Based on the book, Perfect Pairings: The Art of Connecting People, this session is full of both inspirational stories and practical, actionable tips on how being a connector can transform your personal and professional life. Whether you are new to business networking or are looking for tips to up your game, The Art of Connecting People will leave you with desire to help others achieve their goals and will provide you with the steps on how to do it.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the difference between networking and connecting
• Understand the common traits that all connectors possess
• Understand what steps need to be taken to become a master connector

Developed from her book, Everyone Has Sh*t: Unsolicited Advice for Being Human, this keynote presentation serves as a reminder that life can be challenging, but embracing positivity, common sense and kindness, makes it a bit easier to thrive. Weaving inspiration and humor into the session, Levin shares deeply personal stories and lessons for dealing with what life throws at you. This session offers tips for self-reflection and self-care. At the end, attendees will feel more empowered and optimistic. In a world filled with adversity, who couldn’t benefit from some unsolicited advice?

Learner Outcomes:

• The realization that life is challenging for everyone, but how
  you deal with it matters most.
• Practical tips for managing stress and dealing with people.
• Ideas for increasing confidence and being a better contributor
  to society.

What did you want to be when you grow up?  Did you live that dream and are onto the next one? Did you end up in a place you didn’t plan on and are ready to return to that dream?

It’s 2021 and it’s time to blaze your path – whether it’s a new one, an old one or one you haven’t thought of yet, this session will get you excited about creating a future you can get excited about. Are you a business owner looking for a reboot?  Have you always wanted to run your own company and now you have the chance?  Are you looking for full-time employment in a new roll?  

No matter which path you choose, this keynote, filled with stories and practical ideas,  will help put you in the mindset to create a successful 2021 and beyond.

This session will explore how personal brands are formed using the combination of most current technologies and marketing tactics and traditional networking skills. Attendees will discuss the difference between a corporate and personal brand and how the two can peacefully co-exist.

We will explore a variety of social networking tools and how each one varies. The session will include case studies of people who have built strong personal brands that have translated into real business and stories from session participants on their own experience building their own brand.

Attendees will learn the value of writing, public speaking, networking and volunteering and how each contribute to your brand development.

Whether someone is in a business development role or are just looking to position themselves as leaders in their respective field, this session will show them how.

Fifty years ago the Mad Men era of advertising was king. TVs were becoming commonplace in homes and print was an effective way to share a message. Fast forward to the 90’s when the internet began to weave its way into our lives in ways that we never could have imagined…or could we? When we look at the nature of communication today, we are dealing with a hands-free, wireless world where we share everything from the mundane to the extraordinary and, as a result, we receive messages designed for what’s important to us in that moment. So where are we headed? This session will take a look a marketing and communication and will give attendees a glimpse into the future. Where will we be in 10, 20,or even 50 years? How can you get creative and share your message – whatever it is – in the most effective and modern way?

The goal of this session is to spark excitement and ideas as to how marketing and events will change and how we can get implement new techniques TODAY.

Learning Objectives:

• Get people thinking about communication and stimulate the creative juices for better marketing!

60 minute session. Appropriate for keynote.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is no longer optional. For businesses or membership organizations to attract talent and meet the demands of customers, they must take a look at their organizations and develop a strategic approach to corporate citizenship.

This session will provide information on the importance of CSR in today’s business environment and provide you with considerations for executing a successful CSR initiative. We will discuss the varying array of social good projects and how to determine which are important to implement.

If you are looking to incorporate CSR into an event, take a look at our session on Events Impact on Social Change for more information.

There is no force on the planet that brings people together in a more meaningful way than events. This means that we have an incredible opportunity to discuss and solve some of the most challenging problems in the world. As event organizers, how do we initiate and manage this process and why should we get involved?

This session offers statistics on how the event industry is incorporating CSR into their events combined with practical and actionable steps for launching a strategic social good initiative.

If you never have trouble recruiting attendees and score perfect 10s in all of your event reviews, this session is definitely NOT for you. But if you’re like most of us, you are competing for the time and attention of people who have lots of other options — and increasingly high expectations. And a typical lecture won’t cut it. This session will explore how to design events that clients, members, prospects, sponsors and referral sources will want to attend. In this workshop-style session, participants will learn new approaches to education, networking, entertainment and more, that will generate buzz, improve attendee satisfaction and attract attendees to your future meetings events.

Participants will learn:

• Key points of adult learning theory that are highly relevant to meetings
• Practical examples of out-of-the-box networking and entertainment ideas
• Advice for selling new event concepts to clients or senior management;
• How to make the meeting environment more inviting and comfortable
• Fun ways to build buzz that will help draw attendees to your future events

If you have ever bought or sold anything you know that the right style can make all the difference. As a buyer, if you don’t “click” with your salesperson then you may pass on a product – even if it’s the right fit for you and your organization. As a seller, we often get caught up in the 30-second elevator pitch rather than spending time listening to the specific needs and experience of our audience. In this session, we will discuss how to begin the sales process from an authentic relationship building perspective and not that of a “snake oil salesman” that makes you want to take a shower after you get off the call.

In this interactive session filled with discussion and role-playing, we will discuss the following:

1. Your Role as Seller;

2. Your Role as Buyer;

3. Your Role as the Middle person

We will cover scenarios such as, when a Prospect reaches out to you; when you are cold/warm calling; and referrals and other scenarios.

Is your network big enough? Do you know how to meet new people? Does going to a cocktail party scare the pants off of you? If so, you are not alone. This session is designed to review the basics of networking and then gives you the chance to work in groups at practicing your conversation (because pitching is for baseball). This session is great for the networking newbie or for anyone who wants to improve their game. We will focus on face-to-face networking approaches as well as developing relationships online.

Learning Objectives:

• Networking 101 Tips
• Finding Opportunity
• Mixing Online and Offline Networking

Time of this session can vary for 60 – 90 minutes

Jessica Levin is a facilitator who helps organizations define specific goals and develop strategies and tactics to achieve those goals. Her facilitation is perfect for marketing and communications plans as well as for helping internal teams to get on the same page.

External Communications

Is your organization lacking a focus when it comes to communicating? Do you need to develop a marketing and communications plan/roadmap? This program is designed to help organizations define communications goals and write a plan of action. This program can be as short as a half-day or may span over several days during a company or association retreat.

Internal Communication

Sometimes communications challenges are internal. Before focusing on an external plan, we work with internal teams to break down barriers and open up dialogue. Our program can include interviews or surveys prior to the working session.

Based on the book, Perfect Pairings: The Art of Connecting People , this session is full of both inspirational stories and practical, actionable tips on how being a connector can transform your personal and professional life. Whether you are new to business networking or are looking for tips to up your game, The session will leave you with desire to help others achieve their goals and will provide you with the steps on how to do it.

Taking this approach and applying it to membership organizations, attendees will learn not only how to connect for their own benefit, but how to build stronger relationships with volunteers by connecting them and helping them help the organization. This session will show how listening to volunteers personal needs can identify ways to build loyalty and commitment to your association.