Mastering Speaking Logistics with Advance Agent Lori Kennedy

The Speaker Lab Podcast

The Speaker Lab

Authors, Public Speakers, Public Speaking, How To, Marketing, Smallbusiness, Coaching, Education, Entrepreneurship, Speaking, Business, Side Gig

4.8 • 575 Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“When speakers communicate directly with the clients and leave me out of the communication, it can get fuzzy. And there have been times when that’s happened and logistical details have not occurred and it has cost somebody money.”

Behind every outstanding speaking event is a world of logistics, relationships, and attention to detail that most audiences never see. On this week’s episode of The Speaker Lab, host Grant Baldwin chats with Lori Kennedy from Premier Speakers Bureau, an Advance Agent, who has mastered the art of making events run smoothly.

Lori unpacks the critical steps that set the best speakers apart, from executing contracts and managing travel to handling last-minute changes with calm professionalism. Her candid stories from the field highlight the importance of flexibility, communication, and always having a Plan B.

For speakers aiming to build strong, long-term relationships with event planners and bureaus, Lori emphasizes the power of simple habits like responding quickly to emails, keeping commitments, and always looping your team in on changes. She shares why being easy to work with is just as crucial as what you do on stage, and how thoughtful touches like thank-you notes or a quick text that you’ve arrived can make all the difference.

Packed with actionable advice, this episode is a must-listen whether you’re just starting or looking to elevate your reputation. From pre-event preparation to making a lasting impression after the applause, Lori’s wisdom will help you become the kind of speaker event planners can’t wait to work with again!

You’ll learn:

The meaning and responsibilities of an advanced agent
Risks associated with speakers handling logistics independently
Best practices for booking travel
Roles of agents in contract creation and execution
Tips for making event logistics smoother for everyone involved
The importance of personalized connection before, during, and after events
And much, much more!

“I am doing logistics, or what we call advancing the event, and therefore the word advanced agent…and before you go to the venue, you have to have everything set up…and so advancing was always the part that happened before you arrived to make sure that they were ready when you arrived.”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, friend, are you looking for ways to book more paid speaking gigs?
0:03.7	Well, of course you are.
0:04.4	Maybe you're just starting out as a speaker. You're trying to figure out what to prioritize in order to get booked and paid as quickly as possible. Listen, if that's you, I want you to join us for a free live training where you're going to learn how to create the number one marketing asset that you need to consistently book more paid gigs. This is a tool that one speaker on our team used to book over $36,000 in paid gigs before he even had a website.
0:27.2	This training is free.
0:28.1	It's live and we offered a few times a week so you can find a time that works best for you.
0:32.5	All you got to do is head over to thespeakerlab.com slash get booked.
0:36.3	That's all one word.
0:37.2	Thespeakelab.com slash get booked. That's all one word, the speakerlap.com slash get booked
0:39.3	and register right now. We look forward list of people that
1:13.3	are interested in hearing from you, then if you give away something free to them, you know,
1:18.8	like a e-book or something like that, then you can build your list and you can also make
1:24.5	sure that you have your clients on your list and that you're communicating
1:27.6	with them as well so that you stay top of mind with them.
1:38.0	Hey, as our friends, Grant Baldwin here.
1:39.4	Welcome back to the Speaker Lab podcast.
1:41.0	Hey, excited to be chatting with Lori Kennedy today, who is an advance agent with Premier Speakers Bureau.
1:46.5	We've had several people from Premier on the show. They're kind of a friend of the program here locally in the Nashville area.
1:53.6	I met Lori recently at an event we both happen to be at. And she was talking a little bit to all what she does. I was like, hey, I know this is probably outside the normal, what you normally do. Let's come on the podcast. Let's talk about this. So, Lori, welcome. I'm so excited that you're here today. Yeah. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. All right. First of all, advance agent, what exactly are you doing? Because for 99% of speakers, they are their own advance agent, whether they realize it or not.
2:21.7	So maybe put some skin on this.
2:24.2	Like, what exactly is an advanced agent?
2:25.8	What are you doing day in and day out?
2:27.6	Well, I basically am doing logistics or what we call advancing the event and they're for the word advance agent.
	...

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