Saxton Speakers Bureau is Australia's first and foremost speakers bureau
For nearly four decades the Saxton Speakers' Bureau has exclusively represented Australia's leading speakers, its name becoming synonymous with such well-known identities as James Strong, Bryce Courtenay, Hon E. Gough Whitlam, Hon Dr Barry Jones, Jacques Nasser, Dr Peter Ellyard, Rod McGeoch, Alan Jones, Bryan Dawe, Peter Couchman and Bob Savage.
The bureau, the first of its kind in Australia, was originally established by Joan Saxton, herself a very accomplished speaker, whose speaking experience had taken her to England and the United States and even as far north as Alaska!
The idea of establishing a speakers' bureau in Australia came from a friend in London, and Joan subsequently called together a meeting of speakers who, like herself, were on the "fer free" circuit in Australia. At that time fees ranged from three to ten guineas and expenses for the women speakers might be covered by anything from a hairdo to a new pair of stockings. In 1965 the company was launched in Melbourne with the headline 'Joan goes to war for after-dinner speakers'.
Joan Saxton Wins World Speech Contest
The company received a considerable boost in 1968 when Joan won a world speech contest in Calgary, Canada. After the extensive media coverage, speakers rushed to join the bureau, the demand from clients grew, and engagements were being booked all over Australia and overseas. Businesses and corporations began to request speakers specialising in motivation, selling, marketing, stress management and various other subjects.
Joan has since been recognised in many ways, including BBC Radio appearances in the UK, television and radio appearances in Australia, numerous articles in newspapers and magazines and inclusion in the Who's Who of Australian Women.
Unprecedented Growth in 1988
The Saxton Speakers Bureau entered a period of change and unprecedented growth in 1988 under the new direction of Nanette Moulton and Winston Broadbent. Nanette and Winston brought with them management, education, public relations, computer science and public speaking experience. Expansion on both the domestic and international fronts was facilitated by an increase in bureau personnel and the installation of state-of-the-art computer and processing systems, the best of their type in the world. Among the many initiatives instigated at this time were the introduction of comprehensive speaker catalogues and speaker showcases where clients could view live the speakers that they were considering for their next conference. Saxton made catalogues and showcases a major part of the Australian speaker scene, running the Australia's first showcase at the Rialto in Melbourne in 1989 and producing the first catalogue in that same year. Numerous events and catalogues followed including the largest 'World of Speakers' catalogue and the Catch the Spirit Showcase in 2001 - the largest and most extensive ever produced in Australia.
Acquisition of the Harry M. Miller's Speakers Bureau
The acquisition of the Sydney-based Harry M Miller's Speakers Bureau in 1996 made Saxton one of the top six bureaux in the world. Once again setting benchmarks and taking advantage of new technological opportunities, in 1996 Australia's first bureau web site, Saxton Online, was launched. Since then the business uptake of the internet has been phenomenal and Saxton continued to build its online presence. The site had many revisions but was completely rebuilt in 2003 in data base format with sophisticated speaker search techniques, thousands of fully profiled speakers and many other features.
One Bureau Becomes Many: 2002-2004
In 2002 Saxton embarked on a journey of further expansion. Its speaking activities were expanded with the establishment of the Sydney Speakers Bureau and the Queensland Speakers Bureau, the acquisition of Speakers Network International (in Sydney), and Saxton Business Systems was established to service the training and business development requirements of their clients. The now Saxton Speakers Bureau is well placed to provide a diverse offering to their clients in addition to their hallmark speaking and entertainment services.
Celebrating Four Decades: 2005
The forty year anniversary was marked with a special event at the Sofitel. Joan Saxton underlined why she was accorded World Championship status with a short address. You can see her hilarious 'Letter from an Irish Mother' below or see her full address here.
Celebrating 45 Years: 2010
The forty-fifth anniversary was marked by a number of events including the Saxton Ultimate Event Experience - a joint initiative with AIME (the Asia-Pacific Incentive and Meetings Expo) and the largest event of its type ever held in Australasia. 700 people from the events industry packed the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and were entertained by an outstanding line-up of Saxton speakers and entertainers. The event was a combination of the finest in speakers, entertainers, production and venue facilities.
The Future...
Saxton has grown remarkably over the last forty five years and is poised for continued major expansion in both the range and scale of services that are offered. The fundamental factor in its success is, however, a dedicated team that continues to provide the creativity, personal contact and service that has always been its hallmark.
The bureau, the first of its kind in Australia, was originally established by Joan Saxton, herself a very accomplished speaker, whose speaking experience had taken her to England and the United States and even as far north as Alaska!