Finding the right speaker can eat up a planner’s calendar. Pitch emails, demo reels, bureau calls, proposals, reference checks and the long silence between each step. On Oct. 7, the International Platform Association (IPA) aims to give some of that time back.
The Exchange, IPA’s curated speaker-meets-planner event, puts 28 Certified Speaking Professionals (CSPs) in front of 100 vetted meeting planners at Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 N. Clark Street, in downtown Chicago.
Each speaker delivers a live seven-minute showcase, while attending planners are there to source talent for upcoming programs. Planner seats are complimentary.
The Time Math
Even a conservative hour spent vetting each speaker—watching a reel, reading a one-sheet, trading emails, checking a reference—adds up quickly. Twenty-eight speakers could mean 28 hours of sourcing, or nearly four full workdays, before a single contract goes out.
At The Exchange, planners see all 28 speakers live, each with seven minutes of showcase time. Then they can talk with them face to face. Same day, same room.
Where Planners Win Back Their Time
The vetting happens before they walk in. Every speaker holds the CSP designation, a professional credential awarded by the National Speakers Association.
Live beats recorded. Seven minutes on a real stage, in front of a real room, gives planners a very different sense of a speaker than a polished demo reel can.
The match starts with the application. Planners share their program details up front, so speakers arrive knowing what each planner is looking for.
No middlemen in the room. IPA bars bureaus and agents from The Exchange by design. No RFPs, no proposal black holes, no waiting for a callback. Planners talk directly to the talent.
Connection runs all day. A four-course lunch rotates two speakers through every table, allowing each planner to meet eight speakers over one meal. Curated buyer meetings and a closing reception round out the day.
“Planners don’t need more options. They need faster access to the right ones,” said James D. Feldman, CSP, CEO and Chief Transformation Officer of the International Platform Association in a media release. “The Exchange turns a month of emails into one day of real conversations. You see the speaker work a room, you shake their hand, and you know.”
The Rule of Sevens
The Exchange follows IPA’s “Rule of Sevens”: seven-minute showcases, seven speaker seats per tier and a 10/7 date that anchors the concept. The 28 speakers present in four blocks of seven.
Partners and Welcome
Prevue Meetings + Incentives serves as Founding Media Partner of The Exchange, while the National Speakers Association joins as an event partner. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson extended an official welcome on behalf of the City of Chicago, honoring the relaunch of the International Platform Association as “a new chapter in its long history.”
Planner Seats
IPA reserves complimentary seats for meeting planners actively sourcing speakers with open program dates. Planners can apply at theipaexchange.com.
About the International Platform Association
Founded in 1831, the International Platform Association brings together speakers, professionals and leaders to exchange ideas and build connections. James D. Feldman, CSP, leads its 2026 relaunch, reconnecting professional speakers with the meeting planners who book them.
