Google Approved Speakers

For a full overview of the process, visit go/externalspeakerprocess. In short, Engage will work with you from ideation through event day to provide recommendations, handle booking, contracting, and payment, and ensure a seamless experience. Our agents are responsive and knowledgeable, guiding you through the process. We support Googlers with multiple speaker booking pathways: pre-approved speakers under $25k, as well as high-profile speakers or miscellaneous speakers above $25k.  Start your process by filling out the form on this page or emailing google@letsengage.com! 

Yes! In addition to the pre-approved speaker list, the Engage team will provide custom recommendations not on the pre-approved list, or support you with directly booking a speaker you've identified on your own. In this case, you must submit the speaker for approval via go/ExternalSpeakerForm. Once your speaker is approved, you can work with Engage to streamline contracting and payment. 

Engage can support most timelines. We recommend booking at least 60 days in advance, although we are able to accommodate tighter timelines in many cases. We encourage Googlers to book as far in advance as possible, as this makes logistics easiest and creates access to a bigger talent pool. 

No, due to the policy noted on go/ExternalSpeakerProcess regarding political and geo-political speakers.  Please see an excerpt from this policy below:

Requests to bring in politicians* press** and public officials*** without a business reason related to the requesting Googler or team's core role will not be approved. Established teams with a core role in service of amplifying and protecting Google’s reputational risk (e.g. GAPP, Ethics, Dot.org, Grow with Google) or Site Leadership with a localized business purpose (e.g., US-NYC and the State of NY) can bring in politicians or public officials for business related events that align with the External Speaker Policy

Additionally, requests submitted for speakers with a history of commentary around sensitive political or geopolitical topics are unlikely to be approved as they could be in conflict with our community guidelines and personal political activity policy. This includes film/movie screenings & documentaries.

*A politician is a person who is involved in politics, namely in the election context (e.g., candidate for office, member of a political party, surrogate for a candidate or political party) or as an elected official.

**Journalists, news reporters, photographers, and the organizations they work for, particularly newspapers, magazines, radio, television and online news sources.

**A public official is a person who has been elected or appointed to a position of authority in government.  

• Engage’s services include:

• Recommending speakers based on your particular event needs. This includes brainstorming and consulting calls as needed.

• Negotiating speaker fees to ensure Googlers are receiving the best price.

• Booking and contracting speakers from their pre-approved speaker list.

• Booking and contracting high-profile / celebrity speakers (once approved by ESP review team).

• Booking and contracting miscellaneous speakers (once approved by ESP review team)

  
  

• Engage’s services DO NOT include:

• Event planning. Engage connects you directly to the speaker and their team to plan once the booking is processed.

• Content development. While Engage will consult on speaker content during the booking process, you will work directly with the speaker and/or their team to customize session content once the speaker is booked.
  

• Travel logistics. These are handled by the speaker and their team.

• Event production or pre-production.

• Note that while the above are not Engage responsibilities, your Engage account manager will remain in the loop on planning-related emails to advance the process and provide clarification as needed to ensure a successful event.