CURATED VS OPEN MARKETPLACE BUREAU
Curated and open marketplace bureaus are two different animals. They may wear the same-same coat, but they’re so different! How do I know? Well, because I often ask a question. I’m gonna ask it now (you may or may not be ready): How does your chosen speaker agency/talent bureau/strategic partner actually work? I don’t mean the polished pitch. I mean the operating model that sits underneath. Because once the animals’ coats come off, they behave differently. 1. The open marketplace (which I frequently blame for the ‘laundry list’) You send a brief and 20 names come back on a document. Pretty headshots, tidy bios and availability listed – it all looks lekker. The bureau slots itself between you and its database, takes a commission, and the job is done. Fab. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with efficiency. But let’s call it what it is: a laundry list. And when the laundry list model runs the show, incentives follow. The names pushed hardest tend to be the ones easiest to book, most available or best margin for the bureau, which is a sneaky way of putting actual humans in stock rotation. 2. The relationship-driven model (a different and differentiated animal) Here the speaker agency/talent bureau/strategic partner is an advisor first and a broker second. Before any names go anywhere, there’s a lovely chat (like, with an actual human and sometimes, two). What’s the outcome? Who’s gonna be in the room? What’s the golden thread? What did you try last year – and did it work? Then, and ONLY THEN, does the shortlist appear. And it’s a shortlist, not a laundry list. Each name has a reason: why this person, why for this audience, why now? Yes, it takes longer. Yes, it means fewer names on the page. But that’s the point. Curation protects us all What people don’t always get is that when an agency curates properly, it isn’t only you, the client, who wins. Let me explain: You get talent that actually fits the brief. They’re an expert and they’re passionate about the topic, theme or issue on the table. The talent gets a room that’s ready for them. The need is known and that’s why both the audience and the speaker are ready to deliver. The audience tends to be interested, engaged and ready to receive. The client knows exactly what they’re paying for and why. They get literal bang for their buck in the form of real ROI. Ultimately, curation means quality control in both directions. It saves a client from a booking that doesn’t move the needle and it saves talent from being dropped into the wrong environment and then blamed when the entire room is like “Huh?”. (This last piece matters more than you realise. A speaker’s reputation is shaped by the rooms they’re put in.) Discernment is the whole game Dis-what-now? Discernment. Strip it right down and curation is really about knowing what fits and having the balls to say so out loud. It’s slower than pulling names off a list, and harder to scale, and it depends on the bureau actually knowing the talent – like, having seen them live, watched them read a room and stayed in touch if there was nothing to book. What’s this last one? It’s something we at Social Alchemists feel strongly about. We maintain regular, close and sincere connections with our speakers, whether they’ve spoken for us recently or not. We reach out. We touch base. We know what’s new. Regardless of how long it takes, that, my darlings, is how long-term reputations are built. For the agency, the client (you), your client and their audience, it’s win-win-win-win. Absolutely everyone in the trust chain benefits. We love that. One last thing You knew I was gonna close with this, right? Social Alchemists is low-key different in all the right ways. We advise before we book. We curate before we quote. And we do it with heart. BOOK THE BEST TALENT FOR CONFERENCES AND EVENTS BOOK NOW RAVE REVIEWS “Social Alchemists your one stop talent management agent. The team make sourcing talent a breeze, their quick response time, great negotiation skills and effortless planning makes the eventing process seamless…” Kallyn-Leigh WinterIndependent Marketing Consultant Social Alchemists are certainly the go to when you need an MC or entertainment for your event. I have always had such a pleasure working with them…” Dineo UttamsOperations at Sentient Publishing “Their attention to detail and strong follow-through have made them a reliable partner that we can always count on…” Salomé BanksCOO of The Cheese Has Moved (TCHM)