Stop! Don’t panic — you’ve come to the right spot. We’re still your friendly neighbourhood Speakers Spotlight, we’ve just updated our look a bit.
The events industry has certainly faced its fair share of challenges over the past couple of years and we’ve been riding those waves right alongside you. It’s safe to say that we aren’t the same industry that we were pre-pandemic — we’re more agile, resilient, tech-savvy, adaptable, the list goes on. Our industry has changed, and so have we. It was time for our logo, brand, and website to reflect that.
Welcome to the new Speakers Spotlight; a new look for a new era, not only for our company but for our industry. It’s been a journey getting to this point — for all of us — and we’re excited to celebrate this next step with you. So, what does this new chapter represent for us? We thought you’d never ask.
Our Pandemic Story
2020 was actually our 25th anniversary. At the beginning of the year, we were brainstorming ways to celebrate this milestone. Then, just a few months later, we were thrown into the abyss that was the pandemic.
Whispers of the coronavirus started to reach us through event cancellations at the beginning of February, and, of course, by March those whispers became a lot louder. Then the storm hit. Suddenly, like many others, we found ourselves at home, thrown into a “virtual” office and trying to figure out what was happening. At the same time, we were trying to best support our clients and speakers who also found themselves working in an industry that closed overnight.
This was a moment of reflection for us. Speakers Spotlight was founded on the belief that a speech can be a catalyst for positive change. At a time when anxiety was high, uncertainty was rampant, and connection was needed most, we knew that we could help, or, more importantly, we knew that our speakers could.
Going Virtual
While the global pandemic was a major catalyst for virtual events, Speakers Spotlight has been providing virtual options to our clients since 2009. It was just at a slightly smaller scale pre-2020 — slightly. So, we switched gears and amped up our virtual game to ensure we were able to grow and adapt alongside our industry, and, most importantly, help our clients produce the best event possible, no matter the medium.
By April 2020, we were getting more and more questions about virtual events — what speakers had virtual offerings? What virtual platforms offered the best experience? How can we help our teams through this difficult situation? Oh, we were on it!
Looking back, this was the start of our industry’s evolution. Together, we learned the ins and outs of virtual events and how to re-create the very best of in-person gatherings — energy, connection, networking, etc. — online. We launched our Virtual Speaker Series to test the boundaries of virtual events ourselves, and we’re proud to say it’s still running strong almost three years later!
Our Speakers Stepped Up
And our speakers certainly embraced this new virtual reality. From renting out their very own theatres to building high-tech sound studios in their homes, our speakers sought to create memorable virtual experiences for their audiences while also adapting their content to what people needed to hear in the now. Whether it was speaking to mental health and resiliency; anti-racism and the Black experience; leading disconnected and burnt-out teams through change and disruption; or fighting misinformation, our speakers stepped up.
During the pandemic, we saw firsthand that our mission stands strong — putting the right speaker in front of the right audience at the right time can make an impact and, on a grander scale, create real change.
A New Look for A New Industry
Today, in-person events may be the comeback kid, but virtual isn’t going anywhere. The two complement each other, either as standalones or in a hybrid capacity. We’re not the same industry as we were at the beginning of 2020 — we’re more agile, resilient, and adaptable, and we’ve certainly proven our capability of fostering connection no matter where we are or what medium we choose.
We took you on this walk down memory lane to basically say that our old look was just that, old. It wasn’t us anymore. We’ve changed, we’ve adapted, and we’ve modernized to reflect our new world — our new industry — and the changes it demanded.
Again, welcome to the new Speakers Spotlight — same friendly service, only more agile to meet the varied needs of our industry today; same excellent roster of speakers, but even more skilled and flexible with their topics and offerings. Oh, and yes, we did drop the apostrophe; that was so 2020.
We’ll be delving a little deeper into what makes Speakers Spotlight tick in the coming weeks, sharing interviews with our founders, Martin and Farah Perelmuter, alongside our staff, clients, and speakers. In the meantime, check out our new site and explore the new features added to make your search for the right speaker that much simpler.
