JLA

What JLA does

JLA Speakers Ltd is the United Kingdom's largest speaker bureau, founded circa 1985 and headquartered at 14 Berners Street, London. The firm connects corporate and institutional clients with keynote speakers, conference facilitators, awards hosts, after-dinner speakers, motivational speakers, and performers/entertainers across a roster of 11,000+ talents in 47 countries. Service delivery is consultative: 35+ dedicated account managers match event briefs, audience profiles, and budgets to specific talent, then manage end-to-end logistics including transport, accommodation, and pre-event briefings. Cumulative delivery is claimed at 45,000+ events for 15,000+ organisations, with the company stating relationships with approximately one-third of FTSE 100 companies.

The business operates a professional-services revenue model: JLA earns a commission on speaker booking fees set by the talent. Fees are quoted in tiered bands from £2.5k–£5k (emerging presenters/comedians) up to £25k+ (top-tier celebrities and political figures). Service lines are organised into six core categories — Conference Speakers, Business Speakers, After Dinner Speakers, Motivational Speakers, Presenters & Awards Hosts, and Performers & Entertainers — supplemented by a premium "JLA Exclusives" tier of hand-selected talent represented solely by JLA, and the "JLA Presents" owned-event showcase series (Festival of Speech, Speakers Breakfasts, Real Variety Show) that also functions as a marketing channel. Vertical focus spans Financial Services, Publishing/Events/Media, Trade Associations, Business Services, and Tech, with enterprise logos including Microsoft, JP Morgan, KPMG, PwC, Salesforce, Barclays, NatWest, Aviva, BAE Systems, Sky Group, LinkedIn, and Haymarket.

JLA is a privately held UK limited company with no disclosed investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or subsidiary structure. The offering is fundamentally a relationship-driven agency rather than a technology platform: there are no APIs, no mobile applications, no software integrations, and no proprietary technology disclosed. Marketing mixes content (blog/ideas), email newsletters, organic social (X, LinkedIn, YouTube), and PR, all funneling prospective clients to direct account-manager-led sales conversion.

Name

JLA

Legal name

JLA Speakers Ltd

Website

https://jla.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JLA Speakers Ltd is the UK's largest speaker bureau, connecting corporate and institutional clients with keynote speakers, presenters, awards hosts, and performers across an 11,000+ talent roster in 47 countries, delivered through 35+ dedicated account managers from its London headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Speaker Bureau Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Speakers, Hosts & MC Talent Management (HSACAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Speaker, Entertainment & Talent Booking (Corporate) (HSACADAK), Public Lectures & Speaker Series (MPAGACAI), Entertainment Booking & Speaker/Talent Management (HSACAAAI)

Keywords

• Speaker bureau services
• Talent booking agency
• Corporate event speakers
• Keynote speaker representation
• Event talent consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Speaker Booking Fees: JLA charges fees for booking speakers, presenters, and performers for corporate events, conferences, awards ceremonies, and after-dinner speaking engagements. Fees vary by speaker popularity and are typically quoted as fee bands or specific amounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JLA is a speaker bureau and event consultancy that matches organizations with speakers, presenters, and performers for corporate events, conferences, awards ceremonies, and after-dinner engagements. The company curates a roster of 11,000+ speakers across categories including business, motivational, after-dinner, conference, presenters, and entertainers, providing expert matching, logistics coordination, and end-to-end event support through dedicated account managers.

Product overview

JLA is the UK's largest speaker bureau offering a comprehensive platform connecting organizations with world-class speakers, presenters, and performers for corporate and live events. The portfolio comprises core booking services for conference speakers, business speakers, after dinner speakers, motivational speakers, presenters & awards hosts, and performers & entertainers. The JLA Exclusives tier provides access to premium, hand-selected talent represented exclusively. JLA Presents hosts the company's own events including Speakers Breakfasts, Festival of Speech, and Real Variety Show. Services are delivered through dedicated account managers providing expert advice, talent curation, and end-to-end event logistics support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JLA Exclusives: A curated selection of premier talent that JLA represents exclusively for corporate speaking engagements.

Products and services

• Conference Speakers Expert speakers available for corporate conferences covering topics such as leadership, AI, diversity and inclusion, innovation, crisis management, geopolitics, mental health, sustainability, and science and health.
• Business Speakers Professionals who speak on business strategy, leadership, entrepreneurship, and corporate topics for conferences and corporate events.
• After Dinner Speakers Speakers who entertain and inspire audiences at after-dinner events, including general interest, sporting, inspirational, political, and business categories.
• Motivational Speakers Speakers who inspire and motivate audiences, specializing in adventure, sport, military, overcoming adversity, and business themes.
• Presenters and Awards Hosts Professional presenters and awards hosts for corporate events, conferences, and ceremonies, including conference facilitators.
• Performers and Entertainers Live entertainment acts including comedians, musicians, and dance performers for corporate events and functions.
• JLA Exclusives Hand-selected premier talent represented exclusively by JLA for corporate speaking engagements, including high-profile names like Alex Mahon, Ian Hislop, Professor Brian Cox, and Tim Harford.
• JLA Presents Showcase Events JLA's own showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts, Festival of Speech, and Real Variety Show featuring curated panels and discussions on topics like AI, geopolitics, and technology.
• Speaker Bureau Services End-to-end speaker representation and event consultancy including expert concept advice, curated talent matching, logistics management, and seamless delivery for corporate events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,000+ successful events delivered
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Ovations International: Australia-based speaker bureau operating with a similar talent-representation and event-consultancy model. Comparable in service scope but primarily serves APAC markets rather than competing head-on with JLA in the UK/Europe.

Direct peers

• Speakers Corner: UK-based speaker bureau offering corporate event speakers, after-dinner speakers, and celebrity talent booking. Directly competes with JLA across the same product categories and UK enterprise client base, with a comparable consultancy-led sales model.
• Washington Speakers Bureau: US-based speaker bureau with a strong roster of political, policy, and business leaders. Directly comparable to JLA's premium tier, especially for political and former-head-of-state bookings that overlap with JLA's £10k–£25k fee band.
• Leading Authorities: US-based speaker bureau representing business leaders, politicians, authors, and thought leaders for corporate events. Operates the same booking-and-consultancy model as JLA with a roster of high-profile exclusive talent, and is a global competitor for cross-border enterprise clients.
• Celebrity Talent International: US-based talent booking agency covering keynote speakers, entertainers, and corporate event talent. Directly comparable to JLA in service mix (speakers plus entertainers/performers) and in working with enterprise clients on corporate event lineups.
• Harry Walker Agency: Long-established US speaker bureau representing A-list politicians, business leaders, and cultural figures. Competes with JLA for premium talent and global enterprise clients, particularly for keynote and political speaker bookings above the £25k fee band.
• BigSpeak Speakers Bureau: US-based speaker bureau serving corporate clients with business, motivational, and keynote speakers. Comparable service offering and target buyer (corporate event planners), serving as a US analogue to JLA for enterprise keynote bookings.

Broad incumbents

• CAA Speakers: Speakers division of Creative Artists Agency, the global talent and entertainment conglomerate. Represents A-list speakers, entertainers, and public figures alongside broader entertainment services, competing with JLA for the very top end of the talent market and major global events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jlaSpeakers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@JLASpeakers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jlaspeakers
• Facebookfacebook.com/JLAspeakers

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JLA