Your event's keynote speaker suddenly cancels. How do you salvage the timeline and make the event a success?

A great keynote starts with a goal/mission statement, so if your Keynote unexpectedly has to cancel, go back to the goal and work from there. What did you hope people get out of that session and how can you accomplish it in a different way? It might mean pulling in additional partnerships, utilizing creativity, or even reaching out to the keynote to talk it through together but there is always a different way to accomplish that goal!

A keynote could be a reason someone attends a meeting or conference in the first place. There are many different ways to fill that time, but the most important thing is ensuring that attendees feel that they are getting something of more or equal value than what they would've gotten from the original keynote. I'd suggest offering something of value as a gift, follow-up, or exclusive opportunity for attendees if possible.

Changes happen all the time events and it's so important that you have back-ups. One easy fix for this would be to allocate more time to a speaker you feel has more to say. Or open each session out during the day with more of a Q and A. But ideally for us you will always have a back-up. Prepare for the worst. And then no one will notice!

Honesty. Be honest with those who have decided to attend. I think there are many variables. Was it a paid event? Can it be shifted? Do you have a backup plan? These are all questions that need to be answered ALREADY before that day. Your plan is truly the answer.

Always have a plan. I’m magician and host. So, even if there’s no time in the schedule for an after dinner show or event a small performance, I will still prepare my show. It takes just a few seconds to bring on stage and clear away. It captures the audience if something goes wrong and keeps them entertained until whatever the problem is sorted. I will always have something ready at a moments notice. I’ve learned through 25 years of hosting events planning and prep is the most important part.

I agree with @Andrew Roby. I also think planners should maintain positive relationships with speakers' bureaus and related agencies. I Need A Speaker has a huge directory of speakers, which makes it easier to locate someone else on short notice.

Have a potential back up availability list and a plan for a re-arrangement of program, if that fails. Keep everybody well informed of any new arrangements, most of all…don’t show panic… keep control and make things move.

I agree with @Andrew Roby and @Tricia Richards-Service on their great advice for backup planning and using your resources and relationships. Another effective strategy I’ve found to be highly successful is leveraging internal expertise to form a panel. By quickly assembling a group of knowledgeable individuals from within your organization, you can create a dynamic and engaging panel discussion.

Absolutely. In many cases, a speaker dropping out is a gift. On one occasion, I organised a PowerPoint Karaoke spontaneously, using the speakers presentation

Turn adversity into opportunity by fostering attendee engagement. Unexpected changes can create a unique dynamic, so leverage it to your advantage. Encourage open dialogue through interactive sessions like panel discussions (if you have more speakers at your event), open spaces for networking, or even a series of rapid-fire lightning talks. These alternative formats can spark unexpected connections, generate fresh ideas, and create a memorable experience for attendees.

This is important. Capitalize on the unexpected by making your event more interactive. Encourage audience participation through impromptu Q&A sessions, panel discussions, or workshops. By shifting the focus to attendees, you create a more dynamic and memorable experience. This approach not only fills the void left by the canceled keynote but also strengthens attendee connections and fosters a sense of community.

BRAINSHARE: We underestimate the collective wisdom, knowledge and life experience of attendees. In the event of a speaker cancellation, engaging an entertaining moderator, using humor and a panel of hand selected attendees can turn a disaster into a memorable event experience. Using a current topic, leading w/open ended questions, life experiences, wisdom learned, etc. can turn a disaster into a 'happy accident'! It takes skill to pivot, but using 3 amazing people to share (w/vulnerability) can often have a great outcome! As humans we are hungry to know that we are not alone in life's journey. Life changing stories of others, can be inspiring and instructive. Flexibility, creativity and quick thinking can save the day.

Always have a contingency plan ready. Live events can be forgiving if you lean into it. If there is a company or brand representative available for meaningful Q&As with the audience that feels exclusive, this could be something people walk away from more excited (Brand Story, Q&A, product/service team talking about the future, or engaging with audience stories, having them "shape" the future). If there is time to gather a panel, have an intimate Q&A. If this is something significant and WHY attendees came, do take control and get ahead of it. Inform your AV and Production Team! Fast engaging updates on social, in-app, and in-person while owning the context and making the alternative seem so rare and exclusive they are getting vs. left with.

The beauty of live events today is that as a producer you have multiple live stream platforms at your fingertips, gone are the days of a sketchy Skype call. Utilize this to your advantage with cancelled speakers. While cancellations will vary, many times it may simply be travel issues arise. In these cases you should first work with the speaker and see if the option exists to instead present their talk remotely. If that is not an option then live streaming still opens you up to a wide range of experts who may not attending the event.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING: a well known corporation hired us to produce 10 small networking events for their departments, at their annual convention. Each dept had approx $15K, which made producing quality events difficult. We proposed producing 1 large event and prove better results. We created an event w/5 satellite villages/stages in an exhibition hall called, "Cirque du Berserk",w/unicyclists, fire dancers, acrobats, arielists, dancers, etc. w/custom props/costumes,lighting, sound/DJ, food stations/bars, music.Guests networked in villages, w/passports stamped, w dancing, games, food. The client raved that they got 10x the amount of leads! It was a huge success! We produced this event after that, 150 times over 12 years, to great success!

Networking amongst the attendees is great and also it could be a great chance for networking to have a couple of previous speakers or experts available in the event in a Q&A panel session where they can share their success stories ans also main challenges in a guided and open discussion, answering questions from the audience!

While technology can be a powerful tool, the ultimate goal is to deliver an exceptional attendee experience. Prioritize open communication channels to address concerns and gather feedback. Offer personalized assistance and create a welcoming atmosphere to foster engagement. Consider providing additional networking opportunities or exclusive content to compensate for the change. By placing attendees at the center of your response, you can turn a challenging situation into a positive one and strengthen your event's reputation.

Sometimes you do not have alot of time to adjust timing of your agenda, especially if your keynote cancels. However if you are fully aware of who the experts are that are part of your organization, and what Knowledge Experts/clients are attending you can add a panel really quick. Utilizing clients and other knowledge experts can be a huge success as attendees love to hear from like minded, as well as users who can share experiences.