Frequently Asked Questions

Well, you’ve found us — so that’s a great start, welcome! You can phone us (our number’s on the website), or fill in an enquiry form — there are plenty of those across the site.

That’s the great thing about Essential Talent — we cover all sorts of categories. If you click “Speakers” at the top of the website, you’ll see we’ve got motivational, mental health and wellbeing, business, innovation, sport — a really broad cross-section.

Yes we do! While we’re based in New Zealand, we already work with clients in Australia and are happy to provide speakers across both countries.

That’s exactly what we’re here for. Tell us about your event — your audience, your budget, the goals of the session — and we’ll come back to you with a shortlist of speakers we think would be a great match.

Fees can vary widely. Some speakers might be in the $3,000 to $5,000 range; others may be closer to $20,000 or even $30,000 depending on the individual, the brief, and the event. We’ll always provide options that match your budget.

Some are exclusive, others we book regularly or have great relationships with. There are also speakers we work with behind the scenes. If you’ve got someone in mind, just ask — we might be able to help even if they’re not publicly listed.

Yes, many of them do. In fact, since COVID, a lot of them have become very experienced in virtual delivery. Whether it’s Zoom, Teams or another platform — no problem.

It doesn’t happen often, but if a speaker gets sick or something unexpected comes up, we’ll step in immediately and help you find a replacement. You won’t be left stranded.

If you’ve got a specific date in mind, it’s best to get in early — many speakers get booked months in advance. That said, we’ve worked miracles on short notice too, so it’s always worth asking.

We’re always interested in new talent. Get in touch, send us your bio, a video of you speaking, and your main topics. If it looks like a fit, we’ll follow up and have a proper conversation from there.

Yes, we can absolutely help with that. You might have a keynote in the morning and a panel in the afternoon — whatever you need, we’ll help you put it together.

They sure do. The best ones always do. We’ll make sure the speaker is briefed properly and tailors the message to your audience — not just rolls out the same talk they gave last week.

Yes, that’s part of the service. Once we understand what you’re trying to achieve, we can recommend the right format — sometimes it’s a keynote, other times it’s more interactive. We’ll talk that through with you.

Yes, we’ve supported events outside New Zealand and Australia — some speakers will travel, others can deliver virtually. Either way, we can help.

Yes, in many cases we can set up a phone or Zoom call so you can meet the speaker, ask questions, and get a feel for their energy and style before locking things in.

Yes, we can help with that. Some clients want to handle logistics themselves, others ask us to do it — we’re flexible. Either way, the speaker will be properly briefed and well looked after.

Yes, several of our speakers are also great MCs or event facilitators. If you’re looking for someone to run the whole show, not just deliver a talk, we’ve got people who can do that.

Yes — we work with all sorts of clients, and we understand that not every event has a big budget. Let us know what you’re working with, and we’ll do our best to make it work.

All the time. If you’re representing a client, we’ll support you behind the scenes or front-facing — whatever works best for your process.