How to choose a speaker?
Start with the question that many agencies focus on: “Why is your audience coming, and what do you want them to do/remember afterwards?” Until this point is clear, you risk choosing a name rather than an impact.
Next, validate the suitability using simple criteria: real experience on the subject (not just opinions), ability to speak to similar audiences, and recent video evidence.
Finally, secure the execution with a proper briefing. Philippe Boulanger and his agents often recommend a “briefing call” about 2-3 weeks before the event: late enough to be precise, early enough to allow time for preparation.
Since COVID, more than 32,000 people have declared themselves “speakers” on LinkedIn. Since the arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022, add 15,000 new expert speakers on artificial intelligence! Only a tiny fraction of these are both experts who have mastered their subject and have developed the profession of speaker.
Here is a checklist to consider:
- Is the speaker legitimate and credible? Check their professional experience before they became a speaker on the subject that interests you. You may be surprised. Philippe has always been an innovator, both as an entrepreneur and as an executive in large companies.
- Is the speaker professional? Membership in an association such as the AFCP (Association Française des Conférenciers Professionnels) is a first indication. Philippe was even president of this association from 2020 to 2022, he is a member of the equivalent association in the US, the NSA (National Speakers Association), and he is a member of the board of directors of the Global Speakers Federation, which brings together 17 global speakers’ associations.
- Is the speaker represented by agents? Only truly established speakers are represented by agents. Although you will find Philippe in almost all speaker bureaus or speaker directories, Philippe is represented by two agents, Adrien Tombari for North America (US and Canada) and Eric Blot for the rest of the world (including France). When you work with Philippe, he will focus on the value he will deliver to you. His agents will take care of the administrative side. Philippe and his agents are used to working with event agencies and other speaker agencies and bureaus.
How to choose a speaker on innovation?
When it comes to innovation, the classic pitfall is to confuse inspiration with transformation. Organizers increasingly expect a presentation that links innovation to concrete mechanisms: experimentation, culture, decisions, adoption. The Innovational Intelligence® system emphasizes precisely this point: the liberation of innovation and the adoption of AI or exponential technologies depend on alignment, culture, clear leadership, and psychological security, and progress better through controlled experimentation than through abstract “grand plans.”
So, when making your choice, ask yourself a simple question: Do you need a talk that “opens minds,” or a talk that creates the conditions for action (experiences, triggers, common language, follow-up plan)? This is where the speaker’s style and method become decisive.
Here is a checklist to consider, in addition to the “How to choose a speaker” checklist:
- Has the speaker actually been involved in innovation operations, and not just as a consultant? Philippe has had his hands in the grease both on behalf of his own companies and for large groups, which has enabled him to model the Innovational Intelligence™ system and the pragmatic tools that accompany it.
- Are the speaker’s presentations innovative? Philippe Boulanger has chosen to make his keynotes innovative; it’s a no-brainer for him. His signature experiments, developed over time, help anchor the messages in the minds of participants. Philippe uses both neuroscience and behavioral psychology for powerful and memorable experiments.
- Does the speaker stray into other topics? An expert in everything and ultimately good for nothing?
- Philippe has devoted his life to innovation and what enables it: strategy, organization, methods, tools, and public speaking.
If you would like to invite Philippe to speak, the most direct way to do so is via his contact form, where you can choose the format (conference, personalized conference, master of ceremonies, workshop, request for information). He or his agents will respond as quickly as possible.
If you want to get an idea, don’t hesitate to ask Philippe for a demonstration of a typical experiment from his presentations. It will be 15 minutes very well spent.
How to choose a speaker on artificial intelligence?
Obviously, with the number of self-declared experts and speakers on the subject, how can you separate the wheat from the chaff?
It all depends on your objectives.
If you want a demonstration of AI tools that will become obsolete a few weeks later, you will find plenty of candidates at very low cost. There is no point in asking Philippe to speak on this topic.
Philippe, regardless of the fact that he began working on the subject in 1992, is more interested in the strategic implementation of AI and the exponential technologies of the future. His Innovational Intelligence® system bridges the gap between AI and the fundamentals of innovation, and his lectures illustrate this.
Beyond a lecture, Philippe can guide you through the winding paths of AI adoption for a successful implementation.
How to maximize impact (before, during, after)
Before the event, the goal is to increase interest in attending. Promotional recommendations emphasize simple actions: publish a detailed description of the session and the speaker, use “in action” photos, and feed your digital media with elements that make the presentation tangible.
During the event, your priority is the experience. Philippe’s keynotes highlight interactive experiments designed to create a spark and a common language around the mechanisms of innovation or AI adoption.
After the event, the impact depends on anchoring. Philippe recommends extending the sequence with post-event content (resources, excerpts, reminders) to reinforce memorization and action. In addition, workshops or assessments can help teams make concrete progress.
How can you promote your event?
From an organizer’s perspective, promoting an event with a speaker like Philippe Boulanger is mainly about reassurance. You want to be sure of three things:
- that the speaker is a good fit for your audience,
- that they will hold the stage (or live event),
- and that the collaboration will be smooth.
This is exactly why good speakers and speaker bureaus highlight very concrete elements: a clear page, a reusable session description on your website, photos “in action,” and video clips that show the speaker’s style, energy, and ability to engage an audience.
Next, promotion serves a simple purpose: to increase the intention to attend. The most repeated recommendations from agencies are pragmatic: introduce the speaker early on in your materials, publish a detailed description of the presentation, and feed your communications (emails, intranet, event page) with easy-to-consume “proof.”
Philippe Boulanger helps you promote your event, usually with a teaser to make people really want to attend. It is a good idea to request to discover what kind of teasers Philippe can do for you. It is a secret page !
How to complete an Innovation/AI keynote to get “concrete” results
If your goal is adoption (and not just inspiration), Philippe’s book “Innovational Intelligence®” offers a logic that can be directly applied in business: clarify meaning and direction to reduce confusion, treat AI adoption as a subject of innovation (alignment, culture, method), and progress through controlled experiments.
The same system also emphasizes a point that is often underestimated in transformations: psychological safety. When teams do not feel safe to test, tell the truth, or report weak signals, innovation slows down and adoption stalls.
If you want the conference to serve as a starting point for internal momentum, the document also describes a perception measure (the Innovational Intelligence™ Quotient) used as a starting point and then as a follow-up after the action plan, in order to move from discourse to more factual management.
Philippe can assist you with the practical implementation of innovation or AI.