With annual user and client conferences, keynote speakers are the stars

User conferences and client conferences keep increasing in popularity, and for good reason: They’re the Oscars of business.

These events bring together employees, clients, and partners to network, share knowledge, and highlight a business’s products and services. In the process, they become unbeatable opportunities for companies, allowing organizers to leverage customer learning to instill customer loyalty.

If user and client conferences are the Oscars, the keynote speakers are the star of the show. So let’s deconstruct the qualities of these two similar conferences and the ways in which a keynote speaker is essential for both.

User Conferences

User conferences offer exquisite opportunities for businesses to engage with their customers, partners, and prospects to showcase their products and demonstrate their industry expertise. Some of the best examples of these events include HubSpot’s Inbound conference - attracting 24,000 attendees on a typical year, with keynote speakers that have ranged from Shonda Rimes to Michelle Obama; Salesforce’s Dreamforce, with keynote speakers that have ranged from Barack Obama to Apple CEO Tim Cook; and the Adobe Max conference, with keynote speakers that have included filmmaker Ava DuVernay and musician Tyler, The Creator.

No wonder why user conferences are particularly common within the software industry: they allow companies to showcase their latest product updates, future roadmaps, and technological innovations. They help companies align their strategies with customer expectations, which, as we all know, is crucial for business growth and user retention. Above all, these conferences help to grow their users into raving fans.

Annual Client Conferences

Annual client conferences, which often involve the finance and insurance sectors, provide an invaluable opportunity to strengthen relationships and improve client retention.

When done well, people look forward to these conferences each year. Loyal attendees appreciate the level of thought that the host company invests in providing value to attendees, offering up education that goes well beyond the company’s products. Above all, audiences notice that a successful user conference carefully selects a keynote speaker for these events.

The goal of client conferences is to build long term relationships. Typically, attendees have some sort of a financial stake in the sponsoring company, and when they can interact directly with the firm's professionals, they get a sense of transparency and trust. These events serve as an excellent stage to showcase the firm's expertise and services and unveil innovative offerings.

Both of these annual conferences are trying to achieve the same thing: demonstrate value. The keynote speaker plays a big fat part in reaching that goal.

Truly, a keynote speaker’s role in the success of annual conferences cannot be overstated. A keynote speaker is the backbone of an annual conference. They significantly boost the event's appeal, help attract a larger audience, and help lead to significant business opportunities for attendees.

A great keynote speaker can inspire attendees to learn, grow, and take action while offering valuable insights that help them do so. They might shed light on market trends or innovative strategies. And then, a speaker can leave attendees of annual conferences feeling inspired to act on what they’ve learned. The engagement they spur can potentially lead to deeper client loyalty, increased business, and heightened brand visibility.

Consequently, the strength and image of your brand within these events can impact whether your attendees not only return to your conference again, but also how they interact with your organization in the future.

Because there’s so much at stake with user and client conferences, organizers are tempted to press the easy button and hire the most famous celebrity they can find. But beware: celebrity speakers are fantastic if they do well, but they’re an expensive mistake and a lost opportunity when they fall flat.

If your keynote is truly impactful for each individual in the audience, it doesn't matter if the speaker is an unrecognizable nobody who would never get past the velvet ropes of any respectable club: The audience will come back next year.

When it comes to user or client conferences, keynote speakers must also be exceptional communicators and performers.

Ultimately, people invest their time and money in attending user conferences and client conferences to level up and grow in their careers. They expect to learn about new technologies, products, and services that are disrupting their industries, and to get motivated and inspired to explore new opportunities.

While the entire conference has a role to play in delivering this experience, the keynote speaker carries an outsized share of this expectation. Conference attendees take their seats at a keynote presentation with a certain level of breathless anticipation for the fresh perspective and novel insights that they’re about to receive from a speaker. If that speaker falls flat, the entire conference can feel like a disappointing waste of time.

For all of these reasons, choosing the right keynote speaker is a critical element in ensuring a successful annual conference.

To hone in on your message and properly vet speakers, you need to ask three questions before you start your speaker search:

Question #1: What is the one element or message that should be woven into the core of the entire event?

A speaker’s background and approach should align with your annual conference’s theme and the audience's interest. A speaker known for their humor might not be a good fit for a serious financial conference, while a technical expert might be perfect for a conference focusing on innovation.

Question #2: What is the intended outcome for the speaker you’re looking to hire?

Having a clear idea about what you want to achieve with your keynote address for your annual conference will guide your selection process. Do you want to educate your clients about a new product or service? Or perhaps you want to inspire them to adopt new strategies or technologies?

Question #3: What speaker qualities will you need?

Will your audience prefer an industry expert who can provide valuable insights or a motivational speaker who can inspire them to reach greater heights? Keep your budget in mind during your search, and remember, an expensive speaker doesn’t always mean they’ll provide the most value to your event. Do your homework: look at reviews or feedback from previous speaking engagements.

An outstanding keynote speaker at your annual user or client conference can offer unparalleled value. Their ability to set the tone, share experiences and expertise, provide entertainment, and add credibility makes them an essential element of any successful conference or event.

So when your company’s Oscars rolls around, make sure that the speaker walking down your red carpet is guaranteed to win. Success begets success: when your conference develops a reputation of featuring truly impactful speakers, people will come back year after year and pay for the experience of being enveloped in your brand.

Post by Joshua White