New technology platform now features free, one-click access to more than 3,000 authors, industry experts and thought leaders
Speakerfile, a new technology platform for connecting a global community of corporate experts to the meetings and conferences industry, has successfully completed its initial phase and officially launched to event organizers yesterday. The company provides the first-ever online marketplace giving conference organizers a free, comprehensive resource to discover, evaluate and book fresh, talented public speakers, the company says. More than 3,000 speakers in over 70 countries have now registered profiles on Speakerfile. The site features both professional (paid) speakers as well as industry speakers from across 190 industry sectors.
The events industry contributes more than $106 billion to the United States economy according to a 2011 industry study conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Despite the industry’s enormous economic impact, the discovery of speakers for events has been an inefficient, fragmented process that has failed to keep pace with advances in technology and how people search for information, the company says.
“Speakerfile is the eHarmony of conferences and speakers,” said Peter Evans, co-founder and CEO. “We’ve created a simple online resource to better match meetings and events with expert speakers. It helps events keep their podium fresh with new ideas and topics while helping them more efficiently connect with speakers representing a range of organizations from small startups to Fortune1000 firms.”
With insight gained from his experience organizing technology and healthcare events to speaking as an executive on podiums throughout North America and Europe, Evans developed Speakerfile to help event organizers connect with speakers who are experts and thought-leaders.
“Many events, especially those with small staff or volunteer program committees are understaffed – and they are often overwhelmed by the information and choices for public speakers in today’s marketplace,” said Evans. “Now Speakerfile is positioned to help conferences discover, evaluate and connect with new public speakers in a simpler way that saves them a lot of time and it’s offered as a free service. Over the course of the last few months we’ve refined our technology platform and done the hard work of recruiting some of the world’s most talented industry and professional speakers. Consider this the opening bell – the marketplace for experts and events is open for business.”
Unique to Speakerfile is an events listing feature that allows conference and meeting organizers to publish requests for speakers for a variety of opportunities, from keynotes to panels, to corporate training, author appearances and more. Speakerfile’s flexibility allows event organizers to publish “open-calls” for speakers down to detailed session-specific requests that provide the best match possible.
“Many conference organizers have limited resources to research and book the right public speakers for their events,” said Dr. Jane Barratt, Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing who produces large conferences every year, drawing attendees and speakers from around the globe. “The Speakerfile platform is more than a time saver – it helps us focus on new and emerging fields and speaker topics, and it helps us evaluate expertise such as the ‘wow’ factor and ability to deliver great content. Delegates to our events deserve the best, and Speakerfile with its searchable, rich-media profiles delivers the information we need with just a few clicks.”
Speakerfile is also helping marketing communications professionals as well as PR agencies and publicists build more market visibility for their clients. Organizations can showcase their experts and thought leaders using Speakerfile to publish dynamic profile content in a branded speaker site. Advanced publishing and third-party administrative controls make the Speakerfile platform a perfect solution for marketing departments and public relations agencies to promote and manage their clients.
The Speakerfile online marketplace is offered free of charge to meeting planners who are listing their event and searching for speakers. Speakerfile does not charge a commission for speaker placements, rather it generates revenue from premium speaker profiles and corporate speaker bureau software. More information on the various sign-up options can be found here: www.speakerfile.com/signup.
