Your event is only as good as
Stages helps you find the right expert, see real proof of how they perform, and book them directly. No bureau markup, no six-week email chain.
No account needed to look.
Booking should not be a gamble
You are betting your program on a hunch.
Everyone remembers the keynote that landed, and everyone remembers the one that did not. Right now the process gives you almost nothing to go on.
- You are choosing between referrals and whoever happened to email you
- A sizzle reel tells you nothing about whether someone lands in a room like yours
- A bureau takes 20 to 30% and keeps the relationship for itself
- Your committee weighs in over a forwarded email thread nobody can follow
- You find out what someone charges after weeks of back and forth
From a vague idea of the session to
Search in plain words
Describe the session you have in mind. Stages surfaces the experts who fit your topic, your format, your date, and your budget.
Compare like for like
Put candidates side by side: topics, formats, fees, and verified reviews from organizers who actually booked them.
Track every candidate
Everyone you are considering stays in one place, moving from shortlisted to in conversation to booked, so nothing stalls in an inbox.
Book direct
Send the offer, agree the terms, and keep the relationship. No intermediary standing between you and the speaker, this year or next.
Enough to make the call, not just enough to browse.
Find the right person
Describe the session in plain words, or filter by topic, format, location, date, and budget. Then put your candidates side by side instead of across a dozen browser tabs.
Judge them honestly
Verified reviews from organizers who booked them and audiences who sat through it, plus real fee ranges and current availability. Not a sizzle reel and a testimonial they picked.
Run the booking
Post your event and let matched experts pitch you. Follow every candidate from first contact to booked, send the offer, and message the speaker directly with no agent in the middle.
A keynote on leading through change, for 400 operations managers in March.
- Leadership under pressureKeynote · 45 min · Austin$8,000 – $12,000★ 4.9 (18)Open
- AI adoption for operatorsWorkshop · Half day · Remote$5,000 – $9,000★ 4.7 (11)Open
- Storytelling that moves a roomKeynote · 30 min · Chicago$12,000 – $18,000★ 5.0 (24)Booked
Keep the relationship, and
A bureau takes 20 to 30% of the fee and stands between you and the speaker for every booking after this one. Stages takes 0% and gets out of the way.
Taken off the top, and the speaker relationship stays theirs. Next year you start the same conversation from the beginning.
No booking fee, and the speaker is yours to work with directly, this year and every year after.
There is a room waiting, and the right person for it.
Start with a search. You will know what someone costs and how they perform before you send a single email.
Or browse speakers first. No account needed.