Building a Keynote Speaking Business In WA

When: Friday 21 Feb 2025

Time: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Location: Dome Pavilion, next to the Dome Cafe, The Esplanade, Mount Pleasant

Registration

Pavilion in 2025. A full range of food and drinks are available for purchase at the Dome Cafe.

Email admin@professionalspeakers.org.au to receive the registration code

• GSF/Affiliate Member – $35.00 
• IABC Member – $35.00 
• PSA Member – $35.00
• Non-Member – $40.00

The conference and events industry is thriving and bigger than ever before – especially since COVID. Many of those conferences and events pay professional speakers to deliver keynote presentations at their events. But the market wants a specific kind of speaker and presentation. Even if you’re a competent trainer, workshop presenter or facilitator, being a keynote speaker is different (not “better”, but different).

Gihan has been running a keynote speaking business from Perth for 12 years and is now well-known and highly regarded in Australia as a professional, reliable – and yes, even funny – conference speaker.

In this interactive breakfast workshop, he will explain what it takes to build and run that kind of business. Especially if you’re based in WA.

You might already be earning money from presenting but want to expand into conference keynotes. Or you’re a competent presenter who isn’t earning money (yet!) from it but wants to expand into this area.

Gihan will share his experience and expertise and provide plenty of time to answer all your questions. Even if you’re just thinking about it, this is the best way to dip your toe into the water to help inform your decision.

Here are some of the key outcomes for you:

• Understand the conference and events industry from the client’s viewpoint, so you can ensure you’re always solving THEIR problems, not yours.
• Learn the three biggest mistakes trainers make when trying to adapt to the keynote stage (Gihan made all of them!)
• Know what clients expect you to charge, set appropriate fees, avoid discounting, and still be flexible enough to negotiate with integrity
• Discover how to overcome the perceived “tyranny of distance” WA speakers face from those on the remote side of Australia (ha ha!)

ABOUT GIHAN PERERA CSP (EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR 2024)

Gihan Perera has been involved in professional speaking for a long, long time. He first joined PSA in 1992(!), just out of interest at first. In 1996, he started a web design business – one of the first in Australia – and specialised in building websites for speakers and trainers. As technology evolved, he has helped speakers and trainers with social media, digital marketing, online presentations, and more.

For almost 30 years, he has helped speakers, trainers, and other thought leaders build their businesses. He has spoken at all PSA chapters in Australia, eight PSA national conferences, and speaker conferences in New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, South Africa, and the UK.

In 2013, he decided to change career from supporting speakers to becoming one himself. Since then, he has built a full-time speaking business with clients around WA, Australia and NZ, and the region.

He is a business futurist, conference speaker, AI researcher, and author. He is the author of “Disrupted”, “Disruption by Design”, “The Future of Leadership”, and ten other books. Forbes magazine rated him the #5 social media influencer in the world (and #1 in Australia) in his area of expertise.

To keep costs down and encourage more attendance at our meetings, the WA CLT has opted to not provide catering for breakfast meetings in 2025. Food and drinks can be purchased at the Dome Cafe and delivered to the Dome Pavilion.

Program:

7:30am: Event registration (food and drinks can be purchased from the cafe and will be delivered to the Dome Pavilion)

8:00am: Welcome

8:15am: Workshop with Gihan Perera

10:15am: Announcements and event close

10:30am: Q & A with Gihan and networking (optional)

11:00am: Event conclusion

PSA’s Values in Action Policy applies to this Event

Please view Cancellation and Refund Policy