Every event needs great speakers. But using the same familiar names year after year isn't always what your audience needs.

Sometimes you need someone new; someone your attendees haven't already seen at three other conferences...with the expertise your audience needs who hasn't yet had the exposure of a speaker who has been on the circuit for 10 or 20 years.

That's who you'll have an opportunity to see at The Proving Stage.

The presenters appearing on this stage have been hand-selected from dozens of candidates.

They've already passed the test of being "good enough" to take The Proving Stage. Now they want to show you what they can do.

You'll see speakers demonstrate how they:

> Connect with a live audience.

> Present their expertise in a way people can understand and use.

> Create audience interaction rather than simply talk at people.

> Give attendees actionable value they can take back to their businesses and organizations.

> Deliver the kind of audience transformation and proven ROI that helps justify bringing them onto your stage.

You may walk into The Proving Stage without recognizing some of the names. That's one of the biggest reasons to come. You could walk out having discovered the perfect speaker for your next event.

Finding the right speaker isn't only about what happens during the presentation. You also want to know the person you're considering bringing into your organization. The Proving Stage gives you that opportunity.

You'll be able to meet and interact with the Showcase Presenters before and after their presentations instead of watching a video online and then scheduling a sales call weeks later.

And the nine presenters won't be the only speakers in the room. The audience will include emcees, facilitators, trainers, podcast guests who want to appear on:

> Conference and association stages.

> Corporate events.

> Podcasts.

> Summits.

> Workshops and training programs.

> Virtual events.

Talk with them. Ask what they speak about. Tell them about the audiences you serve. You may come to see one speaker and discover three more people you want to continue conversations with.

The Proving Stage is intended to become a meeting place between people looking for stages and people looking for speakers.

Speaker marketing is changing. AI can create a fake performance video from just a photo! Editing can remove pauses, mistakes and weak moments. A speaker reel can combine a few seconds from one presentation with a few seconds from another until you have an exciting two-minute video.

But you're not hiring someone to give a two-minute edited presentation.

You're hiring someone to stand in front of your audience. That's why every selected Proving Stage presenter gets 20 minutes.

Live.

In person.

In front of you.

Twenty minutes gives you the opportunity to see much more than a few impressive snippets. You'll experience the presentation as an audience member yourself.

You'll see how the speaker enters the stage, connects with the room, tells stories, teaches their material and responds to the audience.

Most importantly, you'll experience the audience engagement each speaker has specifically chosen to highlight for you.

You'll be able to ask yourself: Would this work with my audience?

No AI-generated version of the speaker. No collection of carefully selected clips.

The real speaker. A real audience. Twenty real minutes.