My friend Rachel runs events for a big healthcare association. Last month she told me something that stuck with me.

“I’m booking speakers for our 2026 annual conference and 2026 leadership summit and I feel like I’m guessing. Everything’s different now. What worked in 2019 feels ancient. What worked in 2022 already feels outdated. I don’t even know what people will want next year.”

I get it.

You’re planning events months ahead sometimes over a year ahead

And you’re supposed to somehow predict what’s going to work. What’ll engage people. What’ll feel fresh instead of stale.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: keynote speaking is changing faster than most people realize.

Not in some vague “things are evolving” way. In specific, concrete ways that’ll make your 2026 event either feel cutting-edge or feel like you’re stuck in 2018.

Let me walk you through what’s actually happening.

Everyone’s Done Pretending Virtual Events Are Going Away

Remember when we all thought 2022 would be “back to normal” and virtual would just… disappear?

Yeah, that didn’t happen.

My buddy Tom coordinates conferences for a manufacturing trade group. He tried going full in-person last year. Know what happened? A third of his expected attendees couldn’t make it. Budget cuts. Travel restrictions. People who just got used to attending remotely and don’t want to spend two days away from home anymore.

He lost sponsorship money because the attendance numbers dropped.

Here’s what’s actually happening in 2026: events are hybrid and they’re staying that way. But and this is important — we’re getting way better at it.

The early hybrid events were kind of a mess, right? The in-person people got the full experience and the virtual folks were basically watching a poorly shot livestream where they couldn’t hear the questions from the audience.

That’s changing.

The speakers who are crushing it now? They’ve figured out how to make both experiences feel intentional. They’re using technology that lets remote people participate in polls in real-time. They’re acknowledging virtual attendees by name. They’re designing their content so it works whether you’re in the ballroom or watching from your home office in Portland.

And honestly, if you’re booking a speaker for 2026 or 2027 who can’t handle hybrid delivery, you’re leaving people out.

The tech is getting wild too. I’m talking about platforms where remote attendees can virtually “sit” at tables with in-person attendees during breakouts. AR elements that work both on stage and on screen. Production quality that doesn’t require a film crew.

When you work with Infinite Speakers Agency, they’ll tell you upfront which speakers have actually mastered this. Not just “can deliver virtually if needed” but speakers who’ve built their whole approach around making hybrid events work seamlessly.

Because there’s a huge difference between those two things.

Nobody Wants to Sit There Quietly Anymore

Here’s something my sister noticed at the last conference she attended.

The keynote speaker was fine. Polished. Professional. Gave a solid 45-minute talk about leadership or innovation or whatever.

And she said the weirdest thing happened: halfway through, she caught herself checking her phone. Not because the speaker was bad. Just because… sitting and listening passively for that long felt weird. Unnatural. Like watching a lecture instead of being part of something.

She’s not alone.

We’ve all gotten used to interacting with content now. Commenting. Reacting. Participating. Scrolling to the parts we care about. TikTok and Instagram and YouTube have rewired how we consume information.

So here’s what’s happening with keynotes in 2026: they’re becoming experiences instead of presentations.

What does that actually look like?

Before the event even starts, speakers are sending out questions to attendees. Understanding what they’re struggling with. What they want to learn. Then they’re building their talk around those actual needs instead of their standard material.

During the talk, they’re using live polls where everyone can vote and see results in real-time. They’re doing activities where people talk to the person next to them and apply concepts immediately. Some speakers are even running mini-workshops right there on stage — teaching something you can practice while you’re still in the room.

After the event? The conversation keeps going. Some speakers set up private online groups where attendees can ask follow-up questions. Others do bonus webinars two weeks later to go deeper. A few even offer office hours where people can book 15 minutes to talk about their specific situation.

My friend who plans events for a nonprofit told me about a speaker they booked who did this whole thing where attendees could submit questions anonymously via text during the presentation, and he answered them in real-time while weaving them into his content. People were SO engaged because they felt heard.

That’s the direction things are going.

When Infinite Speakers Agency helps you book someone, they can connect you with speakers who’ve already figured out how to make this interactive approach work. Not speakers who are just willing to try it — speakers who’ve refined it and know what actually lands.

Deep Expertise Is Beating Out Generic Inspiration

Okay, so there’s still a place for the big motivational talks about resilience and leadership and believing in yourself.

But something’s shifting.

Alissa runs an annual summit for finance professionals. He told me that five years ago, they’d book someone to talk broadly about “innovation in financial services” and people would be happy.

Now? His attendees want someone who can speak specifically about the implications of the new SEC regulations on crypto lending platforms. Or the exact challenges of implementing AI in fraud detection without violating privacy laws.

Broad doesn’t cut it anymore. People want depth.

This is showing up everywhere. Healthcare organizations want speakers who understand the specific challenges of value-based care reimbursement models, not general healthcare trends. Manufacturing groups want experts in circular supply chain logistics, not just “sustainability.”

Here are some of the hyper-specific topics that are blowing up for 2026:

AI ethics and what it means in practice.Not “AI is important” talks. Actual frameworks for handling bias in machine learning models. Real strategies for governing AI use in your organization. The regulatory landscape that’s coming and how to prepare for it.

Real ESG implementation.Everyone’s done with greenwashing talks. Organizations want speakers who can explain how to actually integrate environmental and social governance into operations. How to measure it. How to report on it honestly. What works and what’s just for show.

The brain science behind performance.How your brain actually works under stress. Why certain focus techniques work and others don’t. The neuroscience of preventing burnout before it happens. Not pop psychology — actual research-backed insights you can use.

Industry-specific futures.Not generic “the future of work” stuff. Specific predictions and strategies for your exact industry. What’s happening in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Where commercial real estate is actually heading. The next phase of educational technology.

I talked to someone who books speakers for tech conferences. She said the shift has been dramatic. Three years ago, they’d book someone who spoke generally about “digital transformation.” Now they need someone who can talk specifically about migrating legacy systems to microservices architecture in regulated industries.

That’s how granular it’s getting.

And here’s the thing — finding these hyper-specialized experts isn’t easy. They’re not the people with massive social media followings or TED talks. They’re deep in their fields, often working more than speaking.

That’s where Infinite Speakers Agency earns their keep. They’ve built relationships with experts in emerging fields that most people don’t even know to look for yet. When you need someone who genuinely knows their stuff at a deep level, they can find them.

Speakers Are Sticking Around Longer

Something interesting is happening with how organizations think about keynote speakers.

My cousin works for a big association. They used to book a speaker, fly them in, have them give a talk, pay them, and that was it. Transaction complete.

Last year they tried something different.

They booked a speaker for their annual conference. Great talk, people loved it. But then — and this was the new part — they negotiated to repurpose the content. They turned the keynote into a series of short training videos for their membership portal. They had the speaker do a follow-up webinar three months later. They brought him back for a smaller workshop with their board.

They got probably 10x more value out of that relationship than they would have from just the one talk.

And they’re not alone. This is becoming the norm.

Organizations are realizing that if you’re already paying a speaker’s fee and flying them out, why not extend the value? Why not build an actual relationship instead of a one-time transaction?

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Content repurposing.Negotiating the rights to turn the keynote into internal training materials. Podcast episodes. Written summaries for your newsletter. Video clips for your social media. Most speakers are open to this — you just have to ask and figure out the terms upfront.

Follow-up sessions.A deeper workshop the next day for a smaller group. A lunch-and-learn with your leadership team. Virtual office hours where people can bring specific questions.

Ongoing consultation.Some organizations are literally putting speakers on retainer as thought partners. Quarterly check-ins to discuss strategy. Being available for questions when challenges come up.

Custom content creation.Exclusive videos or written content for your internal platforms. Contributions to your industry publication. Guest spots on your podcast or webinar series.

My friend at an education nonprofit told me they worked with a speaker who did the keynote at their conference, then stayed an extra day to run a workshop, then did three follow-up webinars throughout the year, then contributed articles to their quarterly magazine. The ongoing relationship transformed how their organization thought about professional development.

The speakers represented by Infinite Speakers Agency are set up for these extended engagements. They’ve got the infrastructure to handle content licensing. They’re comfortable with follow-up formats. They see themselves as partners, not just performers.

And the agency helps negotiate all of this upfront so there’s no confusion about rights, deliverables, or compensation. It’s all clean and clear from the beginning.

What This Means for Your 2026 Events

Look, I know planning events feels overwhelming sometimes.

You’re juggling venues and catering and registration and sponsors and AV requirements and a million other details. And now I’m telling you the keynote speaker landscape is shifting in all these ways.

But here’s why this matters: the organizations that understand these trends early are the ones creating events people actually remember. Events that drive real change instead of just checking a box on the annual calendar.

Rachel — my friend from the beginning who felt like she was guessing? She leaned into this stuff. For her 2025 conference, she booked a speaker who could do hybrid seamlessly. Who built in interactive elements. Who had deep, specific expertise in the exact challenges her members were facing. And who stuck around for a workshop the next day.

Feedback scores were the highest they’ve been in seven years.

People kept talking about it months later. They implemented things they learned. They told colleagues who weren’t there that they’d missed out.

That’s what happens when you get this right.

So what should you actually do?

Start thinking about your 2026 events now and even for 2027 (if you haven’t already). The best speakers book out early — sometimes a year in advance.

Be honest about your format. Are you doing hybrid? Fully in-person? Virtual-only? Because the speaker needs to know that upfront, and their approach will be completely different depending on the answer.

Get specific about what you need. “Someone to talk about leadership” isn’t going to cut it anymore. What specific challenges are your people facing? What exact skills or knowledge gaps do you need to address?

Think beyond the one-hour talk. What would make this speaker relationship more valuable? Workshops? Content repurposing? Follow-up engagement?

And then — and I can’t stress this enough — work with people who understand this landscape.

Infinite Speakers Agency isn’t just throwing names at you from a database. They’re tracking these exact trends. They know which speakers have mastered hybrid delivery. They’ve built relationships with the deep experts in emerging fields. They can structure extended engagements that actually work.

They’re basically doing the homework so you don’t have to guess.

Because at the end of the day, your keynote speaker can either be a line item on your event budget or they can be the thing people talk about for months afterward. The thing that shifts how your people think and work.

The difference between those two outcomes? Understanding where keynote speaking is actually headed and making choices accordingly.

2027 is coming faster than you think.

The stage is set. The question is whether your events will feel fresh and engaging and valuable… or whether they’ll feel like they’re stuck in 2019.

Ready to figure out what trend-setting keynotes look like for your specific organization? Infinite Speakers Agency can walk you through exactly what’s possible for your 2026 events and beyond.

Because your people deserve better than another forgettable talk about climbing metaphorical mountains.

Call or text Neal at (720)498-3275 or email neal@infinitespeakers.com to get speaker ideas.