As Tracey Maconachie re-entered the realm of public speaking, she found fellow Manitoba keynotes had the same gripes.

“We need more support,” she said.

Convention speakers often pitch themselves to event planners. Their fees for service might vary wildly because they don’t know what to charge. They may not know where to look for gigs, Maconachie relayed.

On the other side, event hosts search outside Manitoba for speakers. Local talent can be hidden, said Maconachie, who’s formerly led associations and was an economic development deputy minister in Brian Pallister’s provincial PC government.

She now runs 321 Tipping Point, a consulting firm for stakeholder engagement.

“There’s a lot of different speakers who are here,” Maconachie said. “It would be amazing to see our community organize

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