Most professional keynote speakers in Australia charge between $7,000 and $15,000 for a conference keynote. Well known authors, broadcasters and media identities generally sit between $15,000 and $30,000, and celebrity headliners run beyond that. All figures are ex GST.
That answers the first question. The more useful question, and the one we get asked most often, is what the whole booking will come to once travel and the rest are included. This guide covers both, so you can build a realistic keynote speaker cost into your event budget from the start and know exactly what you are committing to.
What Australian keynote speakers charge
Fees fall into recognisable bands. Where a speaker sits has less to do with how good they are on stage and more to do with how well known they are and how much demand there is for their time.
- $3,000 to $7,000. Emerging speakers, subject matter experts and trainers who speak alongside another career. Often excellent value for a breakout session or a smaller audience.
- $7,000 to $15,000. The broad middle of the market, and where most conference keynotes are booked. Full time professional speakers with a developed topic, a real track record and the ability to tailor their content to your audience.
- $15,000 to $30,000. Well known names. Bestselling authors, broadcasters and respected commentators whose name on the programme genuinely helps sell registrations.
- $30,000 and above. Celebrity headliners, elite athletes, former politicians and major international names.
All ex GST, so if your budget is expressed as a total including tax, allow for that before you shortlist.
What to budget alongside the fee
A speaker fee covers the speaker. Getting them to your stage involves a few other things, and they are easy to plan for once you know what they are. A good management office will give you an all in figure up front rather than leaving you to assemble it yourself.
Flights. For domestic journeys over about three hours, and for international travel, most established speakers fly business class. It is less about comfort than about arriving able to perform, since a speaker who has been in transit since dawn will not give your audience their best.
Accommodation. Usually determined by your run sheet rather than the distance. If your keynote is before midday, flying the speaker in the night before removes the risk of a delayed flight taking your opening session with it. Most organisers decide it is worth the hotel night for the peace of mind.
Ground transfers. Most speakers include a fixed travel disbursement covering transfers at each end. It is a modest line item, and we will quote it with the fee so nothing appears later.
Booking administration. Management offices and bureaus generally apply a booking administration fee. Ask for it at quote stage and it becomes part of your number rather than a separate one.
GST. Applies to everything above.
Build those in from the beginning and your budget will hold. Ask for an all in figure when you enquire, and a good office will give you one.
Can you record the keynote and share it afterwards?
In most cases yes, and it is worth raising early so it can be built into the agreement.
Worth knowing how it actually works. We do not record sessions ourselves. Where a session is recorded, it is the client who records it, and we will usually ask you for a copy afterwards. A speaker fee covers a live presentation to the people in the room, and the standard arrangement allows internal use of that recording for around a month, held behind a password.
If you want it available for longer, or want to use any of it externally or in marketing, raise it at the outset so it can be agreed with the speaker and written into the agreement. It is straightforward to arrange in advance and considerably more complicated once the event has happened.
Separately, if what you want is footage of a speaker to help you decide, we supply show reels rather than full session recordings.
Is a virtual keynote cheaper than an in person one?
There are real savings in a virtual session, though they may not be where you expect.
The preparation, research and audience customisation are the same, and the speaker still sets aside the time, so the fee itself often stays close to the in person rate. Many speaker fees cover in person, hybrid and virtual delivery at the same price, with a reduction considered on request. Virtual sessions can also involve additional briefing calls and technology checks with your platform and production team.
Where you genuinely save is travel and accommodation, which come off the budget entirely. For an interstate or international speaker that is a significant difference, and it is worth putting a virtual option on the table if your budget is tight and the speaker you want sits above it.
What does a half day, full day or MC role cost?
Longer formats are priced on the speaker's day rather than their time on stage, so they do not scale the way people often expect. A half day or full day always costs more than a keynote, and hosting an awards night is priced as a day rather than as an appearance, because it involves scripting, rehearsal and being across the whole event.
There is no standard multiple. Every speaker prices their day differently, and the gap between someone's keynote fee and their full day fee varies considerably from one person to the next. Anyone who quotes you a formula is guessing. Tell us the format you need and we will give you the actual number for the speaker you are considering.
MC bookings occasionally carry a small extra for hair and makeup where an event is filmed or heavily photographed. Worth a line in the budget if your awards night is being broadcast.
What makes a quote go up or down?
Three things move a number more than anything else.
Where the event is. New Zealand typically adds twenty to twenty five per cent to an Australian speaker's fee. Asia and international engagements usually run close to double the domestic rate before travel. Some speakers price international work with a travel buyout that rolls flights into one figure, which makes budgeting simpler.
What you need beyond the keynote. A pre event video message for your delegates, a breakout session, a panel appearance or a book signing are each additional, and each is far easier and cheaper to build in at contracting stage than to add close to the event.
Who your audience is. A number of speakers offer reduced rates for not for profit and community organisations. It is always worth asking, and we are happy to put the question to them.
Is there flexibility on a speaker's fee?
Often, though it works differently from how people expect.
A speaker's fee belongs to the speaker, so any adjustment is their decision rather than ours. We are always glad to ask on your behalf, and that is worth knowing simply because it explains why an answer may take a day rather than a moment.
In practice, the shape of the booking is where the real flexibility lives. Adding a workshop to the same visit, choosing a quieter date, combining two events in one city, or adjusting travel arrangements will often improve your total cost more than a discount on the fee would.
How to get an accurate quote quickly
Bring these five things and you will get a firm all in figure rather than a range.
- The date, city and venue
- Who is in the room, how many, and how senior
- The slot and format, whether that is an opening keynote, a closing session, a workshop or MC duties
- What you want your audience to walk out thinking or doing
- Your budget range
That last one helps more than anything else. Sharing your budget is not giving ground. It is the fastest way to get four names that genuinely fit your event, rather than ten that might not, and it means nobody's time goes into a speaker who was never going to work.
Talk to ODE Management
ODE Management is a speaker management office. We hold our speakers' diaries, which means we can confirm availability straight away, quote a firm all in figure including travel and disbursements, and tell you honestly whether a speaker is right for your audience before you commit. Event organisers are welcome to book with us direct, and speaker bureaus can book on behalf of their clients.
We manage a small roster exclusively, which is why we can talk about those speakers from real knowledge rather than from a listing, and where a brief needs someone we do not manage we can source well beyond that roster. So a budget conversation is worth having even if you do not yet have a name in mind.
Tell us about your event and we will come back with an accurate quote. Contact ODE Management, or call +61 2 9818 5199 in Asia Pacific or +1 877 950 5633 in the USA.
