By Janus Boye
A group photo at the HE Connect 25 conference dinner
I used to play it safe when booking conference speakers.
I picked the low risk options. Well known names, proven speakers, familiar companies. I knew what I would get, and I could build a reliable programme around that.
But over time, I started to question whether that was really what people came for.
Were we optimising for safety, or for learning?
For recognition, or for genuinely new perspectives?
In recent years, our small team has tried to approach this differently. We have looked beyond the usual profiles and actively sought out female speakers, speakers of different ages, different professional status, and other unheard, unseen, marginalised professionals.
Not because it looks good on a line-up, but because these are often the people doing the most interesting work.
I will be honest, it felt risky at first. Backing someone without a long speaking history or a big name behind them always does. But the risk was not just about the stage. It was about whether we had created a space where they could actually succeed.
So we changed how we worked. We spent more time on conversations upfront. We talked about motivation, not just topics. We were clearer about expectations, more generous with preparation time, and more deliberate in building trust.
Leading the Town Hall debate at the Boye Aarhus 25 conference - the last conference session of the year
The result surprised me. New speakers added depth by bringing perspectives we do not always hear. The questions changed. The discussions felt more alive. And the audience response told us we were closer to what people were actually interested in hearing.
If we want better conferences in 2026, we need a little more courage and the willingness to trust new voices. And we need to do the work to invite them properly into the space.
I am still learning, and we are still figuring out how to do this better. If someone comes to mind, whether it is you or someone you have seen speak once and never forgotten, I would genuinely love to hear about them.
That is where progress starts.