Why I Published a List of Brisbane's Best Keynote Speakers — And Put My Competitors On It

Today, I published a list of the best keynote speakers in Brisbane. And I didn't just put myself on it. I put four other speakers on it too — people who are, technically, competing for the same events I am.

Here's why I did it.

The "hide your competitors" instinct is a losing strategy

There's a default mode in professional services where you act like you're the only option. You build your website, you list your credentials, you avoid mentioning anyone else who does what you do. The unspoken hope is that if people don't know alternatives exist, they'll just book you.

I've been in this industry long enough to know that doesn't work.

Event organisers are smart. They Google things. They ask around. They call three speakers before they call you back. The idea that you can keep a prospect in an information vacuum until they sign the contract is a fantasy from about 2004.

So the question isn't whether they'll find out about other speakers. It's whether they'll find out from you — and whether that builds trust — or whether they'll find out from someone else, and you've played no role in shaping how they think about the market at all.

The five speakers I'd actually call

If you want to see who made the list and why, you can read the full guide here →

I also wrote a section on how to actually choose a keynote speaker — the questions most organisers don't think to ask, and the one thing that separates a good speaker from a great one (it's not the topic).

Whether you end up booking me or not, I hope it's useful.

Leanne Hughes is a Brisbane-based keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint. Her next book, Work Fame, is out through Wiley Publishing in late 2026. She speaks on engagement, facilitation, and workplace influence — and occasionally recommends her competitors.