How to Find the Right Keynote Speaker for Your Sydney Event
Trusted by Google, EY, Amazon, and TEDx — Andy helps teams shift mindsets in real time.
Whether you’re planning a leadership summit, a corporate offsite, or an industry conference, the right keynote speaker can make or break your event. The best speakers don’t just fill a time slot—they shift energy, spark thinking, and leave a lasting impact.
Here’s how to choose the right keynote speaker for your next Sydney event.
1. Define Your Event’s Goals and Audience
Before searching for names, get clear on what success looks like. Ask yourself:
What message do we want to deliver?
How should the audience feel after the talk?
Are we aiming to energise, educate, challenge, or all three?
What’s the demographic and vibe of the audience—formal, casual, mixed?
Defining these points helps you filter speakers based on message, tone, and fit.
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2. Know the Types of Keynote Speakers
Not all keynote speakers are the same. Here’s a quick breakdown of common speaker categories:
Motivational Speakers
These speakers inspire. They often share powerful personal stories of growth, setbacks, and resilience. If your audience needs a mindset shift or a morale boost, motivational speakers are ideal.
Corporate Speakers
These speakers focus on business topics—like leadership, team performance, innovation, and strategic thinking. They often draw from executive experience or coaching.
Industry Experts
If your event revolves around a specific industry—finance, health, tech—you may want a subject matter expert with deep domain knowledge.
3. Research the Speaker’s Background and Style
Here’s what to look for:
Past speaking engagements: Who have they spoken for? What kind of events? Do they speak at TEDx, leadership summits, or corporate offsites?
Speaker fees: Every speaker is different. High-demand speakers charge more, but also often bring more value.
Testimonials and reviews: Look for video footage and honest client feedback to get a feel for their delivery and audience response.
4. Contact the Speaker (or Their Team) Directly
Some speakers work through bureaus, but many—especially in Australia—manage their bookings directly. Once you’ve found a good fit, reach out with:
The date, location, and theme of your event
Your expected audience size and demographic
Your budget and any flexibility
What you want the talk to achieve
You’ll often be surprised how helpful and collaborative direct communication can be.
5. Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Andy the Mentalist (Sydney-Based)
If you’re looking for a speaker who blends entertainment, psychology, and practical mindset tools, Andy the Mentalist is a name to know.
Andy isn’t your typical motivational speaker. Based in Sydney, he’s delivered keynotes for some of the world’s biggest brands—mixing mentalism, behavioural science, and personal transformation stories in a way that’s impossible to ignore.
Why event organisers keep booking Andy:
He doesn’t just talk—he shows. His keynotes are interactive and built to shift how people think.
He draws on personal stories: living with aphantasia, discovering his colour blindness at 13, completing ultra-marathons, studying hypnosis, and going on 10-day silent retreats.
He blends science with surprise: a unique mix of performance, psychology, and mindset change.
Every talk is tailored, practical, and impossible to forget.
Want to know more? Explore Andy’s keynote topics and story here.
6. Other Popular Keynote Speakers in Sydney
Here are a few other respected names worth considering:
James Castrission – Explorer and leadership speaker
Luke Kennedy – Former gang leader turned motivational speaker
Jessica Fox – Olympic champion and mindset advocate
Melissa Doyle – Journalist, TV presenter, and speaker
Steph Tisdell – Comedian and speaker focused on diversity
Nedd Brockmann – Ran across Australia to raise money for homelessness
Dr. Jessica Gallagher – Paralympian and inspirational speaker
Final Thought: Go Beyond the Bio
At the end of the day, the best keynote speaker for your event is the one who understands your audience, meets your message with meaning, and brings something unforgettable to the stage.
If you want that speaker to be grounded in science, full of energy, and able to create a moment your team talks about long after the lights go down—Andy the Mentalist could be exactly who you’re looking for.
