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BigSpeak Agents Book Speakers from Coast to Coast

Big things happening at BigSpeak!

It’s been a busy but exciting month around here. From California to Texas, to Florida, and Ontario, Canada, agents represented BigSpeak from coast to coast

Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been up to.

Most O.G. Booking
Rapper, actor, and entrepreneurial extraordinaire Ice-T. Craig Sherman booked Ice for a September event in Canada.

Speaking of Canada…

Kyle Munger and Steve Wozniak paid a visit to our friendly neighbors to the north where the Apple co-founder spoke at an event for Audi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When in Canada…visit Kevin O’Leary HQ. Kyle also stopped by to see BigSpeak friends Nancy Cheun, Director of Public Relations of O’Leary Financial Group, and Alex Kenjeev, President of O’Leary Ventures ( Kevin O’Leary stand-in and body double was there too!).

 

Dirtiest Booking
Mike Rowe. The “Dirty Jobs” host was booked by BigSpeak President Barrett Cordero for an event in Florida where he talked about “Happy, Dirty People”

Gold Medal Touchdown Events

Amy Dernus booked former NFL star Kurt Warner for an event in sunny Palm Springs, CA.

 

Kurt played offense for the St. Louis Rams. His rise to success is one of the sports most more fascinating stories. Bypassed by the big Division I colleges, and at one point working the graveyard shift stocking shelves at a supermarket so he could stay in football shape during the day, Warner, a 28-year-old no-name back-up, catapulted to stardom in 1999, driving the Rams to Super Bowl Victory and winning MVP along the way.

Sondra Ulin brought Olympic gold medal swimmer Amy Van Dyken to Texas to talk thinking like a champion (and the Cowboys).

 

Van Dyken has made a career out of beating the odds, both in and out of the pool.The record-breaking swimmer fought back from a shoulder injury to win two gold medals in 2000 in Sydney— adding to the four she had already won in Atlanta in 1996 and making her one of the few Olympians to win all gold medals. In June of 2014, Amy suffered an ATV accident that severed her spinal cord leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Despite doctors giving her only a 20 percent chance of surviving the surgery, Amy beat the odds once again and continues to inspire with her message.

 

Most FUBUlous Booking
Daymond John. The FUBU clothing founder and Shark Tank shark was booked by Lisa Gerlach for another event in…can you guess?… the Lone Star State.

Now Representing

Eric O’Neill, former FBI agent and cyber security expert

David Ferrucci, artificial intelligence researcher who led the IBM Watson team.

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BigSpeak Making Big Things Happen

BigSpeak Team

BigSpeak: It’s kind of a big deal. While you may not know about the Santa Barbara–based speakers bureau, there’s a good chance you’ve heard one of their keynote speakers if you work or study in town. Since its founding in 1995 out of CEO Jonathan Wygant’s garage, the business has grown in very big ways, booking speaking engagements at 65 percent of the nation’s Fortune 1000 companies with names including Marc Randolph (cofounder of Netflix), Fredrik Eklund, Jay Leno, and Emmitt Smith among a huge roster of innovators and thinkers in the commerce, sports, science, and leadership fields. Booking speakers for companies both hometown — such as Yardi, Deckers, Ontraport, and Procore — and global — such as Google, Honda, and Coca-Cola — BigSpeak, whose revenue doubled from three years ago, was recognized by Inc.com as one of America’s fastest growing companies for the second year in a row.

Wygant started BigSpeak to service companies that sought better professional development for their employees. Initially named Consciousness Unlimited, the bureau enlists speakers who emphasize the human element of the work environment and the importance of re-investing in employee potential, social responsibility, and conscientious work cultures.

“The overtone is that anything is possible within any individual, but you need information and inspiration to provoke that, to inspire transformation and help them evolve,” said BigSpeak President Barrett Cordero. “There is real value in human assets — humans are the ones driving innovation and growth, and now more than ever, companies are investing a lot in their people.” Offering innovative insights on not just familiar topics such as leadership, HR, and sales but also A.I., futurism, and emotional intelligence, “we’re moving needles in corporate America,” said Ken Sterling, executive V.P. and chief learning officer.

BigSpeak’s talent helps companies adapt to a rapidly modernizing marketplace, touching on everything from the rise of social media to the ever-elusive millennial demographic. They book with a keen sense for client matchmaking — what speakers would work best with which culture — occasionally even saving clients monies compared to direct bookings. “We’re experts on these experts,” Cordero said.

Though most of their business is global, BigSpeak certainly maintains a Santa Barbara vibe, with “Life Is Good” as an operating motto and a top-down emphasis on health and fitness, remote work, and leisurely Fridays. A whiteboard in their office measures not just professional goals but personal ones, such as volunteering locally, doing more yoga, and starting a family. “BigSpeak acts like a 20-year-old startup,” said Amber McEldowney, marketing associate. “BigSpeak values life outside of work.”

In spreading that message widely through presentations more empowering than the usual PowerPoint, BigSpeak is improving business culture around the world, and there’s only room to grow. Expect more big things to come.

 

This article originally appeared in the Santa Barbara Independent on January 2, 2017 

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Why Work With a Speakers Bureau?

Working with a speakers bureau gets you access to the world’s most exclusive and effective keynote speakers and ensures professional expertise to match the best speaker to your event. Speakers bureaus also provide guidance with logistics and contracts, providing peace of mind and the luxury of being able to focus time and energy on the event itself.

Hiring a professional keynote speaker to motivate and inspire an audience can be a daunting and logistically confusing process. As event organizers know well, finding the right person for a keynote address often becomes more involved than it initially seemed, and planners usually spend undue amounts of time wrestling with details, when they should be focusing on the event.

Of course, there’s a sense of satisfaction that comes with a “Do it Yourself” project, but none more so than painlessly executing a blowout event and hearing glowing feedback from enthusiastic attendees. For many event planners, it’s simply easier and more effective to partner with a speakers bureau, confident in the knowledge that they will always deliver the best speaker possible.

Here are five reasons to work with a speakers bureau for your next event.

1. Expertise

Bureaus have extensive experience pairing the needs of an event with a speaker, ensuring that the keynote always resonates with your audience. There are many talented keynote speakers in the world (you probably know a few), but each speaker excels in different settings. Just getting a famous speaker for an event doesn’t mean they can tap into the expectations and feelings of the audience. However, speakers bureaus know exactly how each business, motivational, and celebrity speaker works with any type of crowd.

For example, Diana Nyad is perfect for motivational speeches about overcoming obstacles and Tan Le is wonderful for putting a similar spin on tech and entrepreneurship topics. But when picking who to hire for a keynote speech, it sometimes can be a difficult choice. Working with a speakers bureau will help to make the choice easier.

2. Extensive Networks

The high caliber speakers you really want tend to be difficult to contact. Celebrity speakers, motivational speakers, speakers like Magic Johnson (NBA Hall-of-Famer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist), all have jam-packed schedules and multiple gatekeepers. But the network at a speakers bureau enables you to get timely responses and exact quotes on their fees.

Regardless of price range, a bureau provides access to a wide array of speaking contacts; you may even find an ideal keynote speaker within their ranks you had not considered.

3. Logistical Know-How

Preparing for a keynote address is surprisingly complicated. Aside from the proper audio equipment, planners need to coordinate travel, hotel, per diems, contract logistics, and more. Letting a bureau cover these details creates a hands-free experience for you, and ensures that no box will be left unchecked.

4. Quality

No one likes to admit it, but not all speeches are created equal. The demonstrated quality that bureaus provide is often the most valuable thing when finding a speaker for your event. Professional assurances count — there’s no sense in risking it. Knowing a speaker is fully vetted and guaranteed to deliver a powerful keynote makes all the difference in the days leading to your event.

5. Peace of Mind

Just like hiring a professional photographer for a wedding, working with a speakers bureau lends you peace of mind that the results will be top notch, and that the event will go off without a hitch. There are hundreds of details that coordinators need to consider for an event, and the last thing you should have to worry about is the quality of your keynote speaker.

When you’re confident that your speaker is going to blow it out of the water, everything else tends to flow more smoothly. The most important part of the event is already taken care of.

To book a keynote speaker for your next conference or event contact Criag Sherman at CraigS@BigSpeak.com or call 805.965.1400

This article originally appeared on the BigSpeak blog.