BigSpeak Speakers Bureau
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is a Santa Barbara-based speakers bureau that matches Fortune 1000 corporations, associations, and universities with keynote, business, and celebrity speakers, earning commission on each booking through an enterprise field-sales model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersSanta Barbara, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BigSpeak Speakers Bureau does
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is a Santa Barbara-based, privately held speakers bureau founded in 1995 by Jonathan Wygant (originally as Consciousness Unlimited, rebranded to BigSpeak around 2000). The company matches event planners at Fortune 1000 corporations, industry associations, and universities with keynote, motivational, business, AI, innovation, leadership, and celebrity speakers, claiming penetration of 72% of the Fortune 1000 and approximately $370M of cumulative keynote bookings. The core product is a curated speaker marketplace organized across more than a dozen topic verticals (AI, leadership, innovation, sales, cybersecurity, emotional intelligence, habits, customer experience, future trends, etc.), supported by website-based speaker search, a "My Catalog" saved-list feature, and direct booking inquiry forms. The company is a service business rather than a technology company—it does not sell software, APIs, or proprietary platforms; its value creation rests on exclusive talent relationships (e.g., former OpenAI executive Zack Kass, Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph, Pixar's Matthew Luhn, NASA leader Gregory Robinson, bestselling author James Clear) and the domain expertise of its sales agents (described as having over 200 years of combined real-life business experience).
Revenue is generated through transaction commissions on speaker fees, with disclosed per-engagement pricing typically ranging from under $7,500 to $20,000+ depending on the speaker, event type, and organization. Distribution is driven by an enterprise field-sales motion featuring Strategic Account Advisors, a phone-based booking line, website inquiry forms, and content marketing through a podcast, newsletter, blog, and social channels. Complementary offerings—workshops, executive coaching, and consulting under the "Beyond the Keynote" umbrella—extend the core booking service into higher-value recurring engagements. The management team is led by Founder & CEO Jonathan Wygant and President Barrett Cordero, supported by a CMO and a roster of VPs and Strategic Account Advisors; the firm has never raised external funding and has no disclosed parent company.
The company has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for at least five consecutive years (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019), with a 613-spot ranking jump in the most recent reported year, and serves a customer base that includes NASA, Pfizer, CNN, HSBC, Disney, General Electric, American Express, Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, Google, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Ford, Toyota, and Boeing.
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BigSpeak Speakers Bureau
- Legal name
- BigSpeak, Inc.
- Website
- https://bigspeak.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is a Santa Barbara-based speakers bureau that matches Fortune 1000 corporations, associations, and universities with keynote, business, and celebrity speakers, earning commission on each booking through an enterprise field-sales model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Speaker Bureau Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Speaker, Entertainment & Talent Booking (Corporate) (HSACADAK)
Keywords
Where BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Barbara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Speaker Booking Commission: BigSpeak earns revenue by representing keynote speakers and booking them for corporate events, conferences, and meetings. The company takes a commission from speaker fees. They've booked approximately $370M of keynote speakers on behalf of thousands of companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Carolyn Stern Emotional Intelligence Keynote Speaker |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cate Hall Keynote Speaker |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Jack Groppel Keynote Speaker |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BigSpeak is a full-spectrum speakers bureau that represents and books keynote speakers, business speakers, motivational speakers, and celebrity speakers for corporate events, conferences, sales kickoffs, and leadership meetings. The company curates an exclusive roster of speakers and matches them with event planners, handling booking logistics end-to-end. Beyond keynotes, the firm also offers post-event workshops, executive coaching, and consulting through its Beyond the Keynote program.
Product overview
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is a single, unified service platform for booking keynote speakers, business speakers, and motivational speakers for corporate events and conferences. The core product is the speakers bureau itself—a matching service that connects event planners with speakers across diverse topics including AI, leadership, innovation, sales, and more. The platform includes a My Catalog feature for saving preferred speakers, a search function for browsing by topic or location, and a booking request system. Additional offerings include a podcast program featuring thought leaders, an email newsletter, and Beyond the Keynote workshops and consulting services for post-event reinforcement. The company represents speakers across categories such as Celebrity Speakers, Business Speakers, AI Keynote Speakers, Leadership Speakers, and Innovation Speakers, but does not offer distinct technology products, modules, or APIs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Keynote Speakers Bureau Services
- Beyond the Keynote (Workshops & Consulting)
Quantifiable outcome
- $370M of keynote speakers booked for thousands of companies
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use BigSpeak Speakers Bureau
Customer profileNamed customers24 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Keppler Speakers: Long-standing U.S. speakers bureau serving corporate and association clients with business, leadership, and motivational talent. Overlaps directly with BigSpeak's core business speakers niche and Fortune 1000 client base.
- Premiere Speakers Bureau: Speakers bureau representing business, leadership, and motivational keynote talent for corporate and association audiences. Directly competes with BigSpeak in the business speakers category with overlapping client profiles.
- All American Speakers Bureau: A broad-line speakers bureau offering celebrity, business, and motivational speakers for corporate events and associations. Overlaps with BigSpeak in business and motivational categories for Fortune 1000 customers.
- The Lavin Agency: Speakers bureau specializing in authors, business thinkers, and thought leaders for corporate and association events. Direct competitor in the business speakers niche with similar exclusive-talent positioning.
- Executive Speakers Bureau: U.S. speakers bureau focused on leadership, sales, customer service, and motivational keynote speakers for corporate audiences. Comparable in target customer (corporate event planners) and topic categories to BigSpeak.
- Harry Walker Agency: One of the longest-established and largest U.S. speakers bureaus representing celebrity, political, and business keynote talent. Directly comparable to BigSpeak in serving Fortune 500 corporate events with a similar commission-based booking model and overlapping speaker roster.
- Washington Speakers Bureau (WSB): A premier U.S. speakers bureau with deep relationships among political leaders, CEOs, and thought leaders. Competes head-to-head with BigSpeak for Fortune 1000 keynote bookings, especially in policy, leadership, and business categories.
- Celebrity Talent International: Talent booking agency covering keynote speakers, celebrities, and entertainers for corporate events. Comparable service offering to BigSpeak with a similar commission-based model serving corporate event planners.
- Leading Authorities: Full-service speakers bureau and event production company representing business thinkers, politicians, and authors for Fortune 500 events. Closely comparable business model, customer profile, and speaker categories to BigSpeak.
Emerging players
- eSpeakers: Technology-enabled speakers directory and booking platform serving independent speakers and smaller bureaus. Represents a more tech-forward, marketplace-style alternative to the traditional full-service bureau model that BigSpeak operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau social profiles
Digital presenceBigSpeak Speakers Bureau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BigSpeak Speakers Bureau
What does BigSpeak Speakers Bureau do?
BigSpeak is a full-spectrum speakers bureau that represents and books keynote speakers, business speakers, motivational speakers, and celebrity speakers for corporate events, conferences, sales kickoffs, and leadership meetings. The company curates an exclusive roster of speakers and matches them with event planners, handling booking logistics end-to-end. Beyond keynotes, the firm also offers post-event workshops, executive coaching, and consulting through its Beyond the Keynote program.
Is BigSpeak Speakers Bureau a public or private company?
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BigSpeak Speakers Bureau founded?
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BigSpeak Speakers Bureau based?
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau is headquartered in Santa Barbara, United States, in the North America region.
How does BigSpeak Speakers Bureau make money?
One revenue line is on record: speaker Booking Commission.
Who are BigSpeak Speakers Bureau's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Keppler Speakers, Premiere Speakers Bureau, All American Speakers Bureau, The Lavin Agency, Executive Speakers Bureau, Harry Walker Agency, Washington Speakers Bureau (WSB), Celebrity Talent International and Leading Authorities. eSpeakers is listed as an emerging player.
Does BigSpeak Speakers Bureau have an API?
No public API is recorded for BigSpeak Speakers Bureau.
What industry is BigSpeak Speakers Bureau in?
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau's product category is Speaker Bureau Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACADAK, Speaker, Entertainment & Talent Booking (Corporate).