Events & Speaking
Get your clients on stage.
Speaking engagements are one of the most effective ways to build a client's profile — they position your spokesperson as a thought leader, create content for amplification, and can lead to media coverage. But finding the right events, at the right time, with the right audience, and the right path to getting on stage? That's a research-intensive process that most PR teams do poorly or not at all. PR Desk surfaces scored speaking opportunities with organizer contacts and access strategies.
The problem
Finding speaking opportunities is surprisingly manual. PR teams maintain inconsistent lists of conferences, usually based on events they've attended before or heard about from colleagues. Nobody has time to systematically scan for new events in a client's vertical, evaluate which ones are worth pursuing, or research how to get a speaker on the agenda. The result is that most clients end up speaking at the same 3-4 events every year while missing dozens of better-fit opportunities.
The solution
PR Desk's Events & Speaking tool takes a client's industry, topics, and spokesperson details, and generates a ranked list of conference and event speaking opportunities. Each event is scored on prestige, relevance, and probability of securing a slot. You get event dates, locations, audience profiles, organizer contacts (including LinkedIn profiles where available), suggested talk angles, recommended formats (keynote, panel, fireside, case study), and the best access route — whether that's a direct submission, a sponsor path, or an editorial relationship.
Capabilities
Scored and ranked opportunities
Each event is scored 1-10 on prestige (the event's reputation and attendee quality), relevance (alignment with your client's expertise and target audience), and probability (how realistic it is to secure a speaking slot). A prestigious event with low probability might still be worth pursuing if it's in a client's core vertical — but you'll know the odds going in and can allocate effort accordingly.
Organizer contact intelligence
Where available, PR Desk provides the name, email, and LinkedIn profile of the person responsible for programming speakers. This is the single most valuable piece of information for securing a speaking slot — knowing who to contact and being able to reach them directly rather than submitting into a generic portal. Not every event's organizer info is available, but when it is, it dramatically improves your conversion rate.
Flexible timeframe search
Search for events happening in the next 30, 60, 90, 180 days, or up to a year out. You can anchor the search to any start date — which is useful for planning ahead. Looking for Q1 2027 speaking opportunities? Set the start date to January 2027 and search for events in the next 90 days from there. This forward-looking capability is what separates proactive event planning from scrambling to apply after the CFP closes.
Suggested topics and formats
For each event, PR Desk recommends a specific talk angle based on the event's themes and your client's expertise, plus a suggested format. A data-heavy client might be best positioned for a case study presentation, while a CEO might be better suited for a fireside chat or keynote. These recommendations are grounded in the event's typical programming, not generic suggestions.
How it works
Enter the client name, industry, spokesperson name and title, and the topics they're qualified to speak on.
Set a timeframe — next 30, 60, 90, 180 days, or 1 year — and a start date to anchor the search.
Select how many events you'd like to find (10, 15, 20, 30, or 50).
Optionally upload an existing events list to find additional opportunities beyond what you're already tracking.
PR Desk generates a ranked list with scores, dates, locations, organizer contacts, suggested topics, and access strategies.
Expand any event for full details. Export to Excel for tracking outreach and submissions.
Use cases
Annual speaking calendar — build a 12-month plan of target events for each client, prioritized by score and timing.
Industry-specific targeting — find events in niche verticals (precision medicine, family offices, defense acquisition) that generalist databases miss.
Fundraising support — identify investor-facing events (demo days, LP summits, family office conferences) where a client's CEO can present to potential investors.
Thought leadership positioning — find events where your client can speak on topics adjacent to their core business, building their profile as a broader industry voice.
Event ROI analysis — compare scored recommendations against past event performance to refine your targeting strategy over time.
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