Daily Keynotes

MPI is proud to present daily keynote speakers each morning before the trade show starts and on Monday, October 9 before the start of Smart Monday powered by MPI. All general session keynotes will speak in the Sands Showroom.

Purposeful Meetings – Driving Deeper Meaning and Insights
Speaker: Janet Sperstad

Explore how to plan with deeper meaning, innovation, and insight in mind. This means shifting away from focusing on the perfect execution of logistics and moving towards creating memorable moments that engage, inspire, and create long lasting positive outcomes for meeting professionals today. Using findings from industry research including a new white paper (in partnership with PSAV and IMEX Group), Janet will explore the five areas that define Purposeful Meetings: behavior science, meeting design, technology, health and well being, and leaving a positive legacy.

Activity is Not Productivity
Speaker: Juliet Funt

When talented workers are lost in unnecessary emails, meetings, reporting and other low-value tasks, they crawl toward their pivotal objectives. Distraction, interruption and unnecessary complexity further muddle their creative spark. And they have no time to think!  Imagine instead a workplace where the majority of time is spent on tasks of true importance. Where thoughtful time is a priority and where norms and habits protect employees from touching work that drains them. This is a WhiteSpace culture, one where strategic pauses allow time for strategy and insight — and creating it may be easier than you think.

Prosperity Ahead - or Not?
Speaker: Todd Buchholz

Will the economy continue to grow and will corporate earnings improve, providing the wherewithal for more corporate meeting activity? Can the Federal Reserve Board prod the economy to recover, while nudging interest rates higher? Will the president’s “get-tough” attitude with China, Mexico, and Canada impede international commerce and travel? Will energy prices stay in a comfortable zone or will OPEC re-establish its market power and drive prices higher? Todd Buchholz has delivered keynotes at the White House, Treasury Department, UK Parliament, as well as the Mexican and Abu Dhabi stock exchanges. By “connecting the dots” of the world economy, Todd will help you develop a timely vision for the economy, the financial markets, and the political challenges ahead.

Creating Innovative Experience Through Interactive Experiences and Immersive Entertainment
Speaker: Brent Bushnell

Brent Bushnell is a master of interactive experiences and immersive entertainment. He has an insatiable appetite for novel entertainment and much to share about immersive experiences. To Brent, live events offer the rare opportunity to fully surround a guest with an experience. Unlike videos, books, websites or apps, events touch all of the senses leading to impressions with the potential for real life change. But sadly, many events have gone stale, failing to innovate. There is, however, a new breed of events supported by technology and innovative thinking, and that their novel approach is unlocking a new wave of experiences just in time for a shift in consumer appetites towards interactive and hands-on. In this session we’ll survey some of the latest approaches, what's working and what needs work. Brent will inspire innovation, creativity, and a whole new reality!