Research Outline

Securing Diversity in Panels or Speaking Engagements

Goals

To identify resources, such as companies/ organizations/ services, that help to evaluate or secure diversity in panels or speaking engagements. To also identify necessary details pertaining to these resources including the types of services and platforms (web, app, paywall) they provide, and the costs involved with the use of these resources.

Early Findings

Innovation Women

Great Black Speakers Bureau

  • The Great Black Speakers Bureau, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a service that assists universities, corporations, and high schools to locate high quality, African-American speakers for different events.
  • Using its web platform, event organizers can locate African-American speakers on subjects such as accounting, arts, black social commentary, business development, child psychology, civil rights, etc. in states such as Georgia, California, Illinois, New York, Texas, etc.
  • There are several plans for potential speakers to avail the services of the Great Black Speakers Bureau. The lowest is priced at US$49 per month and the ‘best deal’ of gold combo pack is priced at US$99 per month.

BigSpeak.com

  • The company helps to ensure diversity in speaking engagements assisting companies to locate female speakers as well as Hispanic speakers.
  • The company is an “invitation only” bureau and speakers can not register themselves for the company’s services by themselves.
  • The company itself invites speakers who are established on the speaking circuit, with video footage and a published book.