Too many conferences focus on the mechanics and skimp on the up-front editorial strategizing, shaping, and planning. It is not enough to simply hire people because they are respected in the industry, or because they are in demand, or because their name sells tickets, or because they are available.
I think too often as WordCamp organizers we forget that we are curating an experience and as such we need to think about what we want the attendees to walk away with. We need to strategize, shape, and plan. Planning doesn’t mean figuring out where to setup registration tables (though that does matter), it means planning what people will be talking about when they walk away from the event. If they aren’t talking about something they learned, or some new way to think, the event wasn’t a success. Go read the rest of Zeldman’s article so you can understand that “A trained ape can invite the same speakers who speak everywhere else.” and why you can do better.