Author: Simone

I WAITED AND I’M STILL NOT IMPRESSED

You can’t tick the box but negotiate the fee   Olá! Every year I do the same thing. August rolls around, Women’s Month kicks off and I sit on my hands to see whether this is the year I am finally surprised. My darlings, I was not surprised. Same thing, year after year Invites go out, a panel gets assembled and someone posts something lovely about celebrating the incredible women on their teams. The theme is (usually) empowerment or inclusion or the power of women’s voices. And then? We get to the fee and suddenly the budget is tight. Suddenly everything – and I do mean everything – is negotiable. Who I’m talking to (and about) This isn’t a jab at our clients. Really, it isn’t. The event managers and comms teams I work with are trying to do a good thing with a number somebody else signed off, long before August. They answer to the powers that be. I know how that feels. This is a jab at checklist culture. At whoever keeps the list of days worth commemorating, with a tidy little box next to each one. Post, tick, move on. Because the point of a box is that ticking it costs pretty much nothing. Emotional lift vs behavioural shift I’ve said this before about keynotes, so let me say it again, here… A Women’s Month post is emotional lift. It’s visible, it’s immediate, it feels good aaand it’s gone by September (when the feed moves on to how spring has sprung). Behavioural shift is what your finance department does when no one’s watching. It’s what’s in the budget line and whether the fee gets questioned, chipped at and “revisited” (and whose fee that tends to be). Everything is negotiated In my experience, and I’ve been doing this a loooong time, I can tell when a fee is going to come back with a question mark attached. The negotiation is a little more enthusiastic, the counter-offer comes faster and someone mentions “exposure”. I’ve had this conversation more times than I can count, and it’s never a lekker one. You cannot spend August talking about what women bring to the room and then spend the same August arguing a woman down on what she’s worth. Women are not a “nice-to-have” “Diversity”. “Inclusion”. “Transformation”. Lovely words, all of them. But watch where they sit on the spreadsheet. Nine times out of ten they’re filed under nice-to-have, and nice-to-haves are the first things cut when the number gets tight. Which tells you everything about how important the day really is. Money where the mouth is Asseblief. If the day or month is important enough to post about, it’s important enough to pay for properly. Be real. Acknowledge talent. Reward hard work. Book the woman because she’s the right person for that room, on that day, for that audience. And then pay her the fee she quoted, like you would anyone else. If you’re planning something for Women’s Month – this year or next year – let’s chat. I’d much rather help you do one real thing than ten performative ones. P.S. Hey, speakers and talent! This one’s for you too. Know your number, quote your number and then hold it – especially in August, and especially when someone tells you what a wonderful opportunity this is. A fee you talk yourself out of is a fee you’ll be defending for the rest of your career. And if you’re a man reading this, you have more leverage in a rates convo than you think. Use it on someone else’s behalf. 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)

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)

What The Best Conferences Do Differently

Spoiler: The good ones leave nothing to chance I’ve sat through many conferences and, if I’m honest, most of them blur into a sea of sameness. But every now and then I get one that hits different. There’s magic. Delegates skip the coffee queue to carry on talking or get to the lunch late because they feel immersed. There’s a hum…an energy. People are connected and connecting. And, months later, they’re still talking about the event. What are those events getting right? After enough of them, you begin to see it. Someone – a brilliant conference organiser or event professional – has sat down and thought hard about the whole event: who speaks, who entertains, who manages the day in which order, how the sessions connect and what happens before anyone arrives. And behind all of it, the real questions are: What ultimate message or feeling is this meant to deliver? When the lights go down, what’s the essence that’s left? What impact is made, and what lasts long after? There’s a fancy word for all of this: curation. And it’s the difference between an event you remember and one you can’t wait to leave or forget about by that night. My opinion below, let me know what you think 😉 https://youtu.be/njh2MluBEks It’s an ecosystem, not a line-up At a curated event, every act on the bill is pulling the same golden thread: one clear message, one purpose, one thing you want people to carry home. The speakers, the MC, the entertainers, everyone’s serving up the same reason for being there. Compare that to the event where every artist or speaker turns up in their own little world, does their 40-minute stint, and leaves. Each act on its own might be excellent, but nobody’s joining the dots, and that’s a missed opportunity. Micro-manage the running order The best conference organisers think about how the day feels from a seat in the audience. If you were the one sitting in that chair, what would excite you? What would make you want to stay? And what would leave a meaningful impact? Ask yourself where the pressure points are. What are the real problems that need addressing and how do you address them in a way that makes a difference? There’s a simple formula for it and it looks like a hamburger: A big opening to get the energy up A strong close so people leave on a high And, in between, your key experts and the heavier, data-driven stuff, broken up with activations, so the room never goes flat Energy = attention = memory = a win! The running order is a decision. 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) And, long before the doors open… Before: Ensure that your talent is properly briefed, their material is shaped around your people and what’s actually going on in the business, and your audience arrives knowing why they’re there. After: Ensure that the core ideas do their work. The right talent gets people talking they’ve left the room: sharing clips, quoting a line or bringing it up back at the office. (Remember my lift-versus-shift thing? This is what makes the shift stick.) This is how a good day turns into something that changes how people work, instead of a nice memory and a swag bag. Get a few things straight upfront… …before you round up some names for your next event. What is the walk-away or take-home? What are people left thinking, feeling, knowing or doing? What KPI or ROI was reached? What needs to be or was done to match that outcome? Got a conference on the horizon? Shaping the day, flow, speakers, MCs, entertainment, facilitators, training or special celebs, the before and after – the whole lot, is our jam. Chat to us; we’ll help you build something people don’t forget. We do it properly. And we do it with heart. P.S. Speakers and talent, this one’s for you too. Those who get booked again and again think past their own 40 minutes. They ask: What’s going to make the biggest difference and the widest impact? They pick up threads from earlier in the day and hand something meaningful to whoever’s next. They make the whole event better. That’s what turns a booking into a relationship.   Simone de Villiers done with heart BOOK THE BEST TALENT FOR CONFERENCES AND EVENTS BOOK NOW Find Out More

Who is your strategic talent partner and why?

What to look for (and what to run from) After a million years in this industry, I’ve noticed that when a corporate client or event manager seeks out a speaker bureau or speaker agency, many start from the wrong place and therefore ask the wrong question: They go,  “Does this agency or speaker/talent bureau have big names on its books?” Read this next part slooowly asseblief, ngicela, nceda: An agency or speaker/talent bureau is not a catalogue. (Well, it shouldn’t be!) And it certainly isn’t a name-dropping service or a search engine. It is (or it should be) a trusted strategic partner. If you’re sending lists of random names and famous faces to decision-makers, to see who gets the most popularity votes, you’re starting on the back foot. So let me share some hard truths for choosing a partner agency/bureau.   Before you trust anyone with your brief, make sure they: 1) OPEN UP  Does the agency ask the right questions? Do they operate with honesty? Are they transparent about their fees, relationships with talent and limitations?  A trustworthy bureau, for example, will tell you when they don’t have the right person for your brief – and even help you to find the right person. Transparency also means being clear about money. Does your chosen talent know what they’re getting paid? Has the agency communicated clearly about fees, contracts and timelines, while keeping everyone in the loop? Are speakers paid on time, every time, without having to chase?   2) HAND-PICK There’s a phrase I use a lot: “the laundry list”. These are the same 20 names fired off to every client, regardless of the brief, theme, audience or what’s actually going on in the organisation. They’re names that you (or, indeed, the client) could just have Googled. This is what happens when profile and availability drive recommendations, instead of fit. (See what I meant about a strategic partnership?) Anyone can find a big name online. That’s not curation. Curation is when a bureau or agency team has made the effort to see the talent, attend their events, watch them in front of a real, live audience and form a first-hand opinion.  This is what gives us the knowledge and insight to guide you toward the right fit, without any guesswork.   3) ADVISE You don’t want a bureau partner that takes your brief at face value. You want one that interrogates it. One that will tell you when what you think you want, what you think you need and what your audience actually needs aren’t the same thing. In a nutshell, this means: Because, when magic is the desired result, understanding is the starting point. I believe that’s what gives us the confidence to say, “This speaker is brilliant, but not for you and not for this gig. Here’s who we think you need and why.”That’s true collaboration. That’s a strategic partnership, the Social Alchemists way. 4) CARE You’ll know it when you see it. Care looks like this: That’s heart. And what heart does, when you get it right, is make both the clients and the talent feel seen in a relationship that’s real.    Red flags vs green flags Here’s a quick way to “gut-check” whether the prospective partner you’re working with is actually in your corner. RED FLAGS GREEN FLAGS Sends the same laundry list to every client Asks questions before recommending anyone Recommends speakers they’ve never seen perform Has attended, watched and personally vetted the talent Uses speakers’ 10- or 20-year-old photos and bios Keeps profiles updated – photos, reels, bios Copy-pastes the same proposal regardless of the brief Adapts every proposal to your audience, theme and goals Disappears after the booking is confirmed Shows up at your event, in person and on social media Has vague or hidden fee structures Is transparent about costs, commissions and negotiations Decides when it’s convenient to pay speakers Pays speakers on time, every time, no chasing Treats you like a transaction Treats you – and the talent – like VIPs If this is hitting a nerve, read it again. And if you want an agency or speaker/talent bureau that serves as a real strategic partner, you know where to find us.

Releasing the Pressure of Modern Motherhood

This Mother’s Day, we’re spotlighting the incredible work of Social Alchemists speaker and sustainability expert, Dr. Jessica van Jaarsveld. In a world where mothers are constantly expected to do more, be more, and carry more, Jessica’s work offers something refreshingly different: permission to slow down, let go of perfection, and reconnect with what truly matters. Drawing from her research into the human–nature relationship, alongside her lived experience as a mother of three, Jessica explores how small shifts in attention, language, and perspective can create deeper wellbeing, connection, and groundedness for both parents and children. Through her inspiring talks and practical insights, she reminds us that raising connected, grounded children doesn’t require Pinterest-perfect activities, endless outdoor challenges, or doing everything “right.” Sometimes, meaningful connection starts with something as simple as noticing the clouds, listening to birdsong, or pausing to appreciate the world around us together. This Mother’s Day, Jessica is offering FREE access to her Nature Language 101 course using the code: MOTHERSDAY2026 — a thoughtful gift designed to help families reconnect with nature in small, accessible, and meaningful ways. 👉 Click here to access the course: Because sometimes the smallest shifts create the deepest roots.

What It Really Takes to Stay Relevant as a Speaker

From the outside, speaking looks like a moment. A keynote. A great event. A round of applause. From our side at Social Alchemists, it’s a lot more than that. It’s positioning, timing, relationships, and knowing exactly where a speaker fits and why. We recently joined the Carmen Murray Show to talk about what really goes into building speakers who don’t just get booked once, but stay relevant. What we’re seeing is a clear shift. Clients are not just looking for inspiration anymore. They want value. They want speakers who understand their audience and can make a real impact. And for talent, it’s no longer just about being visible. It’s about being clear, consistent, and trusted in your space. That’s where we come in. As an agency, our role is to connect the right voices to the right rooms and help speakers build careers that last. If you’re booking talent or building your speaking career, this conversation will give you a real look behind the scenes. If you’re ready to work with talent that delivers or grow your own presence, let’s connect.

How You Become The Alchemist

Do you call it a win when people stand and clap? Or is it the energy in the room? How about a huge queue for selfies with the speaker?    WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU, AS A WAY TO MEASURE EVENT SUCCESS? For me, it’s simple: Did anything actually change? If you run conferences, internal events or leadership gatherings, you’ve probably thought about this before. Let’s look at it again. The most important question is this: “What problem are we actually trying to solve and which keynote speaker can help us to shift what people think, feel, know or do?   EMOTIONAL LIFT VS BEHAVIOURAL SHIFT These phrases rhyme but that’s where the similarity ends. Emotional lift is obvious and you see it straight away, in the form of laughter, applause and optimism. It’s useful for creating momentum, but it fades quickly. Behavioural shift takes longer. Think about your own organisation… Where have you actually seen change stick? Have you seen behaviour shift in improved sales conversations, better compliance, better collaboration or faster decision-making?  If you have, this didn’t happen as a fluke. The message matched the strategy, the culture and the way work actually gets done.   AVOIDING THE INCOMPLETE BRIEF I spend a lot of time inside event briefs. So you could say I’m a briefing expert. But don’t take my word for it – here’s my briefing template*. This is what I think “good” looks like. Use it with my compliments. But remember: Even though event teams are under pressure to ‘inspire the troops’ or ‘end on a high note’, the event brief that’s used to find the perfect speaker is incomplete without additional info…    Are you pushing a new strategy? Trying to embed new values? Rolling out new tech? Fixing a performance gap?   Bottom line: What outcome is most important to you? What needs to be different afterwards? The chosen keynote speaker should, ideally, be able to run with and reinforce that agenda – and the event brief should say so.    HERE’S AN EXAMPLE FOR YOU I have a client in SA retail. They had a big internal event on the calendar and a workforce that really needed a lift. A large portion of staff had recently been close to retrenchment, so the mood was pretty bleak.  Everyone was thinking the same thing, “Am I safe?” The client thought they wanted a high-energy, high-adrenaline keynote speaker. But when people are worried about their jobs, energy can feel tone-deaf. It can create a gap between what leadership is saying and what people are feeling. A better choice, I thought, was a keynote speaker who could speak to stability, trust and forward movement; who could rebuild confidence. So my team and I had to shift the objective away from ‘motivate the team’, to something more grounded.    ASKING A DIFFERENT QUESTION Here’s another example. One trend we’re seeing in the industry is a less frequent call for “leadership speakers” and a more frequent call for speakers on “intrapreneurship”, self-leadership and future-proofing. Instead of asking, “Who will wow the audience?”, we ask a different question: “What behaviour needs to change?” Once that’s clear, we make our speaker recommendations strategically. Inspiration still matters – of course it does! – but feeling moved and acting differently are not the same thing. If you’re planning an event and want more than applause, let’s chat.  P.S. Hey, speakers and talent! This message is for you as well. It’s not enough to deliver a strong story and hope it lands. Outcome-driven work means you should be having pre-event conversations with stakeholders, trying to understand what actually matters to them and adjusting your content to how their world works.  CHECK OUT View All Speakers 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) DOWNLOAD OUR FREE KEYNOTE SPEAKER BRIEF ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST Download Now

Inside the Speaker World: Simone de Villiers Shares Insights at PSASA 2025

At the recent PSASA (Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa) Convention, our founder, Simone de Villiers, sat down with Kim Vermaak to discuss what goes on behind the scenes when booking top-tier talent for the world’s biggest stages. Simone unpacks how Social Alchemists selects, develops, and elevates keynote speakers, emcees, and event talent in this candid and value-packed interview. From what makes a speaker stand out to the essentials of marketing materials and why proof of concept matters, this is a must-watch for both seasoned and emerging voices in the industry. Key Highlights Include:

Dr. Justin Cohen Revives History’s Greatest Minds with New Podcast: I Speak to Dead People

Podcast cover with microphone

Ever wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with Marcus Aurelius, Shakespeare, or Freud? Thanks to Dr. Justin Cohen’s innovative new podcast, I Speak to Dead People, you don’t have to wonder anymore. About the PodcastIn this one-of-a-kind series, Dr. Cohen uses cutting-edge AI to bring history’s most inspirational figures back to life for in-depth, thought-provoking discussions. From timeless wisdom and overcoming human struggles to how they’d navigate today’s world, these conversations go beyond the textbooks to offer fresh insights and surprising revelations. What Makes It UniqueDr. Justin Cohen, a renowned speaker and author, is known for his ability to blend deep knowledge with engaging storytelling. Now, he’s taking his talents to the podcast world, creating a platform where history and technology collide. Whether it’s exploring Stoic resilience with Marcus Aurelius or dissecting creativity with Shakespeare, every episode is a journey into the minds of the greats. When and Where to ListenThe first episode of I Speak to Dead People drops Tuesday, December 17th. You can find it on all major podcast platforms, including YouTube. Why You Should Tune In Gain timeless insights to help you navigate life’s challenges. Experience history in a way that’s fresh, engaging, and interactive. Be part of a groundbreaking project that blends AI, history, and human curiosity.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvmv7nCws3A Follow I Speak to Dead People now and join Dr. Justin Cohen in bringing history’s greatest voices into the present. Let their wisdom inspire your future. Listen on Spotify Podcasts Listen on Apple Podcasts Watch on Youtube