Who are the BIG CELEBRITY NAMES for Headlining an Australian Conference? – Finding The MOST Famous Celebrities as an Event Draw Card
- Do you need a Celebrity to headline at your Conference to attract more attendees ?
- Which Celebrity would ‘pull the right crowd’ for your Event?
- Which BIG NAME would make your Event a “Must attend”?
A conference organiser asked me recently which celebrities would be a great choice to headline their conference to attract a few hundred more attendees.
So I asked my Speaking Industry Colleagues and Conference MC friends which Celebrities they thought made a great Conference Drawcard.
Your drawcard and Celebrities you choose depends on the TYPE of Conference or Event and your target audience – Corporate, Small Business, Government or Sports audiences are all different.
It also depends on “Who’s HOT?”, “Who can we GET?” and in reality “Who can we really AFFORD?”
You could base your Famous Celebrity selection on
- CELEBRITY BRAND STRENGTH – Each celebrity has different amount of Fame or “name recognition” depending on media exposure (fame) – How many of the target audience recognise the Name or the company or incident associated with the name – Aided and Unaided Brand Name recognition. Are they an “A List” Celebrity?
- CELEBRITIES WITH DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC FAME – some have only “State Specific Fame” (Football/Rugby/Sports/Media/News/Politics celebs ), some have National Fame (Known all around Australia) – some have World Fame (Artists, Musicians, Actors, Comedians) known across the world.
- CELEBRITY BRAND ATTRIBUTES & RISKS – Does your target audience have POSITIVE feelings about the celebrity – are they beloved? Will they ADD VALUE to the event? Does the celebrity reflect the VALUES of your organisation? Have they been too controversial? Do you really want take a chance on a “BAD BOY”?
If you can’t afford a CELEBRITY – Click Here to see 5 low cost suggestions to get more people to come to your event or conference
A LIST Of Famous Celebrities With Strong Brand Equity & High Name Recognition In Australia – These are some of the Most Influential Celebs & Pop Culture Stars
Australian Icons – “Uber Famous” Aussies
- Hugh Jackman
- Chris or Liam Hemsworth
- Kylie Minogue
- John Farnham
- Eric Bana
- Paul Hogan
- Olivia Newton-John
- Elle McPherson
- Keith Urban
- Nicole Kidman
- Magda Szubanski
- Rebel Wilson
- Kate Blanchett
- Naomi Watts
- Tony Collette
- Andrew Denton
- Ita Buttrose OBE
Famous Australian Comedians
- Ahn Do
- Hamish & Andy
- Kitty Flanagan
- Jimeion
- Sam Pang
- Wendy Harmer
- Julia Morris
- Dave Hughes
- Chris Lilley
- Frank Woodley
- Tim Minchin
- Carl Barron
- Hannah Gadsby
- Kath & Kim
- Peter Rowsthorne
- Doug Anthony (All Stars)
- Tony Martin
- Mick Molloy
- The Two Kates From Just Crackin
- And Many More HERE
Famous Celebrity Business Experts & Stories
- Mark Bouris – Yellow Brick Road
- Todd Sampson – Gruen & Body Hacks
- Janine Ellis – Boost Juice
- Russell Howcroft – Gruen / Ch 10
- Nic Molnar – Afterpay founder
- Ruslan Kogan – Kogan.com
- Allan Pease – The Body Language Guy
- Caroline Creswell – Carmen’s Muesli
- Fred Schebesta – Finder.com
- Naomi Simpson – Red Balloon
- Alannah Hill – Alannah Hill Designer
- Joanne Mercer – Joanne Mercer Shoes
- See more on this list of CEOs & Business Founders that speak
Famous Celebrity Money & Finance Gurus
- David Koch from Sunrise
- Paul Clitheroe
- Canna Campbell – Suga Mumma
- Scott Pape – The Barefoot Investor
Famous Celebrity Sports Stars
- Dylan Alcott
- Peter Fitzsimmons (author)
- Cathy Freeman
- Steve Smith
- Ian Thorpe
- Kathy Freeman
- Layne Beachley
- David And Candice Warner
- Ben Simmons
- Michelle Bridges
- Tiffany Hall – Personal Trainer
- Warwick Capper
- Other Sports Coaches and Captains
Female Influencers & Models
- Jennifer Hawkins
- Miranda Kerr
- Rebecca Judd
- Deborah Hutton
- Lisa Wilkinson
- Sam Armytage
- Carrie Bickmore
- Chrissy Swan
- Fifi Box
- Sophie Monk
- Lara Bingle
- Jo Bailey
- Roxy Jacenko
- Katy Itsines
Famous Celebrity Foodies – Hospitality / Chefs & Cooks
- Maggie Beer
- Gary Meahan
- Matt Preston
- Sarah Wilson (no Sugar)
- Dr Michael Mosley
- Curtis Stone
- Donna Hay
- Luke Nguyen
Famous Celebrity TV or Radio Stars
- Waleed Aly
- Kerry Anne Keneally
- Darryl Somers
- Jackie O (Jackie Henderson) with Kyle
- Osher Ginsberg
- Sophie Monk
- Chrissie Swan
- Eddie McGuire
- Scott Camm – The Block
Famous Aussie Musicians & Artist Celebrities
- Paul Kelly
- Darryl Braithwaite
- Christine Anu
- Tina Arena
- Sophie Amoroso
- Kate Cerebrano
- Casey Chambers
- Delta Goodrem
- Guy Sebastian
- Marcia Hines
- Deborah Conway
- Helen Reddy
- Natalie Imbruglio
- Jessica Mauboy
- Jimmy Barnes
- The Wiggles
- Molly Meldrum
- Dame Joan Sutherland
- Silverchair
- Powerfinger
Controversial Contrarians & ‘Shock Jock’ Celebs
- Kyle Sandilands
- Alan Jones
- John Singleton
- Derryn Hinch
- Steve Baxter
- John Laws
- Andrew Bolt
- Neil Mitchell
- Jon Fain
- Steve Price
Famous Australia Billionaires
These Australian Billionaires are Celebrities.
- Gina Rinehart
- Twiggy Forrest
- Mike Cannon-Brookes – Atlassian
- John Gandel
- James Packer
- Rupert & Lachlan Murdoch
- Kerry Stokes
Famous Statesmen & Politicians (Australian & Overseas Celebs)
- General Cosgrove
- Sir Bob Geldhof (visits Australia)
- Jacinda Hordern NZ Prime Minister
- Australian Prime Ministers – especially Julia Gillard and John Howard
- Dr Condoleeza Rice USA
- Michelle Obama USA
International Icons & Influencers – Celebs & Big Names that Visit Australia
Here are some International Celebrities that have attended events in Australia.
- Richard Branson – Virgin
- Gary Vaynerchuk
- Seth Godin
- Dr Phil
- Bear Grylls – Survivalist
- Pink’s Drummer – Mark Schulman
- SJP – Sarah Jessica Parker
- Paris Hilton
- Oprah
- The Kardashians
- Robert Cialdini
- John Maxwell
Who are your Favourite Celebrities? – leave a Comment!
This Blog is a resource for my friends in the Speaking & Conference industries. It is a WORK IN PROGRESS – If you have any suggestions for other BIG NAMES or HOT CELEBRITIES that I left out then please contact me.
To find out if you can afford a celebrity or it’s even possible to get that BIG NAME Celebrity for your Event you’ll need to contact your friendly local Speakers Bureau or Talent Agency
Further Reading
- David Staughton’s Blog on 2025 BEST NZ Presenters & Keynote Speakers in New Zealand
- David Staughton’s Blog on 2025 BEST Melbourne Conference Speakers for your Event
