After what has been nothing short of a rollercoaster year filled with change, many of us in the speaking industry have our sights set on the new year. Maybe it’s that clean slate and the idealistic potential that we can shape our industry and unite and inspire audiences everywhere. Maybe it’s the realization that we play such a valuable role in evolving the conversation that happens naturally in society. For me, it’s both.
In any case, this is always my favorite blog post to write every year. I love to think about how far we’ve come and how I think event organizers, meeting planners, and keynote speakers will shape our industry in the next twelve months. These are the speaking topic trends I hope and expect to see in the coming year. Let’s dig in.
1. Teamwork
Whatever industry you’re in, university you attend, or association you support — building connections through teamwork is the best way to drive initiatives forward. And let’s face it. After one of the most divisive years in recent history, we are all in need of a little unity and community. Teams working towards a shared goal or project is one of the time-proven ways to build belonging and togetherness. I also believe that our own teamwork-based structure here at AAE is what helps us have such a strong award-winning company culture. Organizations who book speakers on the topic of teamwork will help audiences not just achieve their professional goals but will also improve mental health and benefit employee wellness in the process.
2. Entrepreneurship
No matter the size of the organization, having an entrepreneurial mindset is a competitive advantage for employees, volunteers, students, and community-minded activists. With a focus on ideation, agility, and transformation, speakers who have experience around starting, owning, or investing in start-up businesses at all levels provide valuable insight into the mindset needed for success. Event planners looking to drive innovation and resilience within any organization are often asking for speakers with experience as an entrepreneur to inspire their audiences to think like an owner themselves as they make key decisions around their organizational growth.
3. Governance
While governance can mean a lot of different things, I’m talking about world affairs and the evolution of our government in 2025. Following a historic election in November, our country and the world are keeping their eyes on the potential for change. And, there are many laws that have the potential to shift in 2025, including policies around social justice, the economy, healthcare, immigration, fair trade, and global conflicts. Many of these policies involve legal challenges at the highest courts of our land, meaning that we aren’t just shifting direction; we are making history at every juncture. For most of us, understanding the impact of these changes can lead to a lot of speculation and disinformation. Speakers who can provide valuable insight into the potential outcomes and impact of key shifts in policy will be needed to set the record as straight as possible.
4. Sustainability
As our workforce shifts to include more Millennial and GenZ workers, the focus on sustainability for our planet continues to grow. Within the event planning world, organizers are always looking for ways to achieve sustainable and eco-friendly options for planning events, like (find some article on this) to minimize the carbon footprint. At TEDNext earlier this year, several of the most memorable speakers focused on sustainable solutions to preserve and restore our environment.
5. Celebrity Nostalgia
This is less of a topic and more of a trend around creating programming to spark feelings of nostalgia and revisiting fond memories of simpler times. No matter when you grew up, (or maybe you’re still growing up — no judgment), times always seem simpler in the past than they do today, don’t they? Bringing actors, musicians and recognizable celebrities can create truly memorable moments for audiences everywhere. Whether through a fireside chat, a performance, or a meet and greet, I believe that audiences want to balance education and motivation with an entertaining escape into the past, if only for a few moments.
6. Ethical Technology
Another popular topic at TEDNext was around the ethical use of AI. With copyright lawsuits filed on behalf of leading newspapers, authors, and media outlets, combined with the rise in AI-generated imagery causing celebrities to push back, there is strong momentum heading into 2025 for this ethics discussion to come to the forefront. Additionally, new AI-driven technologies are evolving as we welcome the new year. LLM’s are beginning to understand and communicate using emotional responses. The field of biomedical engineering is poised to soar with groundbreaking developments around AI-led cell creation, pharmaceuticals and potentially life-saving treatments, causing a new wave of discussion about the ethical implications of doing so.
7. Authenticity
My last trend to watch relates to all of these speaking topic trends and more. As technology dominates our lives and changes daily, we humans are craving authentic interaction at record levels. In-person event attendance has been up since before the pandemic this year. It seems that the more technology advances, the more important authenticity and humanity becomes. Writing this blog post without any use of AI is one way that I hope to bring more authenticity into our industry in 2025, and I challenge our industry to do the same. Why? Because audiences, like readers, are not looking for canned speeches or robotic content. We are looking for glimpses of authenticity from a speaker to build a connection and to demonstrate the humanity in all of us.
I, for one, am so ready to put a bow on 2024 and usher in 2025, regardless of what speaking topic trends are coming ahead for our industry. I know that our team here at AAE Speakers Bureau, our event organizers, the speakers we book, and the partners we work with are gearing up for what is sure to be another legendary year of fantastic event experiences that move our industry forward. Let’s do this.
