SpeakerMatch is a marketing/leads service for speakers. As such, it’s not a speakers bureau and does not screen candidates for event organizers or collect commissions from speakers.
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The site lists 30-50 engagements per month in its database, which you can search for by date, location, topic requirements, and many other criteria.
Event organizers post their speaker needs on the SpeakerMatch website, where the listing is viewed by SpeakerMatch member speakers, who in turn contact the meeting planners or submit their materials for review.
About 70 percent of the SpeakerMatch listings are for low-fee and no-fee engagements, while the remaining 30 percent are for engagements that pay $500 and up. The site lists 30-50 engagements per month in its database, which you can search for by date, location, topic requirements, and many other criteria. Each engagement represents multiple speaker openings. One engagement, for example, may require 25 speakers.
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SpeakerMatch says it is the only service of its kind when it comes to matching speakers and speaking opportunities.
“By allowing organizations to post open calls for speakers on our site for no cost, they are broadening their search to a wealth of the top fresh, creative, and strategic thinkers in the country,” says the website. “Because the people searching our site are actively searching for speaking engagements, organizations are guaranteed to find motivated talent eager to please.”
SpeakerMatch is the brainchild of Bryan Caplovitz, a former business technology consultant. In trying to build market share for his consulting firm, Caplovitz says he saw the need for somewhere non-professional speakers could find speaking opportunities. He saw the Internet as an ideal way to bring speakers and opportunities together, and SpeakerMatch was born.
SpeakerMatch membership for speakers is $50 monthly or $500 annually, with a money-back guarantee. Membership for meeting planners is without charge.
SpeakerMatch opened for business in January 2002, under the name of Simply Speaking and changed it service name in July 2003. The site offers an affiliate program.
Additional information at www.SpeakerMatch.com.
Mequoda Comment
We like the simplicity of this concept and the value it represents to people trying to jump start their professional speaker career. As with all membership websites, it would be interesting to know how many members SpeakerMatch.com has and what their renewal rates is.
This is a business model that could be duplicated for many freelancers and other specialty job seekers—actors, musicians, comedians, and other entertainers, for instance.
