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JLA Speakers maintains a database of over 11,000 speakers, presenters and performers. We are especially interested in working with people with real world experiences of building and leading organisations, motivating teams in challenging times, and those with expertise and insights into areas of interest to the wider business world.
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 not an agent in the way many people thing of that role. We do not actively promote individual speakers.
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.
Use the form below, filling in as much detail as you can. Please do not contact JLA by any other means. We receive many applications every week, which our research team looks through and evaluates. Where appropriate we will get back to you within roughly three weeks. At that point we may arrange a call with you, but if you have provided all the information we need in order to suggest you to a client, we may simply sent a confirmation email.
Not necessarily. We have over 1200 artist pages on the website, and these need to be maintained and kept up-to-date, which is no small task. These pages demonstrate from of the depth and breadth of who with work with, but bookings are made because JLA’s Account Managers have discussed suggestions with a client and a decision has been made on who to book. There is no handicap to not being on the website and not appearing on the website does not mean JLA won’t suggest you.
It can be hard to concisely summarise who we work with – it’s such a broad range. Some have led a significant (public or private) organisation, whilst others have helped world-class performers realise their potential. Some are household names, but many are not. We work with academics and experts, broadcasters and entrepreneurs, CEOs and politicians. But there are always one-offs who combine an unusual but interesting background with excellent delivery and originality.
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.
No, but it can help us significantly if you have video footage taken from a live speaking event. It need not be high quality – it’s the content and overall feel we’re interested in. Addressing the camera directly, footage from TV appearances etc. is of little use.
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.
No. Although in some cases it may be appropriate for us to provide feedback to speakers once we work with them, if you are looking to shape your speaking offering we can’t really help. It may be best to simply research how an effective presentation of your content could work – there are lots of books, videos, websites etc, or work with a speaking and presentation coach. There is no shortcut to becoming a good speaker – it takes practice and a process of refining your material.
You can find a few ideas in our feature article here – A Speaking Agency’s 6 Step Guide To Public Speaking.
Yes, although these areas are very competitive and if you do not have an agent, opportunities may be limited. If you are an experienced broadcast journalist or comedian, then please feel free to get in touch, but some of the above will still apply.
Contact Form
Name*
Email*
Headline* The job, title or achievement that best summarises your background
Themes/speech topics* A short list of the key things you talk about, eg AI, leadership, economics,
inspiration
Experience* A general overview of your key achievements and experiences, as they relate to your
speaking
Short biography [<400 words (limit on field)] Anything you feel relevant about yourself not covered above Fee An indication of the sort of fees you have received for speaking, or would expect to receive. We know this isn’t always straightforward, so you can give broad guideline indications. Past speeches - events, clients, video links or testimonials from presentations you have given [When form is submitted] Thank you for sending us your information. We receive many approaches and it takes time to give due consideration to all of them. We will be in touch if we feel your background, approach and themes align with the client briefs JLA regularly receive. If we do not contact you, please do not chase. It may be that we do not feel there are opportunities right now, but we will keep your details in case the right brief does arise.
