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Keynote Speakers

The rise of powerful Artificial Intelligence tools in 2023 has sparked as much excitement as it has fear, so much so that it was a major topic of discussion recently at the World Economic Forum's 54th annual meeting in Davos. What most concerned attendees was how public trust can be restored in a world where machine-generated content is beginning to muddy the waters of information. While many vital insights were brought up, it’s important to remember that the core of this issue is humans, not machines. Thanks to advancements in cryptography and identity verification, the perfect vessel to solve these concerns is already possible. The Rise Of The Machines 2023 saw an array of massive advancements being released in the fast-growing field of AI. Services like ChatGPT and Midjourney have allowed regular people all over the world to have access to information, insight, and content creation on a scale and of a quality never before offered by...

Although we just experienced a pandemic in which over one million Americans died, health care reform doesn’t seem to be a top political issue in the United States right now. That’s a mistake. The American health care system is broken. We are one of the few developed countries that does not have universal coverage. We spend an extraordinary amount on health care, far more than anyone else. And our broad outcomes are middling at best. When we do pay attention to this issue, our debates are profoundly unproductive. Discussions of reform here in the United States seem to focus on two options: Either we maintain the status quo of what we consider a private system or we move toward a single-payer system like Canada’s. That’s always been an odd choice to me because true single-payer systems like that one are relatively rare in the world, and Canada performs almost as poorly as we do in many international rankings. Moreover,...

How we do business in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, its effect on work, office space, and focus have been profound. Executives were working out of what had been guest rooms, attics, or walk-in closets. The need to work in corporate offices, once considered indispensable, is now being rethought in its entirety. We’ve learned that maintaining our focus at home is different than at the office, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both places. But as office attendance has now been declared optional in many organizations,  it’s clear that office buildings and their functionality need to change to remain viable. Having these thoughts about the ramifications of COVID-19 on workspace and focus, I felt immediately drawn to an article called The Office is Dead, Long Live the Office! that Eddy Badrina penned for Medium. In 2020, I had the chance to sit down with Eddy, who is the CEO of Eden Green and President...

The story of Blake Mycoskie starting TOMS Shoes is well known in entrepreneurial circles. While many would be content after building a half billion-dollar business, Blake is not one of them. After experiencing his own burnout after TOMS, Blake was inspired to start Madefor, a 10-month program where people learn a new habit or practice each month. We sat down to talk about the inspiration for Madefor and why this focus on well-being is more important than ever. Dave Knox: With Madefor, you are in the middle of building your second business. What is the biggest lesson you took away from building TOMS that you are applying to Madefor? Blake Mycoskie:  I think the biggest thing that I took away is really when you're focused on building a business that has a big mission and specifically one that can serve so many people, it's really easy to build incredible culture in your company and attract amazing talent...

A new eHandbook, that offers critical information for meeting and event planners who are resuming Face-to-Face Meetings, was released today by MeetingsToday.com and we are happy to share it with our readers. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on the meetings and events industry, with only virtual events serving as a temporary solution to serve the primal human need for face-to-face interaction. But while coronavirus has proven to be a stubborn adversary, one thing is for sure: We will meet face-to-face again, and hopefully soon. In fact, many destinations and facilities have already opened their doors, albeit in a “New Normal” mode of operation that is a very unfamiliar landscape to navigate. To help meeting and event planners find their bearings as they prepare to hold live meetings again, Meetings Today has launched the “Navigating the New Meeting Landscape” eHandbook, filled with resources and critical tips and strategies to keep their attendees...

Virtual events can be as electric as LIVE events and Tony Robbins just proved it! Attracting a record-breaking attendance Tony Robbins' virtual Unleash the Power Within event, held over the July 16th weekend, was the first in the speaker’s 43-year career to have been held virtually in people’s homes.  A real-time game engine technology with video capture and playback, secure and scalable cloud-based tools, and custom AI neural networks. The weekend was about taking the things that have happened to us and realize they are happening for us! He invites all to "trade your expectations for appreciation and your whole life will change in that moment." Tony Robbins is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. For more than 37 years, millions of people have enjoyed the warmth, humor and dynamic presentation of Mr. Robbins' corporate and personal development events. As the nation's #1 life and business...

The protests occurring across the US beginning the day after Memorial Day were sparked by a shocking video that captured how black persons are often grossly abused and even killed by a broken criminal justice system. In front of our eyes, George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, as a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd gasped, “I can’t breathe.” In addition to attributing the cause of death to “cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s),” Hennepin County prosecutors and an early account from the medical examiner in the case list other “significant conditions,” including “arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease.” At a time when many people in the US are awakening to the systemic racism in the criminal justice system, it is equally important to acknowledge its existence in the US health care system. Research shows that because of systemic racism, black persons have higher levels of chronic illnesses...

  (Reprinted from The Incidental Economist) Sometimes I write pieces and can’t place them. I usually save them for later. In this case, I feel strongly enough about it that I’m posting it here. It won’t get the eyeballs it might at a major media site, but it’s more important to me that I publish it now. Public health has a messaging problem. It’s made the management of COVID hard in the past, and it’s potentially damaging our ability to manage future issues. Some are arguing that declaring the protests more important than infection is damaging the credibility of experts to recommend actions related to preventing outbreaks. Both the issues being protested and the pandemic are crises. But comparing them, or weighing their relative worth, is a mistake. Black Americans are at real risk from state violence and structural racism. They are risking their lives if they don’t protest, and they’re risking them if they do....

Many companies want to believe that innovation is a process that you can map out in a nice clean path. But Katlin Smith, Founder and CEO of Simple Mills, knows that more often, innovation comes about by mistake. I sat down with Katlin to talk about her journey building Simple Mills, how the company is leading the clean food movement, and why some of their best innovations have come by hiring people who share a passion for changing the food that we eat. Dave Knox: Simple Mills was really an early entrant into the clean food space in 2013. What has changed over that time? Katlin Smith: Well let us start with what Simple Mills does. We make baking mixes, crackers, and cookies out of very simple nutrient dense ingredients and do it in a way that delivers a really delicious product. If you think about a cheddar cracker or a cookie, instead of using a bunch...

For over 25 years, ECRM has been driving efficiencies into the buying and selling process between retailers and brands by hosting over 100 category-specific, face-to-face Programs per year. When the COVID-19 Pandemic shut down travel, the company quickly pivoted, launching not just one, but three new takes on their business model in just under two months. I sat down with Joseph Tarnowski, VP of Content for ECRM, to talk more about how the company’s culture and long-standing embrace of a Continuous Beta mindset helped them move quickly when time was of the essence. Dave Knox: Let’s start with the background of ECRM and the integral role that you play with the retail and CPG industry? Joseph Tarnowski: We serve the industry in two ways. One is through our Programs, which are category specific and revolve around private, prescheduled, face-to-face meetings. I use the word programs, not events, because we are not an event company, especially in...

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