JLA - Turning Insights into Great Events

JLA was founded in 1990 and is now the biggest specialist agency in the country – described by the Financial Times as “The UK’s leading speaker bureau.” We provide conference speakers, motivational speakers and after dinner speakers as well as presenters, awards hosts and performers for over 2000 corporate, industry and public sector events each year across the UK and the rest of the world.

Guest speakers are often the highlight of an event, when PowerPoint presentations graphs give way to insights and experience from the outside world. The purpose of all conference speakers should be to excite, inform and inspire delegates – whether talking about the state of the economy, how to improve customer service or a future shaped by nanotechnology and bioscience. Well chosen motivational speakers are just as valuable, lifting morale and preparing delegates for the challenges ahead.

Skilled presenters play as important a role as motivational speakers in making the most of live events. The right presenter or moderator will energise the room, ensure that key messages come across and help the speakers and panellists shine. And when it comes to recognising achievement at awards ceremonies, a seasoned presenter lends authority and entertainment value. JLA Speakers provide more than 500 hosts every year, for a bewildering array of awards.

After dinner speakers bring necessary light relief at a formal gathering or the end of an intensive conference day. Celebrity speakers help attract important guests, though many of the best after dinner speakers are unknown outside the circuit and command considerably more modest fees.

Like any talent agency or speaker bureau, JLA won’t turn away gargantuan budgets – but with acres of feedback on all kinds of after dinner speakers and performers we also like to prove that you don’t need to pay ‘AA’ fees to ensure that people will laugh. There’s little connection between artist profile and audience appreciation: we all enjoy making a discovery.

The same thinking has always informed our attitude to stand-up comedy, which is where JLA started all those years ago. Alongside our Breakfast events, JLA hosted the annual Real Variety Show, where 850 event organisers and producers came to watch up-and-coming talent suitable for corporate audiences.

That isn’t the only thing that makes JLA different from other speaker agencies. We exclusively represent a handful of leading business, political and after dinner speakers, and stage regular breakfasts to introduce the latest conference speakers. But most importantly JLA has the biggest, brightest and best team of agents to help you make your audiences stand up and applaud.