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Client: Enterprise SaaS Company
Event: Annual Developer Conference
Challenge: Pressure to book a high-profile speaker under tight internal scrutiny
The client’s marketing team had been tasked with securing a big-name speaker for their user conference. They had already received a quote from a bureau for a former tech CEO turned thought leader. The fee was $130,000—higher than expected, but the team didn’t feel like they had the time or leverage to push back.
The CMO was on board, but procurement wasn’t. Legal was already asking questions about the contract. That’s when the events lead brought us in.
We reviewed the proposal and flagged a few immediate concerns:
The speaker wasn’t represented exclusively by the bureau
There was no itemized breakdown of the fee structure
Several key terms (IP rights, promotional use, Q&A obligation) were vague or missing
We reached out directly to the speaker’s business manager and confirmed the speaker's net fee was actually $95,000. We also discovered the speaker had a long-standing preference for working directly with clients—he just didn’t enjoy negotiating.
We restructured the deal, added in a moderated Q&A, and clarified usage rights for the client’s post-event video series. Everything was handled cleanly, with no ambiguity and no unnecessary intermediaries.
The result was a better deal for our client and the speaker. Legal approved the contract quickly and procurement signed off without further questions. The speaker was prepped and delivered exactly what the team hoped for.
Outcome:
Tens of thousands of dollars in immediate savings
Stronger contract with clearer expectations
No delays or internal pushback
Client asked us to review talent strategy for two future events
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