Backstage Insights of The Speaker Industry
Dr Alison Edgar MBE commissioned the 2025 Speaker Industry Research to provide an independent overview of the professional speaking landscape — exploring who takes the stage, what topics are in demand, and how fees are distributed across the market.
The goal was simple: to understand the evolving dynamics of the industry from the perspective of event organisers, agencies, and speakers themselves.
The data paints a detailed picture of a thriving yet uneven market. While the appetite for live events and keynote sessions continues to grow, significant disparities remain — particularly around representation, topic bias, and average speaking fees.
This State of the Industry report offers a snapshot of where the speaking profession stands today, revealing both progress and persistent gaps in equality and opportunity.
Executive Summary
The average fee for professional speakers sits between £5,000–£6,000 per engagement.
There remains a 13% pay gap between male and female speakers.
Male speakers represent 59% of recent keynote bookings, compared to 41% for female speakers.
Topic trends show a clear divide between technical and commercial themes, typically led by men, and wellbeing or personal growth sessions, more commonly led by women.
Despite these disparities, audience demand for authentic, relatable, and mindset-focused content continues to rise — signalling a positive shift in what clients value most
So, who takes the stage? Let’s talk about representation in 2025
Men still account for a greater share of keynote bookings, with 59% of respondents sharing their most recent session was delivered by male speakers compared to 41% by female speakers.
While this reflects a gradual move towards balance, an 18% difference demonstrates that the speaking circuit remains male-dominated at the top level. Visibility continues to play a key role — influencing who is recognised, remembered, and rebooked..
The Commercial Landscape: Value and Fees
The average speaker fee across the survey sample was £6,028 for male speakers and £5,248 for female speakers, revealing a 13% pay gap.
However, the median fees were almost identical (£5,900 vs £5,600), suggesting that the difference stems from perceived market value and visibility, rather than measurable performance differences.
As demand for high-impact keynote content increases, the industry continues to face pressure to align perception with parity.