Please take time to read through the Q&A below BEFORE submitting any information to us. We receive many approaches every week, and by understanding what we do and how we work, you will understand if it is right for you to contact us. Broadly, the speakers with whom we work most share three key traits:
• Insights and expert perspectives that organisations want
• Credibility derived from a singular experience or significant career
• The ability to engage and address a range of audiences and make their content relevant
Once you have read through the below, please use the form to submit your information. One of our research team will respond should your profile align with the client briefs we’re currently receiving. We receive a lot of approaches so responses may be delayed. If your profile is not currently aligned, we will retain your details on file for future reference.
JLA are a speaker bureau. We build relationships with both speakers and clients that host company and industry events. We respond to their briefs with suggestions of speaker that we are confident will fulfil their requirements in delivery, content and budget. Ultimately, we connect exceptional speakers with engaged audiences, bringing unique perspectives, inspiring stories and useful insights, delivered with confidence, to those keen to learn.
Importantly we focus on providing a service to our corporate clients. We work to understand them, their events and their people. In doing so, we discuss specifically curated shortlists of potential speakers, presenter or performers that, based on our 35+ years of experience, we believe will add value, insight or inspiration.
We do not promote individual speakers directly to clients. Rather, we respond to our clients’ goals and agendas as reflected in the live events they hold. JLA are not a ‘talent manager’ or PR agency. We do not promote or manage the careers of individuals, or promote them or their message. We are a gateway to a particular type of work, event and audience for certain speakers.
We strongly recommend that you look at some of the speakers on this website. That will give you an idea of the sort of people with whom we work, their background and credentials, the sort of materials that it might be useful to send us, and also where they have video, how they deliver their messages.
The speakers we book cover a wide range of backgrounds and content. If there are common themes it is that they have achieved in their field, have gained expertise and experience that can be applied to a range of industries and audiences, and they can communicate this in a relatable way. Those we book the most are able to adapt what they say to a range of audiences and in-demand briefs.
Most speakers JLA work with already some experience speaking to larger audiences, and hold paid speaking as just one part of a portfolio of professional interests.We’re always interested in discovering new speakers, but we also have to be selective. We want to be sure we can represent speakers effectively and serve our clients properly. If your style orexpertise doesn’t align with the briefs we receive, we may not respond, but we will still keep your details on record.
JLA are a speaker BUREAU. Our expertise is grounded in knowing both the speakers, their content and their suitability for various audiences and events. Clients work with us because of our ability to give them an unbiased, informed view of who will work for them.
Ultimately, for many people, JLA are just one element in their speaking career; one that suggests them for appropriate engagements when our clients supply us with the right brief. Speakers will often work with multiple bureaus (if that suits their way of working), as well as with some organisations directly. They will build their ‘speaker brand’ through online activity and things such as writing articles and books or media appearances.
We consider any speaker on their merits and based on the briefs we’re receiving from clients. We recommend that anything you send us is concise and comprehensive. Everything we receive is looked at by a human, unfiltered. If you complete the form below, it will be given due consideration. There is no advantage to contacting JLA directly after you have submitted your details, or in sending extra information or content.
Although the briefs we receive from clients vary greatly over time, some themes are broad enough to be durable over the years. Themes such as leadership, effective teams, resilience, technological disruption, as well as areas like politics and the economy. It’s important, however, that speakers approach these themes in ways that are both authentic to their experience, and in a way that is different and engaging.