Scott Bloom welcomes Seth Dechtman, an experienced agent in the keynote speaking industry. They have a lively and humorous discussion about the importance of relationships in event curation, going well beyond simple transactions to building genuine connections. Seth shares insights on how curiosity, authentic interest in people, and artful questioning shape his approach to matching speakers with audiences. Seth introduces his process—consult, curate, and deliver—where understanding the deeper reasons behind speaker requests is essential. Additionally, Seth talks about how to measure a speaker’s impact; distinguishing between surface-level praise and feedback that shows genuine transformation. He shares secrets for driving long-term impact, such as post-event follow-ups and continued engagement beyond the keynote, offering models like bonus Zoom calls and curated video libraries. And the episode, of course, covers mistakes event planners make—like defaulting to the “hot” or most popular speaker rather than considering the best fit for the audience. Seth also explains the differences between booking celebrities versus thought leaders, and why deeper curation—rather than just chasing big names—is crucial. And he also emphasizes the blending of technology with human intuition, always aiming to find “the unusual suspect” who might be the perfect fit for an event. It’s a great episode jam-packed with great tips and lots of laughs.
GUEST BIO:
Seth Dechtman is President of The Keynote Curators, securing top-tier speakers like Magic Johnson and Richard Branson for brands including Apple, Amazon, and Coca-Cola. A global strategist who's lived on four continents and speaks multiple languages, Seth brings instinctive matchmaking and strategic thinking to help event professionals find ideal speakers. His process: consult, curate, deliver, making clients look like rock stars.
HIRE THEM TO SPEAK:
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ABOUT NO MORE BAD EVENTS:
Brought to you by eSpeakers and hosted by professional emcee, host, and keynote speaker Scott Bloom, No More Bad Events is where you’ll hear from some of the top names in the event and speaking industry about what goes on behind the scenes at the world’s most perfectly executed conferences, meetings, and more. Get ready to learn the secrets and strategies to help anyone in the event industry reach their goal of putting on nothing less than world-class events.
Learn more at nomorebadevents.com.
ABOUT THE HOST:
A veteran comedian and television personality who has built a reputation as the go-to choice for business humor, Scott has hosted hundreds of events over two decades for big and small organizations alike. Scott has also hosted his own weekly VH1 series and recently co-hosted a national simulcast of the Grammy Awards from the Palace Theater.
As the son of a successful salesman, he was exposed to the principles of building a business at an early age. As a comedian, Scott cut his teeth at renowned improv and comedy clubs. As a self-taught student of psychology, he’s explored what makes people tick and has written a book (albeit a farce) on how to get through life. He’s uniquely positioned to deliver significant notes on connecting people and making business seriously funny. And who doesn’t like to laugh?
Learn more about Scott: scottbloomconnects.com
PRODUCED BY eSpeakers:
When the perfect speaker is in front of the right audience, a kind of magic happens where organizations and individuals improve in substantial, long-term ways. eSpeakers exists to make this happen more often.
eSpeakers is where the speaking industry does business on the web. Speakers, speaker managers, associations, and bureaus use our tools to organize, promote, and grow successful businesses. Event organizers think of eSpeakers first when they want to hire speakers for their meetings or events.
The eSpeakers Marketplace technology lets us and our partner directories help meeting professionals worldwide connect directly with speakers for great engagements.
Thousands of successful speakers, trainers, and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. Thousands of event organizers use our directories every day to find and hire speakers. Our tools are built for speakers, by speakers, to do things that only purpose-built systems can.
Learn more at eSpeakers.com.
SHOW CREDITS:
Scott Bloom: Host | scottbloomconnects.com
Joe Heaps: eSpeakers | jheaps@eSpeakers.com