Thank you for hosting a Speakers Bureau talk! Below is a general guide to your responsibilities as a host from start to finish. Whether you are a seasoned host or a newcomer, these resources are here to get you started and give you important materials to ensure your Speakers Bureau event is a success. Feel free to experiment – Every community is different, and you know your community best!

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Humanities Washington’s Program Manager, Sarah Faulkner, at speakers@humanities.org or 206-682-1770 ext. 101.

Host Checklists

• Download the host checklist for in-person events here, and the host checklist for online events here.
• These checklists give you a week-by-week breakdown of your responsibilities as the host from start to finish.
• They also include answers to frequently asked questions, such as how to create registration pages, collect audience evaluations, and more!

Humanities Washington Logo

• We require that any promotional materials for a Speakers Bureau event include our logo. Thank you!

Material for Promotion

• This folder includes photos of all Speakers, graphics for social media promotion, and editable flyer templates for each Speaker.
• If you need higher-resolution photos, please contact our Communications Director, David Haldeman, at david@humanities.org.

In-Person Audience Evaluation Form

• In preparation for your in-person event, please print out plenty of audience evaluation forms to give to attendees as they enter the venue.
• For virtual events, please use the link to the online audience evaluation form sent to you in the confirmation email.

Intro Script

• This is a suggested script for introducing your Speakers Bureau event.
• It includes land acknowledgment resources for Washington State. Note: These resources are not definitive, please proceed with care by contacting the nations in question to identify boundaries. 
• You can find the biography of your speaker here.

Legislator Invite

• Invite your representatives! Representatives want to know that these events are occurring in their communities. Even if the representative does not respond or attend, this is a great way to remind them that you are utilizing a valuable public resource.
• Find your legislative and congressional districts.
• Find your representatives’ email addresses or their mailing addresses to invite them.

Press Release Template

• Use this template to easily contact your local newspapers and media outlets. The more press, the better!

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does Humanities Washington promote Speakers Bureau events?

  Because we have a limited staff and hold hundreds of events annually, promotion falls primarily to the host organization. However, Humanities Washington is happy to support these events in the following ways:

  • Each Speakers Bureau event has a unique webpage on our website and is listed on our website calendar.
  • Monthly emails and postcards are sent to thousands of our subscribers that list upcoming events.
  • We create or co-host a Facebook event page for each event.
• What’s the best way to use social media to increase attendance at my event?

  We consistently receive feedback that more audience members are learning about events through social media, and we encourage you to use your organization’s various platforms to reach a broader range of folks.

  We highly encourage you to create a Facebook event and list Humanities Washington as a co-host so that the event will be included in both of our organization’s pages. The host of an event can add co-hosts by clicking “edit” in the top-right corner of the event page, then scrolling to the bottom to search for co-hosts.

• I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by these promotional responsibilities. What should I do?

  Contact Asia at Humanities Washington! We are here to support you and make your event a success. You can reach her at  speakers@humanities.org or at 206-682-1770 x 101.