Speaker roles

What sort of speakers are there and what are their roles?

Keynotes
Keynote speakers present the first session or key session at the conference and receive the highest billing in all event marketing. Their role is to open the conference with a high-level speech that sets the tone for the whole event.

Chairmen
A chairman’s role is to make a few opening remarks at the start of the day, introduce each speaker, field questions from the audience (asking a couple of his/her own if there are none from the floor) and keep everything to time. Chairman will be asked to make announcements to delegates and they remain on/near the stage throughout the day.

Panelists
Panel speakers are not required to provide powerpoint slides for their session. But they can provide papers for delegates’ reading, which will be inserted into the conference proceedings. They will be introduced by the panel moderator and asked a few questions. They will then be involved in a debate/interactive discussion with the moderator, the other panel members and the audience.

Session speaker
Individual speakers are required to prepare a 30 – 40 minute presentation, with slides. They will be introduced by the chairman and then allowed to speak, free of interruption, for the allocated time slot, allowing for 5-10 minutes of questions from the audience at the end (which the chairman will facilitate).

Moderator
Panel moderators are required to introduce each panelist and ask them a series of pre-prepared questions in a “chat show host” style. They also need to encourage audience participation, fielding questions from the floor, whilst keeping the wholepanel to allocated time.

Sponsor
Sponsor speakers are either session speakers or panelists. They are encouraged to keep to the topic suggested to them by the conference organiser and not to lapse into sales pitches! This is to help sustain attention from the audience.