Scott Bloom welcomes Seth Dechtman, an experienced agent in the keynote speaking industry. They have a lively and humorous discussion about the importance of relationships in event curation, going well beyond simple transactions to building genuine connections. Seth shares insights on how curiosity, authentic interest in people, and artful questioning shape his approach to matching speakers with audiences. Seth introduces his process—consult, curate, and deliver—where understanding the deeper reasons behind speaker requests is essential. Additionally, Seth talks about how to measure a speaker’s impact; distinguishing between surface-level praise and feedback that shows genuine transformation. He shares secrets for driving long-term impact, such as post-event follow-ups and continued engagement beyond the keynote, offering models like bonus Zoom calls and curated video libraries. And the episode, of course, covers mistakes event planners make—like defaulting to the “hot” or most popular speaker rather than considering the best fit for the audience. Seth also explains the differences between booking celebrities versus thought leaders, and why deeper curation—rather than just chasing big names—is crucial. And he also emphasizes the blending of technology with human intuition, always aiming to find “the unusual suspect” who might be the perfect fit for an event. It’s a great episode jam-packed with great tips and lots of laughs.