Just announced.... OUR PLATINUM SPEAKERS FOR MAC 2010!

PLATINUM SERIES PRESENTERS

Kelly Bagnall, Dallas, TX 

For more than a decade, Kelly has represented hotel and resort clients in virtually all aspects of operational matters, handling disputes involving litigation, arbitration and attending to risk management and security issues for hotel management nationwide. Kelly is a partner with the law firm of Brown McCarroll, L.L.P., a member of the State Bar of Texas, as well as a member of the Professional Convention Management Association, the Meeting Professionals International, and is a member and frequent speaker at National Association of Credit Management regional conferences.

Joan Eisenstodt

Joan Eisenstodt, whose expertise is in facilitation and training, meetings program and delivery design, and contract negotiations, brings 30+ years of experience to her work. She founded Eisenstodt Associates, a Washington, DC-based conference consulting, facilitation and training consultancy, in 1981. 

In addition to clients with whom she works, Joan is retained as a hospitality industry expert witness and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Convention and Event Tourism. She serves on the Executive Board of the Newton-Marasco Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire responsible environmental stewardship. 

Joan's been honored by MPI, PCMA, HSMAI, NSA, IACC and was inducted into the CIC Hall of Leaders in 2004. She currently serves as Chair of MPI's Student Faculty Committee, is a "Thought Leader" for PCMA, serves on ASAE & The Center's Diversity Committee and serves on other committees for various industry and non-industry organizations. 
Her abiding passions for our industry and for life-long learning allow her to bring a breadth of experience and knowledge to her interaction at MPI's Institutes.

KEYNOTE PRESENTERS

Steve Rizzo

Steve Rizzo has all the secrets you need to know, from his thousands of media appearances including MSNBC, SHOWTIME, The COMEDY CHANNEL, and OPRAH and friends... as well as his wildly popular PBS special.

And of course he has been a celebrity keynote speaker for over 1000 distinguished audiences, playing to sold out groups often in arenas holding nearly ten thousand at a time in exotic locations around the world. His loyal clients have included such giants as Met Life, American Airlines, McDonald's, AT&T, The Million Dollar Round Table --- and even the CIA...

He is prominently mentioned in Who's Who in Professional Speaking has even been inducted into the prestigious Speaker's Hall of Fame!

You may know him from his best selling book series, Rizzo's Secrets: How To Become A Humor Being^TM geared toward the idea that given the right tools we can all be happy and successful no matter what our current circumstances.

His new book Rizzo's Heroes is due out next year.

Michael Cerbelli, President of Special Events, Total Entertainment, Carlstadt, NJ

For over 30 years Michael Cerbelli has been entertaining and producing events all over the world. He built his career from a block party DJ in Brooklyn to one of the most polished and professional event and entertainment producers in the world.

Currently, President of Special Events for the global company, Total Entertainment, Michael has earned numerous industry awards and is considered a pioneer in events for his one-of-a-kind creativity and producing skills. Total Entertainment's impressive portfolio includes producing such events as Sir Paul McCartney & Heather Mills' Wedding, The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, The King of Morocco's Birthdays & New Years Eve Party, and an event at President Putin's Summer Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Michael also continues to give back to the community with his 9th year of "Michael Cerbelli's: Hot Event and Entertainment Ideas^TM 2010," while continuing to support ISES, MPI, IACEP and SEARCH organizations.

 

CONFERENCE EMCEE

Jon Petz

Motivational and inspirational speaker Jon Petz is one of America's most exciting, engaging and entertaining keynote speakers while also remaining one of the best value motivational speakers. His message is perfect for our current situation in which we all need to do more with less and add more value without spending more money and accomplish all this with passion and pride in who we are and what we do.

His talents stem from his high-energy and engaging personality mixed with his unique ability to creatively combine a business or inspirational message with an entertaining twist. His combination of real-life stories and talent as an award-winning comedy and magical entertainer deliver a totally-engaging experience. He has mastered the ability to entertain and educate while skillfully relating to any audience.

As a motivational speaker and comedy magician, Jon has addressed audiences or performed from such venues as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Columbus Ohio's Crew stadium, and entertained in Paris, London, Las Vegas, New York, Toronto, Chicago and more for groups of 10 to more than 25,000. Jon has appeared on NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, ESPN, The Food Network, Outdoor Channel and Lifetime. He has been the opening act or appeared with artists such as The American Idol Tour 2007 & 2008, Rascal Flatts, The Pointer Sisters, Tracy Lawrence, Charlie Daniels Band, KC & the Sunshine Band, Wynona Judd, Kenny Loggins, Peter Cetera, Diamond Rio, Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin and many others.

"Bore No More!"^TM is his motto. Jon's passion as a motivational speaker is to eliminate ineffective meetings as boring meetings suck the life out of an organization. He overcomes such a dilemma by providing event energy, entertainment and inspiration. Jon's book, Boring Meetings Suck^TM, was released in March 2007 (Available Here). His first DVD, "Unlocking the Secrets," teaches sleight-of-hand and sleight-of-mouth to business professionals. It was published in the summer of 2008, soon after Best of the Best was released in which Jon is contributing author based on the work and training of his "IT'S SHOWTIME!" philosophy. (Available here)

Some other recent and notable accomplishments include Jon being named as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" from Business First newspaper in September of 2008. Then in October of 2008, Jon was awarded the CV Perry Advocate for Children award for his work with children with life-threatening illnesses and the production of "Miracles and Magic."

Jon has acted as the spokesperson for such organizations as the U.S. Air National Guard, Champion Windows, Speedway/SuperAmerica and the Greater Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau, Experience Columbus.

 

BREAKOUT PRESENTERS

Stephanie Denton

Stephanie Denton is revolutionizing the way the world sees organizing. Her innovative ideas change the way people live and work. She has been featured on the front pages of both The Wall Street Journal and USA Today and was recognized in Inc. magazine as one of the top organizing experts in the country. Stephanie authored the top-selling book The Organized Life: Secrets of an Expert Organizer. Shehas more than 15 years experience in the field of personal productivity and is the youngest person ever elected President of the National Association of Professional Organizers.

Stephanie is an advisor to major organizing product manufacturers and retailers and has been interviewed hundreds of times on television and news programs around the country, including CBS This Morning, CNN, and MSNBC, and by such publications as Real Simple, Working Mother, Men's Health, Business Week, Smart Money, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, Marie Claire, Entrepreneur, and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Her clear, practical and creative advice inspires audiences around the country.

Brian Monahan

Brian Monahan is the Director of Business Development for Prestige AV & Creative Services.  Brian's career spans nearly two decades including his service in the United States Marine Corps.  Whether it's a 4 diamond hotel, a major convention facility or a billion dollar corporation, with big budgets or small, Brian is passionate about serving his clients and the meeting and event industry.

 

Jay Baer

A Tequila-loving, forest-dwelling social media strategist and trainer sprinkling a "think tools last, not first" methodology around the country like a digital dandelion.

Jay Baer is one of the world's most popular social media bloggers and consultants. Creator of the 7 Step Social Media Strategic Planning Process. Creator of the Twitter 20 live interview series on Twitter. 

An award-winning digital marketer, he has worked with more than 700 companies, and 25 of the Fortune 1000.

Todd Dewett, Ph.D., Professor of Management, Wright State University

Dr. Dewett is tenured professor and in demand speaker, trainer, and consultant. He has been quoted in the New York Times, BusinessWeek, CNN, the Chicago Tribune, MSNBC, the Christian Science Monitor/ and hundreds of other outlets and has published papers in leading academic journals and conferences. Dr. Dewett's credentials include a BBA from the University of Memphis, an MBA from the University of Tennessee, and a PhD in Management from Texas A&M University. Since beginning his career with Andersen Consulting and Ernst & Young, he has since consulted with, trained, spoken to and instructed professionals from a wide range of organizations including Fortune 500s, professional associations, non-profits and government agencies. Find more information at www.drdewett.com.

Michael Duke, Michael Duke & Associates

Michael Duke has led a remarkably diversified life. He has been in the ministry, sales, corporate management and most recently an entrepreneur and author. Michael is not only a gifted coach; he truly understands people, which is why Michael is so successful at getting to the heart of so many issues. It may have been Michael's career in the ministry, that served as an important foundation for his success in motivating and managing people.

Michael started out in sales with a national hardware company and went to the top. At age 26, Michael became the youngest district manager in the country. Next a distinguished management career in advertising and later the electrical industry. While accomplishing phenomenal success in his career, Michael earned a graduate degree in Management in 1986. He soon discovered that he had the heart of a teacher and began a parallel career as a college instructor. As a natural outgrowth of his love for teaching and helping others, Michael established his consulting business in 2000 and now devotes his full schedule to writing, consulting and speaking to businesses in the region.

Dave Hatter, Libertas Technologies

Dave Hatter is Principal Consultant with Libertas Technologies, LLC and has nearly 16 years of programming experience. 

He has authored/co-authored 11 books, and  has been published in the Cincinnati Post, The Cincinnati Business Journal, The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's Business Journal, The Kenton County Recorder and Better Living.

Dave feels strongly about community service and stays active in the local community in a number of ways: Councilman and Webmaster for the City of Fort Wright, Kentucky; Water Cooler Talk Chair and New Economy Transition Team (N.E.T.T): e-Government Chair for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; member of the NKU Alumni Council, Technology Instructor in the NKU Community Education program, and Webmaster and member of the Kenton County Republican Party Executive Committee.

Dave can be seen as a regular monthly guest on WXIX's (Channel 19) "19 in the Morning" show and on Insight Communication's (Channel 6) "Northern Kentucky Magazine" show.

Kelly McDonald

What does a blond haired, blue-eyed Irish girl know about diversity marketing?  Plenty! 

Kelly McDonald is a marketing and advertising expert with more than 20 years of global advertising agency experience.  She has deep experience in marketing to different generations, values, lifestyles, races and ethnicities. No matter how different people can be from one another, Kelly knows how to craft marketing messages that will resonate with them and turn them into customers for life.

Her client experience includes brands such as Toyota, Sherwin-Williams, Kimberly-Clark, Budweiser, Harley-Davidson, Mattel, Ace Hardware and Nike.

In 2006, Kelly was named #1 on the list of "26 Hot Speakers" by Successful Meetings Magazine,

In 2007 & 2009, Advertising Age named her company one of the top ad agencies in the U.S.

And in 2008 & 2009, Inc Magazine named her company one of the fastest-growing, privately owned companies in the country.

Kelly has been featured in BusinessWeek, on CNNMoney.com and on XM Radio.

Greg Christian

Greg Christian, 49, a professional chef, caterer and entrepreneur, is a pioneer in the foodservice industry's zero-impact movement. Recognized as "Chicago's Conscious Caterer^TM," he recently launched Greg Christian Consulting to assist restaurateurs, hoteliers, caterers, associations, and all types of foodservice professionals achieve sustainability goals that help the community and environment.

Over the previous seventeen years, Christian's catering company, Greg Christian Catering, has served clientele such as: Harpo Studios, Microsoft, Huron Consulting Group and the US Green Building Council. In addition, Christian is at the forefront of his non-profit organization, Organic School Project (OSP), an initiative he launched in 2005 to provide school children with positive food choices.  Christian's catering experience, as well as his involvement with OSP, led him to launch Greg Christian Consulting.

Chef Christian has developed an outstanding reputation as one of the most sought after consultants specializing in green, local, sustainable and organic cuisine and initiatives. As a visionary, Christian offers numerous ideas to help transform corporate meetings, parties, weddings and special events into "green" events.

As a leader in green business, Christian is a founding member of B-Corporation, a member of the Social Venture Network, and is currently helping to write policy and procedure for APEX, an organization focused on bringing together best practices for meeting and events. He is also part of the founding group of the Chicago Region Chapter of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), the world's leading professional association of sustainability practitioners.  On a more local level, he was appointed by the Governor of Illinois to sit on the HB1300 taskforce (the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act), and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance. His work developing the Organic School Project has been recognized on a national level.

Trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Greg's dynamic career includes sous chef at the renowned Gordon Restaurant and cooking at the Masters Golf Tournament and Kentucky Derby.

Christian has been featured nationally in many large media outlets including New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Career Builder, Chef, Biz Bash, and Kiwi. He also serves as a regular source and contributor to media articles on the topic of sustainable efforts.  He is author of Food and Forgiveness: How a Chicago Chef Came Around.