How to build a conference programme from your own network
“How do I find speakers and panellists for a conference in my own network?”
Your address book usually holds most of your speakers already: people who led the subject at their company, spoke about it publicly, or run the initiative now. We rebuild each contact’s career, find what they have said and done on your theme, and propose a programme with one name per slot and a reason for each.
Who it’s for
Organisers of industry conferences, summits, closed-door roundtables and internal leadership events.
What we look for in your network
- Who led the subject in their company, and when
- Public talks, interviews and articles on the theme
- Current role, dated, so nobody speaks for a company they left
- Who you know well enough to ask directly
- Who can introduce you to the ones you don’t
An extract of what comes back
Nadia Benali Head of Sourcing, Orsay & Fils
Built the house’s traceable-gold supply chain; spoke at two industry summits.
Met at a retail strategy lunch, 2019.
Jonas Weber Partner, Alpenrock Advisory
Wrote the sector’s most cited report on recycled metals.
Former colleague of two of your contacts.
Mei Tanaka Creative Director, Atelier Sora
Designs with lab-grown stones; a dissenting voice for the debate.
Connected during your Tokyo years.
+ 45 more speakers and panellists in the full document, each with its reason
Fictional people and companies. The level of detail is real.
What you receive
A draft programme: one slot per theme, a first choice and a back-up for each, the reason, and the warmest way to ask.
It starts with your network rebuilt in ten working days: careers dated, where you know each person from, how close you were, who can reintroduce you. Delivered in person, as a workbook you can filter, a searchable page and a clean address book for your iPhone.
An NDA before any file is shared. To find someone, only a name and a company leave your address book.
You choose who stays out of the search.
Professional facts only: nothing on wealth, health, religion or legal matters.
Everything deleted at the end, with a dated certificate.
Questions
- Can you check that people still hold the role?
- Yes. Every career is dated from public profiles; if the role is not confirmed, we say so rather than guess.
- Can you include people outside my address book?
- Only through someone you know: we show which of your contacts can introduce you.
- What do you need from me?
- Your contacts export and your LinkedIn archive. Nothing else is required.