Top Guest Speakers In Australia

Simply put, a guest speaker is someone that is invited to a gathering to share their particular experiences and perspectives in a given context. While this is similar to a keynote speaker, at an event with multiple presenters e.g. a conference, a guest speaker will generally not be the headliner.

Guest speaker fees vary based on experience, knowledge, audience size, organisation type and length of presentation.

• Experience:

  • A guest speaker with 20 years of experience may demand a larger fee than a speaker earlier in their career. However, this may be balanced out by a relatively new but highly topical speaker

• Knowledge:

  • Expertise = $$$. A speaker who is a thought leader in a particular field will cost more than a lesser credentialed speaker.

• Organisation type:

  • This one comes down to both budget size and organisation demographic. Where a public school might only have a small budget allocated to host a guest speaker, a big corporate company could likely spend much more. However, in some circumstances, speakers may adjust their fee in order to cater to budget restrictions for certain organisations like charities.

• Audience size:

  • The rule of the bigger the audience, the bigger the fee typically applies here, but is also dependent on the organisation type.

• Length of presentation:

  • Similarly, a longer presentation will usually demand a larger budget. This is because speakers who present for a larger amount of time tend to be industry experts with an unparalleled level of knowledge.

Typically, we find a starting fee for guest speakers is around $2,000, but this figure can go upwards of $50k for speakers who are highly knowledgeable, well known and are presenting to a large audience. Want to understand more about how to budget for a guest speaker? You can read our full budget guide here.

This is a common question we receive at Pickstar, and the answer is provided by answering some important questions of your own! These include:

• What allotment of time do you have for the presentation?

• What is the age group of the audience?

• Do you want there to be interactive activities incorporated into the presentation?

• Are you wanting to have a Q&A session at the end of the speech?

Each of these factors are massively important to both the smooth running of the event and success of the presentation, and must be clearly communicated with the speaker prior to the event.

From our experience, here’s a bit of guidance for how long a speaker should present for:

10-15 minutes

Perfect for a product launch or staff day. Short and sharp, get a clear, concise point across without taking up too much time.

It also works well for a guest speaker joining a team meeting - either virtually or in-person. They’re able to provide some quick insights and then employees can get straight into their day with them in mind.

15-30 minutes

This is still a relatively short speech, but gives the guest speaker a bit more time to delve into a topic or story, plus give some time for questions at the end. An ideal length for sporting clubs wanting athletes to come out and motivate their team.

30-45 minutes

Our experience tells us this is a good length of time for a school group. It’s typically around the length of a normal lesson and with a short Q&A added onto the end, it can be a good length for a guest speaker in this environment.

45-60 minutes

This seems to be the sweet spot for most organisations based on post-event feedback. It’s long enough to really get into some meaty topics for the guest speaker, but not so long that people start to fade with concentration.

60 minutes +

For a guest speaker, this is becoming quite a long engagement. While the differences between guest speakers and keynote speakers can be subtle, this length of speech is probably more suitable for a keynote speaker where they are addressing more technical, industry specific topics.

Introducing your speaker serves as an important way to kick off their presentation on an enthusiastic note, establish the speaker’s credentials and suitability for the topic, emphasise the significance of the speech for the audience, and make the speaker feel welcomed and valued.

There a three key considerations when introducing your speaker:

• Keep it short.

  • Remember, it’s not about you. Take one sentence to introduce yourself and welcome the audience, use around two sentences to highlight the importance of the forthcoming speech, and then three or four sentences to outline the speaker’s credentials. Lastly, welcome the speaker and include their full name (with correct pronunciation).

• Do your research.

  • Knowing how to correctly pronounce the speaker’s name is the bare minimum. Learning your speaker’s credentials and presentation style is a great way to help you craft your introduction. Try to include a few key facts to convey their expertise or experience.

• Present with enthusiasm and confidence.

  • The introduction is your opportunity to show to the audience how excited they should be for the speech. At the end of your intro, lead the applause and greet your speaker.

Some things to avoid when introducing a speaker include:

• Trying too hard to be funny.

• Using clichés such as ‘this speaker needs no introduction’’.

• Rattling off their entire Wikipedia page or resume

• Touching on sensitive personal information like health or family. Leave that insight to the speaker.

Delivering a meaningful thank you after your speaker’s presentation is a valuable way to reinforce the key takeaways from the presentation, and make the speaker feel adequately appreciated for their time.

Three key elements of a good thank you speech include making it genuine, specific, and personalised.

• Genuine

  • This is the most important part of the thank you. Guest speakers often show great vulnerability and courage. Beginning your thank you by acknowledging these characteristics will go a long way in making them feel genuinely appreciated. Instead of using a cliché like ‘thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule’, make the impact of the speaker’s presentation known. How did you feel after the speech? Use adjectives like motivational, insightful and powerful.

• Specific

  • Your thank you speech is also your chance to highlight the impact of specific themes or points from their presentation. Incorporating these into your thank you will not only solidify the key takeaways for the audience, but also make the speaker feel like they were listened to. However, make sure not to just repeat parts of their speech, make it specific to your audience and similar to your introduction, keep it short and to the point.

• Personalised

  • Your research that you completed in order to properly introduce your speaker will also help you thank them. Have they recently received an award or honour of some other kind? Tie that into your takeaways and congratulate them. Are they visiting from far away or making a return home? Help make them feel that their presentation was both worth their time, and well received. Although not a requirement given that you have most likely paid for their time, a personalised gift can also be a nice way to display your gratitude.

We know it can be tough to book an event with confidence in a COVID-impacted world. That’s why we’re here to help with options to give you peace of mind when you make a booking through Pickstar.

1. Delay the booking - we’ll simply hold your booking for you until you’re able to complete it
2. Go virtual - COVID has forced us to adapt and we’re no different. We can arrange a virtual appearance from your star
3. Get a refund - if these options don’t work, we’re happy to provide a refund if cancelled prior to 48 hours before the event. If cancelled within 48 hours of event, we will provide a 50% refund of the booking fee.*

*In the case of Government regulated lockdowns, we will provide a full refund.

Not to worry! You can add them to your shortlist, and we will make every effort to put your request in front of them.

When a client and star agree to work together, Pickstar requires a 50% deposit to confirm the booking. Booking deposits are non-refundable if you cancel after booking a star. If a star cancels and Pickstar is unable to find a suitable replacement, we will refund the full amount you have paid us.

If you book within 14 days of your event, we will require the full payment within 7 days and prior to the event to confirm the booking. If the sports star does not turn up to the event, Pickstar will provide a full refund.

Marketing agencies and approved clients may qualify for customised payment terms. Contact us to discuss.