JONATHAN DUNNETT

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Event Strategy for Speakers | Jonathan Dunnett
Event Strategy for Speakers

Most speakers leave events
with business cards.
The best ones leave with pipeline.

Events are among the highest-potential business development opportunities available to a speaker. Most never tap it. The difference isn't charisma — it's preparation, strategy, and knowing what to do before, during, and after the room.

"Sometimes the most valuable conversation we have is before you register."
Free You Can't Scale Serendipity Free quarterly workshop. Make the most of every room you're already in. Register for the next session → Coaching Event Strategy Coaching One-on-one strategic planning for a specific upcoming event. Starts with a call →
Not sure which fits? Book a free 35-minute call →
75+
Events organized by Jonathan — including the first TEDx Moncton
Both sides
Of the speaker-organizer relationship — on stage and behind the curtain
ROI
The work that determines your return on investment happens before you arrive — not on the floor
The real cost of getting it wrong

Most speakers are leaving significant money — and pipeline — on the table at every event.

The cost of a poorly executed event isn't just the registration fee. It's the travel, the preparation time, the days away from your business, and the opportunities you didn't recognize because you weren't ready for them.

The speakers who consistently generate business from events aren't luckier or more charismatic. They show up with a strategy, a target list, and a system. They treat every event as the business investment it actually is.

And critically — they ask the right questions before they commit. Not every event is worth your time. Knowing which ones are is half the work.

What most speakers do instead
Register without knowing who is actually going to be there
No research
Show up with no target list and hope the right people find them
No plan
Hope their usual charm helps them connect, rather than deliberate understanding of the people that matter
No context
Collect business cards with no follow-up system ready
Inconsistent
Return home exhausted and wonder why the ROI never adds up
No return
Go to the same events because they've always gone — not because they should
Habit not strategy
The difference is deliberate

Most speakers hope events will generate business.
The strategic ones make sure they do.

Without a strategy
  • Register without knowing who's actually attending
  • Show up, speak, network, collect business cards
  • Hope someone follows up — or try to remember who to contact
  • Return home exhausted with nothing concrete
  • Repeat at the next event
With a strategy
  • Know who's in the room before you arrive — and who matters most
  • Walk in with a target list and pre-arranged conversations
  • Execute deliberately — on stage, at a booth, or on the floor
  • Leave with a follow-up system already in motion
  • Turn one event into compounding pipeline
"Sometimes the most valuable conversation
we have is before you register."

Not every event deserves your time, money, and energy. Part of strategic event planning is deciding which events to attend — and which to skip. That conversation alone can save you thousands of dollars and weeks of your year. And when you're already committed to an event, the work of maximizing it starts immediately.

Book an Event Strategy Session → Join the free workshop →
Two ways to work together

Whether you need a framework or a full strategy — there's a place to start.

Both options are built around the same principle: the work that determines your event ROI happens before you arrive.

Free
You Can't Scale Serendipity
Free quarterly workshop
A focused workshop on making the most of every room you're already in — events, conferences, and conversations that should be generating pipeline but aren't.
  • Event selection and prioritization framework
  • Pre-event preparation strategies
  • How to work the room with intention
  • Follow-up systems that actually get used
Register for the next session →
One-on-one coaching
Event Strategy Coaching
By arrangement — scope varies
Strategic planning built around a specific upcoming event — or your event calendar as a whole. Whether you're keynoting, exhibiting, or attending, we build the complete strategy from the ground up.
  • Pre-event research and attendee intelligence
  • Target list building and outreach strategy
  • Role-specific execution plan — speaker, exhibitor, or attendee
  • Follow-up framework and next steps
  • Scope and investment vary based on what you need
Starts with a call →
From a recent client
"He did not just give me general advice. He helped me build an actual plan I could execute, asked smart questions, challenged my thinking in helpful ways, and gave me tools that made me feel much more prepared and confident walking into the experience."
Sheryl Raphael Whitaker
Sheryl Raphael Whitaker, ICF-ACC
Keynote Speaker · Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, It Starts With Joy

Want the complete framework? The full event strategy guide covers every scenario in detail — how to decide whether an event is worth attending, how to prepare strategically regardless of your role, and how to execute before, during, and after.

Read the complete Event Strategy Guide →