What to Do If Your Keynote Speaker Is Running Late?
It’s 9:45 AM. Your keynote starts at 10:00. Your phone buzzes: “Stuck in traffic. Running 30 min late. Sorry!” Your heart sinks. Two hundred attendees are filling the conference hall. The AV team is waiting. Your CEO is in the front row. And your carefully orchestrated event timeline is about to implode. Even with meticulous […]
How Early Should a Keynote Speaker Arrive
Ask ten event planners when a keynote speaker should arrive, and you’ll get answers ranging from “30 minutes is fine” to “the night before.” Ask ten speakers, and the responses are equally scattered. Some pride themselves on arriving exactly on time, while others show up hours early looking anxious. The truth? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—but […]
Keynote Speaker Travel Arrangements: Who Handles What? (Guide)
You’ve signed the contract and paid the deposit. Your keynote speaker is confirmed. Then reality hits: who books the flight? Who arranges the hotel? What about ground transportation? Travel logistics create more confusion and conflict than almost any other aspect of event planning. The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all—responsibility varies by contract, budget, and relationship. Understanding how […]
What Happens If a Keynote Speaker Cancels?
It’s 72 hours before your flagship event. Tickets sold, sponsors committed, attendees flying in. Your phone rings. The keynote speaker—the name on every promotional email—just canceled. Panic sets in. But here’s the reality: speaker cancellations happen to even the best-planned events, affecting 5-10% of bookings annually. The difference between disaster and successful recovery isn’t luck—it’s […]
