and Conferize for online directories of conferences all over the world. You can even customize your conference preferences and will be sent listings of conferences that meet your needs.
5. Speaker Directories
There are also companies that are like matchmakers for speakers. For a fee, you can be listed in their speaker directories and matched with others who are looking for speakers for events. A few of these services are Speaker Services and Speaker Zone.