It’s here!  It’s here! It’s here!

(No, silly.  Not the Superbowl.  That’s next week.)

It’s the Meetings and Events Industry Forecast 2025… and it’s packed with the latest trends that will impact your speaking career in the coming year.

Overall, the speaking industry is riding a wave of optimism. Budgets are increasing, event organizers are prioritizing LIVE experiences (yay!), and both in-person and virtual events are thriving. 

But here’s the kicker—costs are rising, and meeting planners are under more pressure than ever to justify every dollar they spend.

What does that mean for you?

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It means that if you understand the key industry trends, you can position yourself as the speaker that planners want to hire. You can create offers that are easy to book, deliver speeches that feel like a no-brainer investment, and build relationships that keep you top of mind when the right gig opens up.

So let’s break it down. Here are the five biggest trends shaping the speaking industry in 2025—plus exactly how to take advantage of them.

1. Lead Times Are Shrinking—Be Ready to Book Quickly

Planners are booking speakers later than ever. Last-minute bookings aren’t just common… they’re the new normal. So, be ready to book quickly.

I know this firsthand. I was in Washington, D.C. on Monday to speak at an event that booked me only three weeks ago. (My team had to be on their toes to lock down all the logistics on time and budget!)

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