Capture photos of the rooms in which you speak

Wherever you are with your speaker business…

…capture photos of the rooms in which you work.

I was on a discovery call with a potential client the other day. He wanted to discuss flying me to a presentation.

It was for a small group of about 30-40 people held at a regional hotel. 

Normally, when I’m brought in to cover a keynote or other type of live event, the room is significantly more packed and it’s held at a large conference center or hotel ballroom with a lot going on in terms of staging and lighting. 

And I wanted to impress that point onto him before we shook hands on it. 

His response?

“These are the rooms in which I work right now. It’s a full-fee gig and a new talk. I need to show event professionals what I look like on stage delivering this talk.”

Okay - well he sold ME on saying yes to the gig :) 

And, he highlighted a very important point to keep in mind when looking to acquire visual assets to help your efforts at booking more stages.

Would it be nice to work on a theater stage with IMAGS to your left and right and a smoke machine blowing out the place like it’s a rock concert while having thousands of people hanging onto every syllable that flies out of your mouth?

I mean, sure…

…but that’s not necessarily a realistic goal for today. 

Or ever, really - it depends on what you want to do with your speaking business. 

Regardless of your long-term goal, the key is to focus on getting the work you want tomorrow now, and use the experiences from today to gradually build up to the level to where you want to be. 

throughout that journey, capture candid imagery and video clips along the way. 

At the end of the day, event professionals care about your content and how you engage their participants in the room. 

Show them what you look like delivering your magic, regardless of the space or place surrounding you in that moment. 

If you wait for “the right room,” you’re missing out on a massive opportunity to prove to those who are in a position to book you to impress them enough to pick up the phone and see if you’re a fit for their team, company or organization. 

Your photo and video assets are credibility builders - they show, not just tell, that you have experience speaking from the front of the room. This helps ease the concerns of the folks who are booking the speakers that they will deliver on their promise that was shared during the initial call.

Take a look through your current image content portfolio and see what assets your currently have that show you speaking on a stage or in front of the room. 

Do you look like someone who is confident, experienced, personable and an entertaining storyteller? Are they captured in an artful way that befits the experts you are?

If not, be sure to consider bringing in a photographer for your next speaking gig to capture a range of photos to elevate that perception in the minds of those who see them.

If you’re not sure which live event photographer is a fit to create these types of assets, set up a time to chat with me to see if we’re a fit to work together.