Conference Speakers: How Great Conference Speakers Change Lives. 10 tests BEFORE booking top conference speakers. Keys to world-class events. Secrets of ALL best keynote speakers. Who are best keynote speakers in world? 327,000 reads. CALL +44 7768511390

Dr Patrick Dixon MBE: Futurist Keynote Speaker - Futurist Keynote Speakers CALL +44 7768511390

Keynote on great conference speakers - Leadership - inspire your teams, media, shareholders, customers - 4,500 executives 

Over 335,000 people have visited this page to learn about secrets of all great conference speakers. Why is that?

What makes a great conference speaker?  Conference event organisers and keynote speakers are not always an accurate guide to what will set an audience on fire - at that moment, in that situation, touching them deeply: conference speakers that they remember for a decade to come.

Patrick Dixon is one of the world's best known keynote speakers, with a 30 year track record in forecasting global trends for large companies. What are the secrets of all world-class conference speakers? For a start - ALWAYS customise, create unique messaging for every audience and engage with them fully.

Conference speakers can make or break your corporate event, workshop or seminar. Get the best keynote lecturer around and your reputation as a conference organiser will shine like the sun. Make a mistake with a keynote presentation in your conference programme and it's the end of your career.  Find out what to look for when you want to book a world-class conference speaker. Watch some examples of brilliant conference keynotes. 

* "How AI Will Change Your Life - A Futurist's Guide to a Super-Smart World" - Patrick Dixon's latest book on AI is published in September 2024 by Profile Books.  It contains 38 chapters on the impact of AI across different industries, government and our wider world.

How to create high impact corporate events. Practical secrets for success of all physical conferences and hybrid events. How to avoid the most common conference disasters. Lessons for every world-class event organiser. How to create conference audience "magic" at almost zero cost. Secrets of all world-class keynote speakers. For a start - ALWAYS customise, create unique messaging for every audience and engage with them fully.

I have seen the very best conference speakers in the world (and some terrible conference speakers!), when participating in VIP global events to give Futurist keynotes of my own, in over 1,400 corporate events, in more than 60 nations, for over 400 of the world's largest 2000 companies during the last 25 years.

Looking for a world-class conference speaker? Phone +44 7768 511390 or e-mail Patrick Dixon now. 

Conference Speakers Can Make or Break Your Career

Conference speakers really can make or break your corporate event, workshop or seminar.  

Get the best keynote speaker in the world and your reputation as a conference organiser will shine like the sun

Keynote on Marketing in Vilnius - September 2021 - 800 in theatre and 300 online

Make a mistake with a keynote presentation in your conference programme and it's the end of your career. 

Great conference speakers enable you to sleep at night, knowing you will have a truly outstanding, world-class keynote which will set up your entire conference for all that follows.

Make sure they have a powerful track record in the area they are giving a conference keynote about.

For example, as a Futurist keynote speaker I have been writing on this website about global trends for 25 years now, and have published 17 books.

I warned in a recent book (The Future of Almost Everything) that Number 1 on my Wildcard list was risk of "viral plaque, cases spreading rapidly in every continent" - written several years before COVID.  Another of my listed Wildcards was a major "miscalculation by a powerful nation leading to sustained regional conflict".

Customised keynote at Google global marketing event for their premier marketing partners.

The trouble is that the best global authorities, writers and academics are often the worst conference speakers.

Boring slides, flat keynote delivery, low energy lectures, no real connection with the audience. Disaster for your corporate event!

A conference speaker that spoke well last year, to your specialist internal audience of 150, may fail terribly in front of your CEO with a VIP client audience of 600.

Believe me, I've seen this happen - really painful.  Even worse is that the conference speaker usually has no idea of the personal disaster they are falling into.

The truth is that it requires great skill and global experience to wow senior executives or board members in a keynote speech - with attention spans of seconds.  

And every year those attention spans get even shorter.

The best conference speakers are almost all Professional speakers

That is why the best conference speakers in the world are almost all Professional Keynote Speakers.  That is what they do - they bring entire conferences to life, creating world-class experiences, and lift whole conference programmes. 

The best conference speakers are highly skilled platform performers: entertaining, engaging, energising - and know exactly how to relate to different audiences, professions, industries and cultures.

Professional conference speakers all combine brilliant, life-changing insights with wit and humour to drive key messages home in memorable ways.

Professional speakers keeping audiences right on the edge of their seats from the first 10 seconds to the end, leaving delegates wanting far more.

It is very unfair to expect the CEO of one of your own clients, or even one of your own team, to be able to command a conference platform in the same way.  

Yes, they may be a vital part of the whole event, but don't expect fireworks from your own networks in a conference speech.  

Keynote on right was to 4,500 event organisers in Las Vegas - 400,000 views

It is completely unrealistic to expect gigantic revelation in keynote speakers from your own organisation, or from your clients, or from friendly analysts who are delivering their keynotes for free (as part of their relationship with you or to market themselves to other clients).

And take great care when selecting world-class keynote speakers on price - though it is always tempting to do so.

Sure, there will always be some keynote speakers who are hungry for work, over-keen perhaps to turn up at your event, people who are second-tier keynote speakers, who you can buy in for a fraction of the normal global rates you would expect to pay for the best keynote speakers in the world.  

Be especially ware of speakers who you convince to turn up "because it will be good for your business, you will get key contacts."

Great keynote speakers really don't need to market themselves at your event.  

They all have global reputations as brilliant performers already, strong web presence, huge track record, tens of thousands who have heard them speak in the past. So why would they bother to turn up for free to be your conference speaker? And what is more, the fastest way for a global keynote speaker to trash their own commercial reputation and brand is to do free events (unless for a charity Foundation that they support etc).

So don't expect free or heavily discounted keynote speakers to ignite your audience, unless they represent a niche specialty, or your audience is small and relatively junior.

Discuss a keynote for your own event today: phone or e-mail Patrick Dixon now.  Read FREE SAMPLE of The Future of Almost Everything - his latest book.

The best conference speakers understand large audiences

On right - part of keynote to 4,500 event organisers on why communication often fails!

Here is the shocking truth about conference speakers in large venues.

85% of the entire energy and personality of all conference speakers is lost in the first 5 metres from the platform. That's why layout of the conference hall can be mission critical.

I always find the worst seats in the venue and try them out - behind the pillar, on a round table right at the far corner...

Every world-class conference speaker knows that there are three audiences:  the front rows, mid rows and those at the back.  

You need to move around a venue while the conference is running and feel the difference.  

A conference speaker may be doing well with the front rows while losing completely the rear third - who for example may not be able to read a single word on the keynote slides, and can't even hear properly.

Even experienced conference speakers often make these fundamental errors - it may seem hard to believe but I've seen it with my own eyes, hundreds of times.

Huge TV screens do NOT compensate for the feeling of personal involvement with a great conference speaker.  They just create the feeling that you are watching TV or a video - why not stay at home and do the same?

That's why it's so easy to make even bigger mistakes when delivering keynotes at virtual events.

All great conference speakers use the width of the whole stage, their whole body, every aspect of their being to project their messages in compelling ways.

They know how to work the entire audience from front to back, left to right, from the opening seconds of their keynote.

Watch the video on the right for simple, no-cost ways to increase audience engagement with all conference speakers at your largest and most important events.

Instant full attention - Test for Great Conference Speakers

Great conference speakers command instant full attention of participants, with an intense flow of sharply relevant and engaging insights, just right for that audience, that conference, that part of the programme, backed by high-impact images or video on a big screen.

A poor conference speaker is obvious in the first 10-20 seconds. No spark, no passion, no fire. No chemistry with the audience.

You can feel the wave of disappointment. Energy levels fall. Keynote delivery is in a monotone, pace too slow, content difficult to follow or irrelevant.  Stand at the back and you will see the disaster: 45% of delegates on their smartphones within 90 seconds, some delegates whispering to each other on tables, others packing their bags to leave the room!

Worst of all is a conference speaker who stands at the podium and reads a speech, or is constantly referring to written notes.

Such a conference speakers are a total nightmare and can wreck your entire event. Unable to focus on eye contact with their audience, robbed of the most important insight of all - which is the ability to read the inner thoughts and feelings of hundreds of people simultaneously.

The key is this: what will set your audience on fire - at that moment in your event, touching them deeply in a way they remember for a decade to come?

Sense the mood - mind reading

All great conference speakers sense the mood of each audience, and how that mood is changing from moment to moment. 

They know when their audience is engaged, amused, puzzled, worried, confused, bored, stimulated, entertained.

They play audiences with the same skill as world-class stage actors or comedians. 

They can read unconscious signals from the VIPs in the front row, the leadership team, the event host, the event organiser.

World class conference speakers have total mastery of their material, needing few prompts, able to move around freely without getting lost in their flow of thought. 

So they can spend all their mental effort in adapting their keynote messages in real time as each presentation unfolds. 

World class speakers blend very familiar content (to them) with fresh and new material which has been developed for that audience alone.

Avoid lazy conference speakers

Sadly, some conference speakers are lazy and arrogant: they rely on the contents of their well-sold book, and use identical sets of slides from one event to the next.  

They rarely bother to attend dinner the night before or to engage in meaningful conversations with participants before they go on stage.

Lazy conference speakers are anti-social: they spend little time talking with the event organiser, CEO and others before arrival. 

They fail to listen to the sessions and keynotes before, or to adapt their material to respond to what has been said previously by other speakers. 

They fail to understand the story-line or "red thread" running through the entire event, and their place within it.

They often arrive late and leave as soon as they possibly can after walking off the platform immediately after giving their keynote. 

Such conference speakers insult their audiences and neglect their responsibilities to event organisers.

Committed to your success

The best conference speakers see their role as servants not prima-donnas.  They may be very well-known celebrities on the conference speaker circuit, but they are always willing to do what they can to ensure the whole event is an outstanding success.  Such conference speakers are helpful, courteous, friendly, considerate of support teams and technicians, and take good care of the most important people to the client.

Looking for a world-class conference speaker? Phone or e-mail Patrick Dixon now.  Read FREE SAMPLE of The Truth about Almost Everything - his latest book.

Read about 50 reasons why corporate event organisers invite Patrick Dixon to give keynotes at their most important conferences.

Event organisers should demand:

* World class keynote presentation content
* Conference lectures that make people think in radical ways
* Immediate practical take-home messages from every presentation
* Total focus on the interests of the audience in every conference speech
* Speaker fits keynote material into whole theme of conference
* Interesting, entertaining, dynamic keynote
* Kind of corporate keynote presentation where conference audiences want more
* Outstanding visuals - innovative use of images / video and other elements, adapted to stretch the full capability of all the technology / screens available

Discuss your own event today: phone or e-mail Patrick Dixon now.

Future Trends, Growth Strategy

"Take hold of your future - or the future will take hold of you"

One of the greatest risks to any business is institutional blindness - too much time with people who have a similar world view.  As one of the world's best conference speakers, Dr Dixon aims to help conference participants touch and feel the future with multimedia presentations on every aspect of what tomorrow's management challenges may be like.

Every great leader spends time considering the future: vision and strategy must be based on deep understanding of what the world is today and what it could become tomorrow.  All successful business leaders are experts on consumer and competitor trends and have an intuitive feel for where those trends may change most significantly.

Every conference speaker should bring change to an organisation. It's not enough for a futurist to make informed guesses or detached, philosophical comments on public platforms, or as part of workshops, seminars, think tanks or client events. A successful futurist has to be able to see, feel and taste the future and communicate different scenarios in ways that are relevant, realistic, down to earth and life-changing.

No conference keynote speaker on the future can predict specific events such as the exact moment to buy or sell a stock, but (despite many uncertainties) underlying mega-trends are vital for every corporation. The key for a successful corporate lecturer is not only being able to interpret the outworking of those trends and to be as accurate as possible about timescale, but also to be an interesting, entertaining and mind-stretching speaker.

Designing a great corporate event is an art, and great executive conferences are rare. The secret of success is a great opening visionary lecture that sets the scene, and creates the whole atmosphere, energy and drive for the conference. A great speaker brings an electricity into the conference auditorium almost before they begin to speak, instantly grabbing attention and carrying conference participants along on the crest of a wave to a wonderful climax.

Great presentations are hard work, physically, mentally and emotionally - for the speaker of course - but should also be stimulating, enervating, exciting and engaging for senior executives.

Looking for a world-class conference speaker? Phone or e-mail Patrick Dixon now.

YouTube videos of conference keynote presentations on various issues:

Watch more than 20 examples of entire keynote presentations, or search hundreds of video clips by topic below.

You can also look at some presentations on Patrick Dixon's SlideShare.

Economics, Finance & Financial Services
Banking - many of Patrick's clients are global banks, investment funds
Economics issues - Patrick creates a big picture of global trends
Insurance - Patrick has worked with many of the world's largest insurers

Technology
Technology - Patrick works with many of the world's largest computer, software, telecom, internet and biotech companies
Social Media - Online Communities - how online communities will drive your business
Smartphones - future of telecom, wireless devices, virtual communities, positional advertising
Convergence and divergence - why all competitive advantage comes from divergence
RFID technology - impact on retail, wholesale, distribution and manufacturing

Health and Education
Health care - key trends in health, ageing, biotech, hospitals, clinics
Pharmaceutical industry - impact of the biotech revolution
Education - future of teaching in high schools, colleges and business school

Leadership, Management & Strategy
Change management - a recurring theme
Risk management - preparing for the unexpected
Innovation - smart innovation, open innovation and crowdsourcing 
Leadership - effective ways to drive organisations forward
Logistics and supply chain - critical issues in manufacturing and wholesale
Motivation - how to inspire people to make great things happen
Women at work - challenges for corporations in winning war for talent
Outsourcing - what is going to happen next

Marketing
Advertising - why traditional approaches are dead in an online world
Customers - how customer demands are changing and why
Customer focus - why many corporations need a reality check, to succeed in future
Marketing - future of marketing and brand development

Travel, Tourism, Energy, Resources and Environment
Travel - future of aviation, road, rail, shipping - for business and leisure
Biofuels - food for fuel? Next generation biofuels. 
Commodities - impact of emerging markets
Energy industry - future energy from oil, gas, coal, nuclear, renewables
Petrochemical industry - how the industry will change and why
Climate change - why the future is about emotion, not just the science
Sustainability - what does it mean for your business?

Other Topics and Types of Audience
Real estate - key trends in commercial and residential real estate industries
Retailing - developing the customer experience

Looking for other topics?  Search on Patrick Dixon's YouTube Futurist channel.

Discuss your own event today: phone or e-mail Patrick Dixon now.

Dr Patrick Dixon chairing conferences and running panel interviews

Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit - 5 minute intro of session on future of entertainment, media, advertising, online communities such as YouTube and perhaps the ultimate consumer experience - space travel with Virgin Galactic

Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit - Chairing session on future of broadcasting and the BBC - guest Mark Thompson, Director General BBC

Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit - Chairing discussion with co-founder of YouTube Chad Hurley - on meteoric rise of YouTube

Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit - Space Tourism and Virgin Galactic - Chairing session with remarkeable video of early flight, discussion and then closing with whole panel of 5 on range of issues relating to entertainment and virtual life

Clients Listed by Industry

Technology, Engineering, Software and Computer Manufacturers

Google, Microsoft, Toshiba, HP, IBM, Phillips, SAP, Siemens, Symantec, Infosys, Ricoh, Actinic, ARBS, Asco, Capco, Compaq, Comverse, European Internet Foundation, Fujitsu Siemens, Georgia Technology Forum, ITS, Kyocera, Leadbay, NCR, SolidWorks, Toshiba, Unaxis, Unisys, Zellweger Luwa

Media, Telecommunications

Nokia, AT&T, Vodafone, O2, Belgacom, BT, AIC Carriers World, Mobilcom, MTN, Amdocs, Carlton TV, Etisalat Telecom (UAE), Idea Cellular, i-Comverse, Loral (satellites), Telenor, Times of India, Qualcomm, SABC (S Africa), TDC

Banking

HSBC, UBS, Credit Suisse, RBS, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds TSB, Skandia Bank, ABSA bank, Bank of Ireland, Britania Building Society, Clariden Bank, ABN AMRO, CUES, Fortis, Friends First Bank, Macquarie Bank, Minsheng Bank, Morgan Stanley Investment Bank, North Island Credit Union, PrivatBank (Ukraine), RMB, Saga, SEB, Skandia, Sumitomo Bank, Bank Vontobel,

Insurance and other Financial Services

Allianz, Aviva, Prudential, Munich Re, Swiss Re, Zurich Financial Services, Swiss Stock Exchange, 3i, AA (UK), AIG, Roularta, ICBI - fund managers, Asset Management Advisors, Income (Singapore), Birla financial services group, International Mutual Funds Institute, Kazakstan Investment Forum, Lombard, Morley Fund, Saga, Acromas, Winterthur Insurance, Family Office, Kiln Group

Transport - Airlines, Travel, Shipping, Hotels, Tourism and Automotive Industry

Air France, KLM, Airbus, Swiss Airline, Virgin Atlantic, Dassault Falcon, Association of Corporate Travel Executives, Automobile Recycling Netherlands (ARN), Dubai Ports Authority, EADS, Ford, Hotel Ecoliere de Lausanne, Portuguese Tourist Board, Reg Vardy - auto sales, Saga, Stagecoach, Tourism in Ireland, North West Tourism, World Economic Forum Governors of Aviation Travel and Tourism meeting (Davos)

Logistics, Distribution, Supply Chain Management, Packaging Industry

Fedex, DHL, ISS, Danish Post Office, Deutsche Poste, Swedish Poste, UK Post Office, IBS, Rexam, Tetrapak

Energy, Chemical Industry, Mining, Metals, other Commodities

BP, ExxonMobil, General Electric, BASF, Copesul (Brazil), European Petrochemical Association (EPCA), Hindalco, Houston Energy Forum, Royal Dutch Chemical Association, SHV Gas, Sulzer, Vattenfall, Veitch

Food and Drink

Carlsburg, Unilever, Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Sara Lee, Diageo, Danone, Femsa, Bord Bia - Irish Food Board, European Coffee Federation, Food Business Forum, Nutreco, RPC, Schwan's Frozen Foods, Tetrapak

Health Care, Pharmaceutical Industry, Medical Technology and Cosmetics / Lifestyle

GSK, Roche, Novartis, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Gillette, Johnson and Johnson, 3M - dentistry, Avon, Siemens Medical, Phillips Diagnostics, BUPA, Coloplast, Genentech, Henry Schein, ICPM - International Conference of Pharmaceutical Medicine, NHS, Smith and Nephew, St Joseph's Hospital Foundation Ontario, Voluntary Hospitals Association, Institute of Clinical Research

Government and UN

World Bank,  UNIDO, UNAIDS, EU, US Federal Government (Pentagon), Abu Dhabi Police Authority, UK Department of Trade and Industry, Irish government, South Korea Ministry of Knowledge and Economy, Jebel Ali Free Zone (UAE), Kazakhstan government, Lithuanian government, Portuguese government, State of Connecticut, Welsh Assembly, UK Parliament, London Connect

Marketing, Advertising and Design

McCann Erikson, Belgium Marketing Federation, Danish Design Centre, Marketing Forum Turkey, Finland Marketing Federation, Malta Marketing Association, Pinnacle Communications, Portugese Marketing Association, Marketing Communication Consultants Association (MCCA), plus many presentations on marketing / brand to clients in other lists

Professional Firms - Law / Legal / Accounting

Accenture, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Charles Russell, Eversheds, Freshfields, Linklaters, Regulatory Affairs Professional Organisation

Management, Consulting, Training, Service Organisations

Forbes, Fortune, American Management Association, American Society for Training and Development, ISS, CIONet, Concours Group, CSC Consulting, European Federation of Management Development, European Federation of Facilities Management, European School of Management and Technology, European Institute for Research Management, Globe Forum, Global Future Forum, HMS, IBEC (Ireland), ICBI, Indian School of Business, Informa, Institute of Management, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, ISS, KPMG, Latitude, Leading Edge Strategy Group, Leadership Trust, Linkage, Management Centre Europe, Management Centre Turkey, MPI - Meetings Professionals International, POM+, P Richmond Events, Ruling Companies, Said Business School Oxford, ServiceMaster, Schweizerische Gesellschaft fur Organisation, Stan Am Rheim Leadership Summit, Strategos, University of Salford Management School, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School Belgium, Wheaton College, ZFU

Real Estate / Construction / Engineering

Balfour Beatty, Corenet Global, Johnson Controls, Knight Frank, Siemens Group, Urban Land Institute (ULI), Anglian Circle Housing Association

Retail, Textiles, Engineering, and some other Manufacturing - note:  many manufacturers classified under industries above

Oxxo, Femsa, Aditya Birla, American Apparel Manufacturers Association, C&A group, Rieter, Saks Group Inc

Non-Profit Organisations

American Association of Retired People (AARP), AIDS Care Education and Training (ACET), UK Church Commissioners, Premier Radio, Tear Fund, Transformational Business Network (TBN), Trinity Forum, Sustainability Forum, Young Presidents Organisation (YPO)

* Patrick Dixon has given keynotes at conferences in Australia, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Hungary, India, Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe.  Keynotes cover issues relevant to wide range of industries and regions eg North America, Central America, Latin America, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Baltic States, Scandinavia, Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia and Asia Pacific.

Looking for a world-class conference speaker? Phone or e-mail Patrick Dixon now.

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