The world of meetings and corporate events has changed. Many years ago, a planner could choose a nice facility, find a good caterer and book a speaker or comedian with the expectation that everyone would be happy.

Now, however, meeting planners are being asked to accomplish much more with less. Locations, menus and other details are being scrutinized to ensure that buyers are getting more for their money. One way that event planners are making a bigger impact is through the use of themes in their events. From simple topics like 'Olympic Gold,' to more focused agendas such as 'Structured Sales Goals,' themes can smooth out a meeting and make a lasting impression.

Few details are as tied to a theme as the professional speaker. After all, if the speaker with the lights and the microphone isn't on task, how can your attendees be? Besides, isn't there a speaker for every occasion?

Looking through the hundreds of bios and videos online, it's easy to see how event planners can get the impression that there are a limitless number of event speakers. The reality, however, is that while there are thousands of speakers vying for business, there are also many levels of quality and talent. Despite the vast sea of promotional materials I see every week, I only consider a couple hundred speakers, entertainers and celebrities worth paying to see. So, should you hire a lesser speaker who seems like a better fit to your theme?

Are You Missing the Best Speaker Because Your Theme's Too Narrow? I once had a group turn down what I thought was the perfect speaker for their event because, in their words, 'he's an Olympic skier, but not a speed skier.' It's understandable that they wanted a person to match the tone they were trying to set, but sometimes effectiveness is traded for consistency with decorations or other ancillary details.

A Quality Speaker Is A Quality Speaker. On the other hand, I recently worked with a client who had booked a business speaker that ran directly contrary to all the themes they described for their event. When I asked about the seemingly odd choice, her answer was clear. "He was too good to pass up." This is a simple point, but one that sometimes gets overlooked. Your attendees will remember if your speaker is fantastic (or terrible!), but they probably won't notice if they stray from the theme slightly.

It's tempting to choose a speaker based solely on a theme, but be sure to make sure the speaker you select will work for your audience, not just your setting.