Our Customers Rave About… Alex Honnold!
This morning we had the pleasure of sharing famed Free Solo climber Alex Honnold with one of our Berkshire Hathaway Companies customers. We could tell the event was going well because of the audience’s many questions to Alex after his awe-inspiring photos and lecture. But then this email just came in:
Shark Tank Star Daymond John takes his affordable Inspiration right to your at-home workforce
“The People’s Shark” Daymond John opens the microphone for customers of online advertising agency Postclick. He’s the star of the virtual meetings arena, and when you have the chance to join as many Zoom and Webex and TEAMS and On24 calls with Daymond John as we have in the last year, you can see how hard work paid off in a big way for a young man who didn’t start with much of anything. And Daymond tells stories of rejection and frustration and making multiple pivots in his life. This audience had great questions for this superstar from Shark Tank, and Daymond took the time to answer each question in-depth. Here’s a great preview tape if you’re considering a Star Tank star to keynote your next meeting—either virtual or in-person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6aVJnzHdFI
Virtual has been a game-changer for keynote speaker John Foley
John Foley https://ravespeakers.com/john-foley is a former Blue Angel pilot who’s known by meeting professionals as one of the highest-rated Leadership Speakers in America. John Foley is the authority on Leadership and Extreme Execution, and our customers will book John for a single engagement–and then they realize that he needs to address an even larger audience at that same organization. So he also the ultimate “spin-off” speaker for corporate events. When meetings pivoted to virtual, John’s availability opened up and so did his calendar.
America’s Hottest Business Guru takes a look at Post-Corona America
NYU Stern Business School Professor Scott Galloway could have the busiest speaking calendar in the country right now. His insightful and optimistic book “Post Corona” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670729/post-corona-by-scott-galloway/ has hit the bestseller lists quickly, and Scott’s high energy talks cover the issues that businesses are talking about:
Comedian Jesus Trejo brings his Showtime special to a Virtual Holiday Party!
His special Stay at Home, Son is now streaming on Showtime, and Jesus Trejo was a star performer this afternoon for one of our Commercial Real Estate customer’s Holiday Sales Team Party. From a soundproof studio, Jesus told stories and shared his standup routine with a large audience—and made it totally interactive with this festive group. You can stream Jesus’ Showtime special here: https://www.sho.com/titles/3472420/jesus-trejo-stay-at-home-son . Jesus is one of the fastest rising stars on the comedy circuit today—and he has a recurring role on the Netflix series Mr. Iglesias. And he’s one of our customer go-to comedians under $10,000. Let’s hear more about your next virtual entertainment need today!
Keynote Speaker Simon Sinek goes virtual for CCH Convention
He’s the mega-bestselling author of 5 business books, including “Start With Why” and “Leaders Eat Last”—and as one of the most requested leadership motivational speakers in America today, Simon Sinek is now a star on the virtual platform. Simon talks about how leaders can inspire cooperation, trust, and change. We confirmed Simon Sinek for a virtual keynote at last month’s CCH Forward Together Virtual Conference, and we’re still hearing the raves. Jason Marx, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, says that Simon Sinek gave attendees an “understanding of how to build resilience.”
Free Solo Climbers take center stage at corporate events–Here’s Alex Honnold!
The request from meeting professionals and event planners used to be for Everest Summiteers. Now a whole new level of Peak Performers have entered the keynote speaker arena: Free Solo Climbers. Yes, these daredevils of sport seemingly accomplish the impossible by climbing the most important peaks in America free solo—with no ropes and no harnesses. And as you hear the likes of Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, and Emily Harrington (she’s the first woman to free solo Yosemite’s El Capitan in 24 hours!) speak, you’ll quickly understand why these 3 are so darn popular on the corporate speaking circuit. From Planning to Execution, to Overcoming Adversity, to Risk and Preparedness, even to Teamwork and Leadership—these freestylers of climbing check all the boxes when it comes to what at-home attendees demand.
Climbing a mountain with no ropes nor harnesses: the perfect analogy for business adversity.
You may have read that Emily Harrington has just become the first female to free-climb Yosemite’s El Capitan Mountain in one single day. It’s a feat that is truly remarkable—given that Emily had no ropes, no harnesses, no nets to save her in case she slipped. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/08/us/emily-harrington-first-woman-to-free-climb-el-capitan-trnd/index.html
Looking for Virtual Comedians under $10,000? Here we go…
With Virtual Holiday Parties starting to book up—and our customer-partners looking to add fun to any zoom meeting—the need for a comedian to take control of an event is in top demand. For fees of $10,000 and less, here’s just a few available options who’ve made the rounds on just about every Comedy Central, HBO, and local comedy club stage you can imagine:
Founding Chief Medical Officer of Headspace explains Mindfulness and the importance of Exercising Your Mind.
As lecture agents, we find ourselves every day in the role of Advisor to our customer-partners about the perfect keynote speaker fit for a specific agenda and a particular audience. And many times, these Zoom conversations or conference calls include potential speakers themselves. Lately those calls are about keeping an at-home sales team psychologically in check—and the reality that just as you exercise your body, you need to exercise your mind. There’s one star to explain the process, and he’s Dr. David Cox with a perfect message for these stressful times.
Book a Virtual Golf Experience with former World #1 David Duval
As The Masters gets underway this week, we look to a former World #1 PGA pro for some much needed advice to the weekend golfers out there. David Duval is just one of our special golfers (and tennis players) to offer up instruction and audience Q&A in an affordable and memorable hour. You’ll hear behind the scenes stories about your favorite golfers, finally learn the proper grip to fade, draw, and maybe even get a golf ball to spin on the green, and just get up close and personal with a legend of the game. Here’s just a piece of that advice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDeT0O6-V7I&feature=youtu.be
WNBA Superstar Sue Bird a hit for EffecTV
What does a 4-time WNBA Champion do just a week after leading her Seattle Storm to the 2020 WNBA Title? If you’re Sue Bird, you take your talents to the virtual podium as a motivational keynote speaker. Our customer EffecTV had a team of their sales executives from the Pacific Northwest together recently, and we provided Sue for a hands-on Question and Answer session that was lots more fun than business. Sue Bird’s just another one of our affordable high-profile keynote speaker options for your next virtual sales or all-company meeting—and we’re eager to hear about your next virtual agenda need.
Go Virtual with Sports and Culinary Experiences
Our customers are taking their Virtual Happy Hours to a new level with the addition of famous sports heroes and food and wine stars. Virtual Chalk talks take an NFL or MLB viewing party to a whole new level with background stories and insight from Jimmy Johnson, Erin Andrews, Dick Vermeil, Deion Sanders, Frank “Big Hurt” Thomas, and John Smoltz. Tee up your golf game with CBS Hosts Jim Nantz and Gary McCord alongside PGA legends Larry Mize, Tom Lehman, David Duval, and Annika Sorenstam. And Food, Wine, and Restaurants never looked better once your Foodie Tour is hosted by Andrew Zimmern, Giada de Laurentiis, Curtis Stone, Tyler Florence, or Carla Hall.
What’s the new trend in Virtual Keynote Speakers? The Pre-recorded message.
What’s the new trend in Virtual Keynote Speakers? The Pre-recorded message that you simply play back on the day of your Virtual meeting.
Need Virtual Entertainment under $7,500? We’ve got you covered.
Okay, so if you don’t have the budget for Magician Justin Willman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02PWBQXbjeM and his HUGELY popular Virtual Magic Show, we’ve got your covered with stars from America’s Got Talent, Netflix, and even Broadway:
Keynote speaker Johnny Cupcakes proves that things aren’t always what they appear to be.
He was named America’s #1 Entrepreneur by Businessweek Magazine, and Johnny Cupcakes is starting to achieve legendary status amongst sales motivational speakers. His unique and creative approach to selling t-shirts in what appears to be a cupcake store has made him an expert on Building Brand Loyalty, Creating Unique Experiences for your Customers, and Inspiring Innovation Amongst your Team. In a virtual setting, Johnny tailors his talks and can give a more personalized experience with your employees or sales team members. Get a better sense of Johnny in a moderated setting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sinjZD7J_ro
Planning a Virtual Holiday Party? These high-profile entertainment options need to be atop your list.
Okay so face it, these Zoom and WebEx meetings are here to stay (and the latest Cvent Connect poll shows that Hybrid events will be the big thing at 2021 meetings). But as we all sit at desks facing computer screens, entertainment—whether it be comedy, magic, juggling, mentalism, or an amazing impressionist—somehow makes it all worthwhile.
Meeting Professionals Ask: The 3 different formats for a Virtual Keynote Speech.
This afternoon, famed mountain climber Alex Honnold is pre-recording a 45-minute speech for a group of printing industry retailers. Why Alex Honnold? He’s the Academy Award-winning “Free Solo” climber who took on Yosemite’s El Capitan with absolutely no ropes or ties. To address a group of sales people who think they are in the midst of Adversity, Alex talks about the preparation, drive, passion, focus, and delivery that it took to master this one-of-a-kind adverse experience. But the format of this virtual keynote speech by Alex Honnold is what interests meeting professionals today—as there is certainly more than one option when it comes to sharing a virtual story with a viewing audience of attendees.
Corporate Leaders Share Lessons on Diversity and Inclusion
So many of our meeting keynote speaker requests lately are looking for key ideas of how companies and executive leadership can make lasting change on Diversity and Inclusion. These high-profile audience favorites who are hugely popular on the topic in a moderated audience Q&A setting include:
Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man takes to the virtual meeting space
When Emmanuel Acho decided to make a video about Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man after the George Floyd protests, he had no idea how quickly it would go viral. Over 40 million views later, this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8jUA7JBkF4 meant to educate and inform Americans about racism, social injustice, system racism, and more has turned into a series of YouTube conversations and a book due out in November 2020 (and destined to be an instant bestseller).
Harvard Pandemic expert gives a common sense Covid-19 updates at virtual corporate meetings.
When CNN, CBS, PBS, and MSNBC look to educate their viewers on current aspects of Covid-19 and the spread of the Coronavirus, they turn to Dr. Ashish Jha. The Director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute and an expert on Pandemics–after having Chaired the Harvard-LSHTM independent panel on the global response to Ebola–Dr. Jha is a popular presenter at both medical industry and corporate meetings looking for answers.