Motivational speaker Nando Parrado talks about survival, resilience, leadership and the power of teamwork. Photo courtesy of GDA Speakers

Nando Parrado is a name you may not be familiar with, but are probably familiar with his story. Parrado is a survivor of the 1972 Andes plane crash that became the subject of a best-selling New York Times book and Oscar-nominated Netflix film.

“His message is one of the most powerful testaments to the human spirit I’ve ever seen,” says Gail Davis, president and founder of GDA Speakers, a renowned speaker management company.

Davis first heard Parrado’s story during a keynote at an EDS conference and it changed the course of her life. She made it her mission to help share the remarkable journey, signing Parrado to become the anchor member of her then-fledgling bureau.

Parrado has now delivered more than 300 keynotes and remains Davis’ most-requested speaker.

“The takeaway is that event planners shouldn’t overlook speakers without household recognition,” says Davis. “With the right fit, their impact can equal — or even surpass — that of a celebrity.”

As corporate meeting planners adapt to match changing expectations from attendees and overcome budget challenges stemming from inflation, supply-chain difficulties and tariffs, Davis’ message is echoing throughout the events industry.

Only 1% of event professionals polled by Freeman’s 2024 annual trends report list celebrity speakers as their preferred keynote content. Instead, 39% favor talks on innovation and 34% want to hear from industry leaders and experts.

“Breaking the myth: Celebrity speakers don’t drive event registrations,” notes events strategist Nicola Kastner in the report.

Listen to Your Audience

Freeman’s 2025 trends report builds upon that research to highlight the difference between how planners view attendees’ journey and how delegates experience a conference.

In this year’s analysis, 25% of event organizers view a celebrity speaker as a “peak moment” at a show, but attendees list objectives like building vendor relationships (41%), learning and development (20%) and making connections (19%) as their most pivotal time. As a result, 78% planners think their attendees have experienced a “peak moment,” but 60% of attendees say they did not.

Such a disparity may be discouraging for planners to read, but practical consequences supersede bruised feelings. According to the report, attendees who experience “peak moments” are 85% more likely to return to that same event the following years. If only 40% of attendees feel like they enjoyed the event’s highlights, more than half of participants could stay home in the future.

Ken Holsinger, Freeman’s senior vice president of research and insights, attributes the findings to Generation Z’s priorities. The younger crowd doesn’t appear to be all that impressed with brands and events trying to make a splash. They rather want to achieve actionable goals, Holsinger says.

Gen Z objectives are:

28% cite networking and making connections

25% attend for product and service exploration

25% go for learning and inspiration

“We’re not telling planners they can’t do those fun things,” Holsinger says. “We’re just telling them to get the table stakes right.”

In other words, the money invested in an A-list celebrity may be better spent on an activation or experience on the show floor.

Adding A-Listers

Aaron Pugh, president of Vet Together, a reverse tradeshow for animal care practitioners and their vendors, opted to pony up for Nicole Kidman for the event’s second iteration, held recently at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

While Pugh can’t directly correlate the show’s growth to Kidman’s star power, he says it played a role in attracting 1,100 attendees and launching a colocated sister show for dental professionals, Smile Together.

“It adds something to the show,” says Pugh. “People like hearing about celebrities and there’s some level of credibility you earn.”

Generally speaking, younger events may have to take additional steps to attract audiences. Pugh says that hiring an A-lister with a high fee signals that an event is invested in the long haul.

The Together Media shows presented Kidman as a business woman with whom attendees can identify. According to Pugh, both the veterinarian and dental industries have experienced a significant shift toward women-led practices in a field previously dominated by men. Likewise, Kidman has risen to the top of media, a field men have previously earned higher salaries in and gained more influence than women.

Having even a loose connection to the industries proved valuable as recruiters fielded questions from potential attendees asking Kidman’s relevance to the event, Pugh adds.

“She sends a very powerful message about women and what they can do in industries that have traditionally been male-focused,” says Pugh. “I think that will resonate with our audience.”

Likewise, NiCE Interactions weaved its messaging into tapping “Veronica Mars” star Kristen Bell for a special appearance. NiCE, which helps organizations deliver authentic experiences through AI, built excitement by billing Bell as “the nicest person in the world,” connecting her to its “Create a NiCE World” campaign.

Bell more than lived up to the persona, and her charm was essential toward achieving the company’s objective at the conference, which attracted more than 2,500 attendees to the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, says Gerrie Price, vice president of demand generation at NiCE.

“During her onstage conversation with NiCE CEO Scott Russell, she shared heartfelt and humorous stories about kindness, authenticity and connection, which resonated deeply with the audience,” says Price. “As an AI company, one of our goals with this campaign is to illustrate that while AI can power incredible experiences, authenticity and human connection remain at the heart of every great interaction. Kristen personified that balance perfectly.”

In terms of ROI, Bell’s involvement generated a measurable uptick in social media engagement and helped build strong pre-event momentum, notes Price. But the feel-good moment on stage was the big prize.

“Her keynote reinforced the emotional connection between our brand and our audience, and helped communicate one of our core messages — that AI, when used with purpose, can make customer experiences feel more human and meaningful,” says Price.

American sportscaster Joe Buck with inspirational keynote speaker John O’Leary at a Goodwill Dallas event. Photo courtesy of GDA Speakers

Making the Right Match

There is a time and a place for celebrity keynotes, says Meta Nelson, speaker manager and founder of Meta Speakers, a management firm representing eight clients, including former Dallas Cowboys star Darren Woodson and former U.S. Senator Martha McSally. But she says it’s the responsibility of speaker managers like herself and bureaus, like Davis’ company, to ensure the presenter is a good match for the audience.

“Darren can charm the socks off of anybody,” says Nelson of Woodson. “But Martha might be more of a hit for your audience if you have a strong tie to the military and wellness.”

She adds that Woodson “crushes it on a Q&A and really draws people in.”

Don Jenkins, vice president of Premiere Speakers Bureau, adds that one person’s definition of a celebrity may be completely unknown to someone else. “Who’s a celebrity can be very dependent on that audience,” he says.

Woodson, for instance, would be instantly recognizable to Cowboys fans during the team’s championship runs in the 1990s. However, teammates like Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders who have added to their fame with post-career achievements in the spotlight, might gain more traction on social media promotions.

The Good, Bad and the Ugly

While there is genuine debate with whether an event needs a big-name speaker or not, planners should also keep in mind that celebrities aren’t created equally.

Jenkins notes some keynotes struggle to connect with their audiences because they haven’t invested the time and research into who they are speaking to. This can also manifest itself in a celebrity’s willingness to be an active participant at a show through social media interactions and dispositions during meet-and-greet sessions.

A speaker’s reputation precedes them, adds Jenkins. “Speakers bureaus are a very small industry; we share our successes and our horror stories,” he says.

CNN host and personality Anderson Cooper went above and beyond the norm by participating in the “ice bucket challenge” during Connect Marketplace back when the challenge first started. Other examples of celebrities who prove their worth include:

Earvin “Magic” Johnson — “His charisma and energy on stage are unmatched, and he pairs that presence with meaningful business lessons and takeaways,” says Davis.

Kevin O’Leary — The “Shark Tank” star “personally takes pre-event calls with clients, customizes his presentations, and engages in audience Q&A,” says Davis.

On the flip side, celebrities are not always a sure-thing. Sometimes, things happen that will lead to them not coming. There can be genuine scheduling conflicts that arise, but a pattern of cancellations is seen as a turn-off.

Jason Sudeikis, for instance, is known for playing the extremely likeable Ted Lasso on television, but was seen attending a women’s basketball game at the same time he was supposed to have given a keynote prior to cancelling. That’s just one of several instances where he has been a last-minute no-show.

“If there is a celebrity who has a high probability of a cancellation, we don’t recommend that person,” says Jenkins.

Adds Davis: “The best strategy is to plan as far in advance as possible and make sure your agreements have strong language around cancellations.”

Should there be a cancellation, Davis suggests planners utilize their speaker bureau relationships to find a replacement as quickly as possible.

Another safeguard is to schedule the speaker to present virtually, which Jenkins says he has seen a noticeable increase in requests for during the second half of 2025. While it may not have as much impact as an in-person appearance, remote chats and speeches cut down travel considerations, including the cost of flying the speaker in and out of town.

And because there is a convenience factor for the keynote, speakers may lower their fees by as much as 25%, Jenkins says. To save additional costs, planners can agree to pre-recorded presentations. Another cost-cutting measure is to plan a fireside chat, a format speakers prefer because it is easier to prepare for than going solo on stage.

Somewhere in between the standouts and no-shows are celebrity keynotes who fulfill their contractual obligations for the event but don’t resonate with the crowd. This can be due to the speaker not fully understanding their audience’s background and goals, says Nelson.

It’s these experiences that have many in the speaker industry suggesting shifting away from the big name to getting impact.

Connecting with Attendees

Rachel Andrews, global head of events at Cvent, says the event tech giant has intentionally adapted its approach to keynotes based on attendee preferences. Its events, including Cvent Connect, held the past two years in San Antonio and moving to Nashville in 2026, continue to use celebrities but do so “in a more meaningful way,” says Andrews.

For instance, Cvent Connect pulled on emotional heartstrings in conducting a fireside chat with James Van Der Beek. The actor, best known for the 1990s television show “Dawson’s Creek,” has a certain nostalgia factor, but his public battle with colon cancer is universally inspiring.

“He was deeply committed to showing up and to using his platform (and our conference) to spark honest conversations about resilience and perspective,” says Andrews. “The result was powerful and deeply human. His authenticity reminded all of us of the importance of courage, vulnerability and showing up when it matters most.”

Such a powerful moment goes a long way toward an event adding a “return on experience” to go along with the traditional “return on investment.” It’s also why Cvent conducts a thorough process for selecting its speakers at each event.

Diversity, culture, topical expertise, industry relevancy and, of course, the price tag all play a role. Melissa Proctor, chief marketing officer of the Atlanta Hawks, met the standard this year due to the large number of event marketers in attendance. Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Mount Everest, was another uplifting keynote who spoke toward accessibility and defying potential limitations.

While attracting attendees is not an issue for Cvent Connect, which attracted more than 3,500 customers and partners, as well as more than 200 exhibitors to San Antonio, TX, Andrews says having a strong set of keynotes indicates it is a prestigious event.

“It’s never lost on us that we put on this experience for a very discerning audience of event professionals and hoteliers who know what great events look like,” says Andrews. “So, we’re always looking for new ways to raise the bar and delight our attendees. And the fact is keynote speakers can be a big part of that.”

Adding Mark Jeffries as the event’s emcee has been transformational, notes Andrews.

“Having a professional who can guide your attendees, engage with them in a natural way and keep everything on track is an immediate level-up,” she says. “Professional emcees don’t get enough credit for the immense value they bring and attendee satisfaction they deliver.” C&IT