Oklahoma City star Chris Paul took part in SAP’s digitally reimagined Take Your Child To Work Day.YouTube / SAP
The last in-person speaking event Melissa Baron went to was a private, corporate event with a big-name sports speaker she had booked in Atlanta on March 11.
Baron, head of speakers at Excel Sports Management, flew home to New York and two days later, the world changed. “Friday the 13th, was when, excuse my French, the shit hit the fan, (after) the NBA decided to suspend and the rest of the leagues decided to follow suit.”
Events Baron had planned for the next week were postponed. Then, something happened. “By the end of March and the beginning of April to now, events did start to turn virtual,” Baron said.
With large gatherings of people frowned upon, if not outlawed, agencies across sports are talking about or booking virtual speaking engagements for their clients. It’s a key revenue opportunity as agencies see many of their business units rocked by the shutdown of sports.
Of course, speakers have talked to audiences via technology before, but usually because of an unexpected circumstance that prevented them from appearing in person.
“We are pivoting in this environment to becoming a little bit more virtual and marketing and selling our speakers in a virtual environment,” said Sandy Montag, founder of The Montag Group, an agency known for representing broadcasters and coaches. “I think most companies — for the foreseeable future — are not going to have in-person meetings where they are going to have a speaker come speak to them.”
Agencies are strategizing on how to create a line of business that uses technology to deliver clients to customers.
The speaking business involves two main buckets: booking talent for big events, such as trade shows, that are public; and booking clients for private company events, which could involve rewarding customers or salespeople or motivating employees. Speaking fees can range from a few thousand dollars to more than six figures, depending on the speaker and the audience.
Creative Artists Agency has staged virtual events with speakers that included Carly Fiorina, Andrew Yang, Dr. David Agus and CNN’s Van Jones.
Saquon Barkley conducted a virtual Q&A for his alma mater, Penn State.
CAA Sports clients have also been busy. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley conducted a virtual Q&A for his alma mater, Penn State. Oklahoma City Thunder guard and National Basketball Players Association President Chris Paul participated in SAP’s digital reimagining of Take Your Child to Work Day.
Los Angeles-based Rave Speakers has booked virtual events for clients like Magic Johnson and ESPN sports psychologist Kevin Elko in recent weeks.
“I’ve been booking speakers and entertainment at corporate meetings for over 30 years,” said Marc Reede, Rave Speakers president. “Ten thousand successes later, it’s very strange to see an entire industry go virtual.”
There are upsides and downsides to this new business, both for the agencies selling speakers and the entities engaging them. The companies or organizations booking the speakers pay less, agency sources said, although most didn’t want to comment on the amounts.
Reede said the fee could be as much as 50% less for virtual speakers versus live, in-person speakers. “Hugely a buyer’s market out there for speakers now — so darn much talent sitting at home,” he said.
Excel’s Baron said it costs less for a virtual speaker, but it is a new world so pricing is flexible. “I do not have firm numbers on my clients, where I normally do,” Baron said. “I am working with my clients; I am working with groups, is basically what I am saying.”
One upside for speakers and talent is they don’t have to travel, which frees up more of their time and makes them available to do multiple virtual events. For companies looking for sports speakers and talent, including players and coaches throughout sports, they are generally more available now that most sports are shut down.
“The biggest challenge pre-corona, is most of my clients had day jobs,” Baron said. “What makes it easier for me is I have clients who are saying yes to things who may not normally have been able — because they may have been in the middle of a season or managing a team or coaching a team or on a recruiting trip.”
Another upside for companies — virtual speeches and events don’t have the same space limits as live events, so more people can attend, noted Peter Jacobs, head of speakers at CAA. “Companies are realizing the virtual platform allows them to reach even more customers,” Jacobs said. “We are seeing that audience levels are consistently robust.”
Cisco Webex and Zoom are the most popular platforms. “Cisco Webex is probably one of the safest and most secure platforms available right now,” said Scott Horner, Octagon vice president, talent and properties division. “Zoom is a common option too, along with Skype, Microsoft Teams and Blue Jeans.”
“Regardless of the platform, a test or demo of the technology with the speaker and organizer in advance is an absolute must now to ensure a successful presentation,” Horner said.
Most major agencies have negotiated speaking engagements for their clients, and some, like CAA and Excel, have dedicated speakers divisions. The Montag Group launched a speakers bureau this year and hired Julie Leventhal as director of TMG Speakers. Leventhal has 15 years of experience in the speakers space, first at IMG and most recently at WME.
“Lo and behold, four weeks into the job, the pandemic broke out,” said Leventhal. With no companies holding live events with speakers at the moment, TMG is doing a lot of talking to companies about their needs, which are changing as the environment is changing.
“Some companies and organizations are in a holding pattern right now to see, will they be able to hold a conference in six months?” Leventhal said. “Will it be a year? Others are really pivoting and looking at how do they keep their employees, their customers, their clients, their sponsors, engaged.”
Companies are looking at all kinds of virtual events, including having a surprise guest at a company Zoom meeting, as well as things like a virtual cooking demo or a virtual sports clinic. “People are trying to get creative and see how they can keep people connected as best they can, given the current circumstances.”
