Behind every successful event is a partnership in which planners and speakers stay aligned, communicative, and supportive of one another. In university settings where academic theory needs to connect with actual world experience, this partnership becomes essential. Bringing an industry expert or distinguished scholar as a speaker to a university event creates a transformative experience for students that goes beyond a regular academic lecture.
However, creating a presentation requires attention to many logistical details that organizers and faculty committees often overlook. A successful invitation involves much more than just hitting send on an email and hoping for the best.
Inviting speakers requires a professional approach, combined with genuine hospitality. When done correctly, you build a network of professionals eager to return to your campus. This guide is a breakdown of the dos and don’ts of inviting speakers to university events, so you can plan a professional event.
Do Send Invitations Well in Advance
Established academics and well-known experts tend to have calendars that fill up incredibly quickly, often months before the actual dates arrive, so waiting too long can mean you miss the opportunity entirely. If you are hoping to bring in someone from another city or country, early communication becomes even more important because travel planning and institutional commitments need to be factored in as well.
As a general rule, giving at least six months’ notice is wise, but for highly sought-after figures in your field, reaching out closer to a year in advance is often what it takes to find an open slot in an already crowded schedule.
Don’t Be Vague About the Topic
One of the biggest errors an organizer could make is allowing a speaker complete creative freedom. While it may seem polite to allow a guest to speak about anything they wish, this type of vagueness signals a lack of planning and vision by the organizer.
The vagueness places an unfair burden on the speaker to decide what would be appropriate for their specific audience. And therefore creates a situation where the speaker might deliver a talk that is either too basic for seniors or too advanced for freshmen.
Do Provide Clear, Upfront Information
The initial message you send will give your potential speaker a good idea of what you plan to do, which will help them decide whether the timing works with their own busy schedule. Explain the objective behind the event, whether it is a research talk, a practical workshop, or a student-led discussion. Also, explain the topic you’d like the guest to discuss in detail, as this shows you invited the guest because of the subject’s relevance, not because you are sending a generic request.
-
- Share who they will be speaking to(first-year students, advanced researchers, or a mixed academic group)
- Include the confirmed date
- Make it clear whether they will be traveling to campus or joining virtually
Laying everything out from the start shows that you are prepared, considerate of their schedule and genuinely invested in making the collaboration worthwhile.
Don’t Delay Communication
The communication gaps create uncertainty for guests who need to know about upcoming events and who wonder about the current status of their plans. The initial stage requires sharing information about travel arrangements, schedule details, venue information and technical setup procedures.
The support team needs to answer questions without delay because it helps your speakers understand they will receive assistance instead of having to solve problems on their own. Speakers tend to gain confidence through continuous and direct communication, which helps them focus on their presentation instead of worrying about operational details.
Do Cover Transportation and Accommodation Expenses
When you invite a speaker to a conference, they naturally expect the conference organizers to cover the basic costs of attending. Travel and accommodation usually fall into that category, and many conferences also offer a small honorarium. The amount of money provided in an honorarium varies based on the field, the speaker’s profile, and the funds available to support the conference. A good rule of thumb is to find out if your department or university already has funding set aside for guest speakers, as these funds often exist, but may not be well-publicized.
Inform your speaker exactly where the event is being held and let them know that all costs associated with traveling and lodging will be covered by your organization. Once they feel like their costs are taken care of, they may be less hesitant to take time off from work or family and in some cases, the opportunity to visit a different location may add to the appeal.
Don’t List Them Publicly Before They Accept Your Invitation
Making a premature announcement about a potential speaker for your event is a major breach of professional etiquette. When you publicly announce that a person will be speaking at your event prior to their official acceptance, it creates a false expectation among students and faculty. If the speaker eventually declines due to a scheduling conflict or a lack of interest, you are forced to issue a public correction. In addition to damaging the event’s credibility, making a public correction like this will put the speaker in an awkward situation, as it may appear they backed out of a commitment they never made.
Do Make Sure the Speaker’s Expertise Matches the Event Theme
Making a decision based on who is the most recognizable is a common error that many universities commit when choosing speakers for their events. While a well-known guest might attract attention at first, if their area of expertise is unrelated to the audience of the session, the session will rapidly become shallow. What truly matters is the degree to which the speaker’s knowledge and experience relate to your event’s purpose. Looking into the speaker’s history of presentations, writings and work experience is a good way to decide if the speaker can add to the discussion.
-
- Look at their research, projects, or industry work for subject relevance
- Ask whether their experience supports the learning goals of your program
- Focus on depth of knowledge instead of popularity or online presence
This way, you are focusing on delivering valuable education and keeping your audience engaged as a result of the content.
Don’t Forget to Test AV Equipment
Flickering projectors, poor quality of audio through microphones and unreliable internet connection are technical issues that can both confuse the audience and embarrass the speaker. Most of these technical failures can be prevented by carrying out proactive testing on your digital presentation. Therefore, you will want to schedule a dedicated time prior to the event to go through the complete digital experience.
-
- Check if slide presentations load properly
- Check if the video has good audio sync with the house speakers
- Make sure the remote presenter is audible clearly
For virtual or hybrid sessions, testing the platform’s stability and interactive features is equally important.
Do Highlight Other Invited Speakers
When reaching out with an invitation, it helps to mention who else you are planning to bring in as speakers. In academia, there are often many familiar colleagues. They might have worked together previously. Or at the very least, they appreciate one another’s research.
Being in an academic community with familiar colleagues or friends can make the opportunity feel more worthwhile and intellectually engaging. It is also wise to invite a few more speakers than the number of available slots. At the same time, do not send out massive amounts of invitations solely for the purpose of filling slots. This will be perceived as impersonal and a sign of not valuing the experience and knowledge each speaker has to offer. Selectively inviting speakers with the intention of creating a valuable line-up is much better than filling space on your agenda.
Don’t Micromanage Their Content
While you must provide a clear topic and objective, avoid overstepping into the speaker’s creative process. Your speaker must have expertise in the particular field of study and trusting that they have a sense of how best to present their ideas will result in an authentic, dynamic and meaningful presentation. Micromanaging every slide or script detail can stifle the guest’s unique voice and passion.
Do Use a Written Contract
A written agreement setting out essential details like payment terms, travel plans, or how to cancel ensures clarity between you and the speaker before anything goes wrong. At the end of it, you show your seriousness by turning an informal chat into something official and reliable.
Don’t Change the Time or Date Without Immediate Notice
Speakers often have very tight calendars to balance travel, corporate commitments, and personal obligations. Even small changes to the date or time can create large ripple effects, leading to double bookings, missed flight connections, etc. Failing to communicate these shifts immediately is disrespectful to the speaker’s time and professional life.
Do Send a Thank-You Note
The professional relationship with a speaker should not end the moment they step off the stage or disconnect from the call. A timely, well-written follow-up thank you is an important final step toward developing a positive image of your university. Thanking a speaker with a personal letter is more than polite; it indicates that the person and their efforts are valued. The personal follow-up makes it much more probable that the speaker will be willing to return or recommend the event to their colleagues at some point in the future.
Summing Up
As you prepare for your next event, know that your professionalism reflects your university’s quality. A well-planned event will do much more than provide a single hour of attendance. It will create a long-lasting relationship between your academic community and the professional world. This commitment to excellence ensures that high-caliber speakers will be eager to accept your invitations in the future, consistently enriching your university’s educational landscape for years to come.
To simplify speaker coordination, registrations, and event logistics, book a free demo with Dryfta and connect with our team to see how we can support your next university event.