Phase 2 · Booking and Contracting
What a Speaker Soft Hold Really Means
A soft hold is a request for a speaker to keep an event date available while your team decides whether to book them. The speaker knows about the opportunity and may try to preserve the date, but a soft hold is not a confirmed booking. The date can be considered secured when both required agreements are signed, subject to their payment terms.
That time can matter when several people have a say in the choice. Leadership may want to compare speakers or programs before making a decision. Meanwhile, the speakers under consideration still have active calendars. A hold gives everyone room to have those conversations without treating the date as yours indefinitely.
What does a soft hold protect?
It keeps your organization in an active conversation about the speaker's availability. We have presented the opportunity, and the speaker or representative knows you are considering it seriously. If the engagement looks likely to proceed, the speaker may avoid accepting another booking on that date when possible.
The details of the opportunity matter. When the Mollie Plotkin Group asks about a hold, we want the speaker to understand:
- The event date and precise appearance time
- The available speaking budget
- The audience and expected attendance
- The event location and program you are considering
The time of day can change the answer. A speaker may be able to give a morning keynote but have travel, another engagement or responsibilities running a company that rule out an afternoon appearance.
What doesn't a soft hold guarantee?
A hold does not mean the speaker has agreed to every requested service or that the date will stay open indefinitely. It cannot prevent another professional obligation from arising, and it does not guarantee that every competing opportunity will be declined. Most of all, it does not replace signed agreements.
The speaker may be weighing other work while your team makes its decision. We can follow up on the calendar and tell you when a change requires an answer, but the hold does not give your organization ownership of the date.
How does a hold differ from a booking?
| Stage | What has happened | Is the date secured? |
|---|---|---|
| Inquiry | We have presented the event and are checking availability. | No |
| Soft hold | The speaker knows about a credible opportunity and is giving your team time to decide. | No |
| Signed agreements | The client and speaker have accepted corresponding terms. | Yes, subject to the agreements |
Signing secures the date. The speaker's obligation to perform remains subject to the payment terms in those agreements. Speaker Agreements, Deposits and Payment Terms covers that next stage.
How the Mollie Plotkin Group manages holds
Leadership may consider several names and send more in later batches. Each speaker or representative still needs an individual conversation, and each calendar can change while your team decides. The Mollie Plotkin Group:
- Contacts speakers or their representatives personally
- Presents the event opportunity with the details available
- Requests soft holds when appropriate
- Tracks responses, calendars and holds
- Alerts you when availability changes
- Suggests suitable alternatives when someone declines
- Releases holds for speakers your team is no longer considering
Releasing a hold matters to the speaker, too. If your team has moved in another direction, we let the speaker or representative know rather than leaving that date tied up unnecessarily.
What should you do while a hold is active?
- Find out who will make the decision. Identify which leaders need to weigh in and what they still need to know.
- Keep us current on the schedule. A change to the date or appearance time may change whether the speaker can accept.
- Ask about availability if your decision is taking time. We can check on the hold and tell you if another opportunity makes a decision more urgent.
- Release speakers you have ruled out. Let us know when your shortlist changes so their calendars are free for other work.
- Move to agreements when you have chosen. A verbal yes does not secure the appearance.