APB Weekly: A Newsletter Featuring Industry Insights, Speaker Spotlights & More! (June 19)
19 Jun 2026
Industry Insight
Current trends, expert insights, and best practices across the speaking industry.
The Value of Having a Bureau Partner When the Unexpected Happens
Every event planner knows that no matter how much preparation goes into an event, unexpected challenges can still arise. Travel delays, weather disruptions, family emergencies, and last-minute cancellations are all part of the reality of hosting live events.
That's why many planners continue to value bureau partnerships long after a speaker is confirmed. While everyone hopes backup plans are never needed, experienced bureau teams are often able to help navigate challenges in real time. Whether it's finding a replacement speaker on short notice, adjusting travel arrangements, or coordinating communication across multiple parties, having additional support can help reduce stress when timelines are tight.
The goal is not to expect problems. The goal is to be prepared if they happen.
Takeaway:
No event plan is ever completely foolproof. Having experienced partners in place can help event planners respond quickly, solve problems efficiently, and keep the focus where it belongs: delivering a successful experience for attendees.
Speaker Spotlight
Timely highlights, notable achievements, and impactful voices shaping today’s conversations.
Introducing APB's Top Speaker Lists: Top Motivation & Inspiration Speakers and Top LGBTQ+ & Pride Month Speakers
APB Lists is a new series designed to help event planners discover speakers shaping today’s most important conversations. Each list highlights influential voices, emerging trends, and timely topics to help organizations identify speakers who can engage audiences and create meaningful event experiences.
Our first two editions feature the Top 10 Motivation & Inspiration Keynote Speakers for Corporate and Association Events and the Top 10 LGBTQ+ & Pride Month Keynote Speakers for Colleges and Universities. Together, they showcase speakers helping audiences build resilience, strengthen leadership, foster belonging, and navigate change through powerful stories and actionable insights.
+ Learn more about APB's Top 10 Motivation & Inspiration Keynote Speakers for Corporate and Association Events
+ Learn more about APB's Top 10 LGBTQ+ & Pride Month Keynote Speakers for Colleges and Universities
Rye Barcott and Laverne Cox Land on the New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List
Rye Barcott’s Courage Can Save Us and Laverne Cox’s Transcendent have both been named New York Times Best Sellers in nonfiction, highlighting the impact of two powerful new books on leadership, identity, and personal transformation. In Courage Can Save Us, Barcott explores courage, service, and the leadership needed to meet urgent challenges, while Transcendent offers Cox’s deeply personal reflections on authenticity, resilience, and self-acceptance at a time when conversations about belonging and identity continue to resonate across audiences.
+ Learn more about Rye Barcott and Laverne Cox
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Explores Humanity’s Search for Meaning on the Reason Podcast
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein recently joined The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie to discuss her new book, The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us, and the universal human desire to feel that our lives matter. As more people grapple with questions of purpose, identity, and belonging in an increasingly complex world, Goldstein offers a thoughtful exploration of how individuals create meaning, navigate freedom, and build lives of significance beyond traditional sources of authority and certainty.
+ Learn more about Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
Rave Reviews
Event feedback, audience reactions, and memorable moments from the stage.
Sophia the Humanoid participated in a thought-provoking panel discussion on artificial intelligence for a legal foundation, engaging an audience of 500 managing partners, law firm leaders, law school deans, and professors from across the country. Her perspective on the future of AI sparked meaningful conversation throughout the event, earning an overwhelmingly positive response and prompting organizers to invite her back for the following year.
For approximately 400 C-suite leaders attending an electricity industry summit, Henry Farrell delivered a thought-provoking conversation on The Weaponized World Economy and the global forces reshaping economic and political relationships. His perspective sparked strong engagement throughout the audience, leaving attendees eager to continue exploring the topics he raised and driving widespread interest in his work.
Dr. Rupa Marya delivered a thought-provoking keynote at a conference focused on environmental restoration, community resilience, and systems change, engaging an audience of landowners, public sector leaders, investors, nonprofit organizations, and business leaders. Her bold perspective challenged conventional thinking and inspired attendees to consider deeper connections between ecological recovery, social justice, and long-term sustainable change.
Every week we’re inspired by the ideas, voices, and moments that move audiences forward.
At APB Speakers, we’re proud to help organizations bring those moments to life.
For more than 60 years, APB has been a trusted partner in keynote speaker booking, event strategy, and talent management, helping organizations create impactful experiences that educate, inspire, and drive meaningful results. We work with corporations, colleges and universities, healthcare organizations, associations, nonprofits, and government agencies to connect audiences with world-class speakers, thought leaders, business executives, authors, athletes, entertainers, and changemakers.
Our team provides end-to-end speaker bureau services, including speaker selection, program development, audience engagement strategy, contract negotiation, travel and logistics management, risk mitigation, crisis support, and event consultation. By combining deep industry expertise with a consultative approach, we help clients identify the right speaker, message, and format to achieve their event goals.
Founded in 1965, APB has helped shape the modern speaking industry through a commitment to partnership, service, and exceptional client support. Today, we continue to help organizations navigate a rapidly changing world by delivering keynote speakers and event experiences that spark conversation, strengthen leadership, inspire innovation, drive employee engagement, and create lasting impact.