Speakers FAQ

ProSpeakers.com is one of Canada's leading professional speakers bureaus, operating from Toronto, Ontario. The bureau represents and connects event planners with vetted keynote speakers across dozens of categories — including Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, Mental Health and Wellness, Economics, ESG and Sustainability, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Sales Motivation, Sports, Innovation, and Change Management. ProSpeakers.com handles the full booking lifecycle for clients: sourcing and recommending speakers matched to an event's theme and audience, negotiating fees, managing contracts, coordinating logistics such as travel and AV requirements, and facilitating pre-event briefing calls between the speaker and the client. Whether an organization is planning a 200-person AGM in Calgary, a national sales kickoff in Toronto, or a fully virtual summit for a distributed Canadian workforce, ProSpeakers.com acts as a single point of contact to simplify the entire process.

ProSpeakers.com maintains a rigorous multi-step vetting process before any speaker is added to the bureau's roster. Each candidate is evaluated on professional credentials and subject-matter expertise, stage presence and audience engagement ability, client feedback and post-event evaluations from prior bookings, relevance to current Canadian and global business trends, and reliability and professionalism in logistics and communication. The bureau's team — led by experienced agents who have collectively managed thousands of bookings — reviews demo videos, conducts reference checks with past clients, and in many cases attends live presentations before recommending a speaker. This vetting ensures that when a client searches ProSpeakers.com for an AI keynote speaker or a leadership expert for their corporate retreat, every recommendation meets a professional standard that protects the client's investment and event reputation.

A standard booking through ProSpeakers.com follows a structured timeline. First, the client submits an inquiry — by phone at 416-420-4525, by email to [email protected], or through the website's online inquiry form — describing the event date, location, audience profile, theme, and budget range. Within one business day, a ProSpeakers.com agent responds with a curated shortlist of speaker recommendations, including fee ranges, availability, and demo materials. Once the client selects a speaker, ProSpeakers.com issues a formal booking agreement that outlines the speaker's fee, travel and accommodation terms, presentation topic, duration, and cancellation policy. After the signed agreement and deposit are received, the bureau coordinates a pre-event briefing call between the speaker and the client's organizing committee to align on messaging, audience expectations, and any customization requests. Most clients begin this process three to six months before their event, though ProSpeakers.com regularly accommodates shorter timelines for urgent bookings.

A pre-event briefing call is a scheduled conversation — typically 20 to 45 minutes — between the booked speaker, the client's event organizer, and often a ProSpeakers.com agent. The call covers the event's objectives and desired outcomes, the audience's demographics such as seniority level, industry, and size, any sensitive topics to address or avoid, specific stories or data the client would like the speaker to incorporate, logistical details including session length, Q&A format, and whether the presentation is in-person or virtual, and post-keynote activities such as book signings, breakout sessions, or meet-and-greets. ProSpeakers.com facilitates this call as part of every booking at no additional cost because customized presentations consistently receive higher audience satisfaction scores than generic keynotes.

Yes. If a client has a particular speaker in mind — whether they saw them at a Canadian conference, a TED Talk, or an industry event — ProSpeakers.com will confirm availability, negotiate the fee on the client's behalf, and manage the entire booking process. The bureau maintains direct relationships with hundreds of professional speakers and has established channels to reach virtually any speaker in North America and internationally. Even if the desired speaker is not currently listed on ProSpeakers.com, the bureau can source, vet, and negotiate terms for that individual. Clients benefit from the bureau's negotiating experience and its knowledge of fair market rates, which often results in better terms than booking directly.

ProSpeakers.com frequently assists clients who need more than one speaker or who want help shaping their event's full programming arc. The bureau can recommend complementary speakers for multi-day conferences — for example, pairing an opening keynote on AI and the Future of Work with a closing keynote on Resilience and Mental Health — and can source moderators and panellists for breakout sessions. For annual general meetings, ProSpeakers.com helps sequence speakers so that the program builds momentum, balancing data-driven presentations on economics or industry outlook with high-energy motivational or sports speakers. This programming consultation is included as part of the bureau's service and is especially popular with Canadian associations, chambers of commerce, and corporate retreat planners. Browse speaker categories at ProSpeakers.com or contact [email protected] to discuss your event's full agenda.

Speaker fees vary widely depending on the individual's profile, demand, and the nature of the engagement. As a general guide, emerging Canadian thought leaders and subject-matter experts typically range from $5,000 to $15,000 CAD per engagement. Established professional speakers with national recognition and strong platform credentials generally fall between $15,000 and $40,000 CAD. High-profile speakers — including bestselling authors, former heads of state, Olympic athletes, and globally recognized business leaders — command fees from $40,000 to $150,000 CAD or more. ProSpeakers.com provides transparent fee guidance during the initial inquiry so that clients can match their budget to the right calibre of speaker. All fees quoted by ProSpeakers.com are fully inclusive of the bureau's commission, meaning there is no additional cost to the client for using the bureau's services compared to booking a speaker directly.

No. ProSpeakers.com operates on a commission model that is standard across the professional speakers bureau industry. The bureau's commission is built into the speaker's quoted fee, which means the client pays the same rate whether they book through ProSpeakers.com or approach the speaker independently. In practice, clients who book through the bureau often secure equal or better pricing because ProSpeakers.com negotiates volume relationships, manages repeat bookings, and understands fair market rates across the Canadian event landscape. The client receives a single invoice from ProSpeakers.com covering the speaker's fee and any agreed-upon expenses.

Travel expenses are typically the client's responsibility and are outlined clearly in the booking agreement before any commitment is made. For a speaker travelling to an event in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, or another Canadian city, standard expense provisions include round-trip economy airfare (or business class for engagements above a certain fee threshold, as negotiated), hotel accommodation for the night before and the night of the event, ground transportation between the airport, hotel, and venue, and a per diem or reimbursement for meals. ProSpeakers.com negotiates these terms upfront so there are no surprises. For virtual keynotes, travel expenses are eliminated entirely, which is one reason many Canadian organizations have continued to incorporate virtual and hybrid formats. Contact [email protected] or call 416-420-4525 to get a detailed quote including all-in costs for your event.

A standard keynote booking through ProSpeakers.com includes reasonable customization — such as tailoring examples to the client's industry, referencing the organization's strategic priorities, and adjusting the presentation length — at no extra charge. Extended engagements beyond the contracted keynote, such as a 90-minute post-keynote workshop, a half-day training session, or an intimate executive roundtable, are priced separately and negotiated at the time of booking. Q&A sessions of 10 to 20 minutes following a keynote are generally included in the standard fee. ProSpeakers.com advises clients on which speakers offer the most value for extended formats and can bundle multiple sessions into a single engagement fee when appropriate.

Every booking agreement issued by ProSpeakers.com includes a clear cancellation and postponement clause. The specific terms vary by speaker, but the general framework is as follows: cancellations made more than 90 days before the event date typically allow for a full refund of the deposit minus a small administrative fee; cancellations between 30 and 90 days may incur a partial forfeiture of the deposit; and cancellations within 30 days of the event usually require payment of the full fee, as the speaker has held the date exclusively. Postponements — where the event is rescheduled rather than cancelled — are handled more flexibly, and ProSpeakers.com works to transfer the booking to a new date at no penalty whenever the speaker's schedule permits. In cases of force majeure, such as severe weather, public health emergencies, or travel disruptions affecting Canadian or international flights, ProSpeakers.com negotiates in good faith between both parties to reach a fair resolution.

ProSpeakers.com maintains contingency protocols for the rare event that a confirmed speaker becomes unavailable. If a speaker cancels due to illness, a family emergency, or an unforeseen travel disruption, the bureau immediately contacts the client and presents replacement speaker options from its roster — prioritizing individuals with similar expertise, speaking style, and fee range. Because ProSpeakers.com represents a deep bench of speakers across every major category, the bureau can typically offer a qualified replacement within 24 to 48 hours. In the unlikely scenario that no suitable replacement is available, the client receives a full refund of all fees paid. This emergency coverage is one of the key risk-mitigation advantages of booking through a professional speakers bureau rather than contracting directly with an individual speaker.

Technical requirements vary by speaker and format, but ProSpeakers.com provides a detailed technical rider as part of every booking confirmation. Common requirements for in-person keynotes include a lavalier or headset wireless microphone, a confidence monitor or downstage screen so the speaker can see their slides without turning away from the audience, an HDMI or USB-C connection from the speaker's laptop to the venue's projection system, a slide advancer or clicker, and a podium or presentation table with water. For virtual keynotes and hybrid events, speakers typically require a stable high-speed internet connection (minimum 20 Mbps upload), a professional-grade webcam and microphone, proper lighting, and a quiet environment — though many top-tier speakers on the ProSpeakers.com roster maintain fully equipped home broadcast studios. ProSpeakers.com coordinates directly with the client's AV team or production company to ensure all technical needs are confirmed well before the event.

Yes. Since 2020, ProSpeakers.com has facilitated hundreds of virtual and hybrid keynote engagements for Canadian and international clients. The bureau's roster includes speakers who are experienced with platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Hopin, and custom broadcast studios. For hybrid events — where a live audience is present while remote attendees join virtually — ProSpeakers.com advises clients on best practices including camera placement, audience interaction tools like live polling and moderated Q&A, and how to ensure the virtual audience receives an experience equal in quality to the in-room attendees. Virtual keynotes are particularly popular among Canadian organizations with geographically distributed teams, national associations hosting coast-to-coast membership events, and companies looking to reduce travel costs and environmental impact while still delivering high-impact programming.

ProSpeakers.com is headquartered in Toronto and serves clients across all Canadian provinces and territories, but the bureau regularly books speakers for events in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and other international destinations. The bureau manages all cross-border logistics including travel documentation, currency considerations (fees can be quoted in CAD or USD), and time-zone coordination for virtual engagements. Many speakers on the ProSpeakers.com roster hold valid passports and travel documentation for international engagements, and the bureau confirms this during the booking process. For destination events such as corporate retreats in Whistler, incentive trips to the Caribbean, or North American sales conferences in major U.S. cities, ProSpeakers.com handles the same end-to-end coordination it provides for domestic bookings.

ProSpeakers.com tracks booking trends across thousands of inquiries from Canadian event planners each year. The most requested keynote topics for 2025 and 2026 include Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work — how generative AI tools are reshaping industries from financial services to healthcare across Canada; Leadership in Uncertain Times — navigating economic volatility, hybrid workforces, and organizational change; Mental Health and Workplace Wellness — building psychologically safe environments and addressing burnout; Economic Outlook and Geopolitics — understanding interest rate trajectories, trade policy shifts including Canada-U.S. relations, and global supply chain dynamics; ESG and Sustainability — meeting stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements around environmental, social, and governance performance; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging — moving beyond compliance to build genuinely inclusive organizational cultures.

Artificial Intelligence remains the single most requested topic category at ProSpeakers.com heading into 2026. Organizations across Canada — from Bay Street financial institutions to Western Canadian energy companies to federal government departments in Ottawa — are seeking keynote speakers who can translate complex AI developments into actionable business strategy. ProSpeakers.com represents AI speakers who cover topics including generative AI adoption and governance, AI ethics and responsible deployment, the impact of AI on Canadian labour markets and workforce planning, AI-powered customer experience and operational efficiency, and cybersecurity in an AI-driven threat landscape. The bureau's AI speaker recommendations range from academic researchers and former Big Tech executives to entrepreneurs building AI-first companies in Canada's thriving technology sector.

Motivational speakers and sports speakers remain among the most consistently booked categories at ProSpeakers.com, particularly for sales kickoffs, annual general meetings, corporate retreats, and team-building events. Canadian audiences respond strongly to speakers who combine personal achievement narratives with transferable business lessons — Olympic and Paralympic athletes who speak about goal-setting and resilience, professional hockey and basketball figures who draw parallels between high-performance teams and corporate culture, and adventurers or explorers who frame risk-taking and preparation in ways that resonate with business audiences. ProSpeakers.com represents a wide range of motivational and sports speakers, from Canadian Olympic gold medallists and NHL alumni to internationally recognized peak-performance coaches.

Mental Health and Workplace Wellness has become one of the fastest-growing speaker categories at ProSpeakers.com, reflecting a broader shift in Canadian corporate culture. Following updates to psychological health and safety standards — including CSA Z1003, the national standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace — organizations are increasingly incorporating mental health keynotes into their event programming. ProSpeakers.com represents clinical psychologists, organizational behaviour researchers, lived-experience advocates, and business leaders who have championed mental health initiatives within major Canadian organizations. When booking a Mental Health speaker, ProSpeakers.com advises clients to consider the audience's comfort level with vulnerability and personal storytelling, whether the goal is awareness and destigmatization or actionable management training, the availability of follow-up resources such as EAP information or wellness toolkits, and the appropriate placement within the event program.

Canadian event planners — particularly those organizing AGMs, board retreats, investor days, and industry association conferences — are booking economics and finance speakers at elevated rates through ProSpeakers.com. Key themes driving demand include Bank of Canada monetary policy and the trajectory of Canadian interest rates, the impact of U.S. trade policy and tariff developments on Canadian exporters and manufacturers, housing affordability and its effects on the Canadian workforce and consumer economy, commodity market dynamics affecting Alberta's energy sector and resource-dependent communities, and Canada's productivity gap relative to G7 peers and strategies for closing it. ProSpeakers.com represents former Bank of Canada advisors, Bay Street chief economists, business journalists with national platforms, and global macroeconomic strategists who contextualize international trends for Canadian audiences.

ESG — Environmental, Social, and Governance — has moved from a niche concern to a boardroom priority for Canadian organizations, and ProSpeakers.com has seen a corresponding increase in demand for ESG keynote speakers. Canadian companies face a unique regulatory and stakeholder landscape, including mandatory climate-related financial disclosures, evolving ESG reporting frameworks, Indigenous reconciliation commitments, and growing investor scrutiny of sustainability claims. ProSpeakers.com represents ESG speakers who bring expertise in areas such as net-zero transition planning, sustainable supply chain management, corporate governance best practices, impact investing, and greenwashing risk. These speakers are particularly popular at industry association conferences, annual general meetings, and executive retreats where decision-makers are grappling with how to integrate ESG principles into strategy without sacrificing competitiveness.

Booking through ProSpeakers.com provides several distinct advantages over approaching a speaker independently. First, the bureau offers access to a broad, pre-vetted roster — rather than researching speakers individually, clients receive curated recommendations from agents who attend hundreds of events and track speaker performance data year over year. Second, ProSpeakers.com negotiates fees and contracts on the client's behalf, drawing on its knowledge of fair market rates across the Canadian event industry to ensure clients receive competitive pricing. Third, the bureau manages all logistics — contracts, travel coordination, AV riders, briefing calls, and day-of-event communication — freeing the client's team to focus on other event priorities. Fourth, ProSpeakers.com provides risk mitigation: if a speaker cancels, the bureau sources a replacement; if contract terms need adjustment, the bureau mediates. And fifth, the client pays no additional fee for these services, as the bureau's commission is included in the speaker's quoted rate.

ProSpeakers.com differentiates itself through depth of experience, breadth of roster, and a hands-on service model. The bureau has operated in the Canadian event market for decades, building relationships with top-tier speakers and earning the trust of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies and Big Five banks to federal government departments, national associations, healthcare systems, and mid-market enterprises. Key differentiators include a Toronto-based team that understands Canadian business culture, bilingual programming needs, and regional market nuances from coast to coast; a roster that spans every major keynote category with speakers at every fee level; a commitment to personalized service, where every client works with a dedicated agent rather than navigating a self-service platform; and post-event follow-up, including collecting audience feedback and recommending speakers for future events.

ProSpeakers.com serves organizations of every size. While the bureau counts many of Canada's largest corporations and associations among its clients, a significant portion of bookings come from small and mid-sized enterprises, regional chambers of commerce, nonprofit organizations, school boards, healthcare facilities, and municipal governments. The bureau's roster includes speakers at a wide range of fee levels — from emerging thought leaders who deliver exceptional value in the $5,000 to $10,000 CAD range to marquee names who command premium fees. ProSpeakers.com agents work within the client's stated budget and will never recommend a speaker who falls outside the client's financial parameters. Call 416-420-4525 or email [email protected] to discuss your event, regardless of size or budget.

Yes. As a Canadian speakers bureau, ProSpeakers.com understands the importance of bilingual event programming, particularly for national conferences, federal government events, and organizations operating in Quebec and other Francophone communities. The bureau's roster includes speakers who deliver keynotes entirely in French, speakers who present bilingually with seamless transitions between English and French, and speakers who are available to participate in bilingual Q&A sessions even if their primary presentation is in English. ProSpeakers.com advises clients on how to structure bilingual programming so that all attendees feel included, whether through consecutive interpretation, bilingual slide decks, or selecting speakers who are natively fluent in both official languages.

ProSpeakers.com recommends that clients begin the booking process three to six months before their event date. This timeline provides the best selection of available speakers, allows adequate time for contract negotiation and customization, and ensures the pre-event briefing call can be scheduled at a convenient time for all parties. For high-profile speakers — such as nationally recognized figures, bestselling authors, or former heads of state — availability can be limited, and booking six to twelve months in advance is advisable. That said, ProSpeakers.com regularly handles urgent and last-minute requests. The bureau has successfully placed speakers with as little as 48 to 72 hours' notice. Reach out to ProSpeakers.com by visiting the website, emailing [email protected], or calling the Toronto office at 416-420-4525.

Yes. ProSpeakers.com has been a leading Canadian bureau for virtual keynote bookings since the rapid shift to remote events in 2020, and the bureau continues to facilitate virtual-only engagements for clients across Canada. Virtual keynotes are particularly popular for national town halls where employees are distributed across multiple provinces, association webinars where members cannot justify travel costs, lunch-and-learn series that run monthly or quarterly, and training programs delivered to remote or hybrid teams. ProSpeakers.com ensures that virtual bookings include the same level of service as in-person engagements — contracts, briefing calls, technical coordination, and post-event follow-up. Virtual bookings also tend to carry lower fees than in-person engagements because travel expenses are eliminated, making them an accessible option for organizations with smaller budgets.

ProSpeakers.com frequently books speakers for specialized audiences including mining and natural resources, agriculture and agri-food, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, financial services and fintech, education, legal, real estate, and the public sector. The bureau's agents understand that a keynote on leadership at a medical conference requires a different tone, vocabulary, and evidence base than the same topic at a tech startup summit. When a client operates in a niche industry, ProSpeakers.com draws on its network to recommend speakers who have direct experience in that sector — whether as former executives, board members, researchers, or practitioners — or who have a proven track record of customizing their message effectively for specialized audiences.

Every booking through ProSpeakers.com is governed by a formal speaker agreement that outlines the rights and obligations of both parties. The agreement covers the scope of the engagement, including topic, duration, and format. It addresses recording and distribution rights — specifying whether the client may record the presentation for internal use, external distribution, or not at all. It details intellectual property provisions, confirming that the speaker's original content, slides, and materials remain the speaker's property unless otherwise negotiated. And it includes confidentiality terms for engagements where the speaker may be exposed to proprietary business information during briefing calls or workshops. ProSpeakers.com manages these agreements on behalf of both parties, ensuring that terms are clear, fair, and aligned with Canadian contract law standards.

ProSpeakers.com combines decades of Canadian event industry experience, a personally vetted roster of speakers across every major category, and a service model built on responsiveness, transparency, and long-term client relationships. The bureau understands the unique dynamics of the Canadian market — from bilingual programming requirements and coast-to-coast travel logistics to the specific business trends shaping Canadian industries. Whether an organization is planning a 50-person executive retreat in Banff, a 2,000-attendee national conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, a virtual summit for a fully remote workforce, or an intimate board dinner with a thought-provoking after-dinner speaker, ProSpeakers.com delivers the expertise, roster depth, and hands-on support to make every event a success. Start a conversation today at ProSpeakers.com, email [email protected], or call the Toronto office at 416-420-4525.