In post event surveys we always inquire why people attend events. Generally the responses always rank networking and educational sessions one and two respectively.

The quality of keynote speakers usually ranks fairly low on the reasons attendees provide to us as to why they attend events. So why do we invest and promote keynote speakers so heavily?

Very simply, we believe it says everything about what the event offers you. Quality Keynotes = Your Importance to the Event Organizer.

In a world where you can get information anytime, anyplace, when you invest the time to attend an event we believe you should feel as though you couldn’t get that level of experience anywhere else. That experience is what makes events special. Keynote speakers set the stage for the interaction that will happen not only at the event but for the days, weeks and months after the event is over. Personally I believe it is the best way to build your brand.

For example, Marcus Osborne, Senior Director of Healthcare Savings Programs and Health & Wellness Global Sourcing for Walmart was the general session keynote speaker for the Fall Summit and I still have people email me askingto assist in getting a meeting with Marcus. You can Google Marcus to find information about him and you can even watch online videos of him buthearing him live provides you with a much richer experience. These experiences, and talking with peers after the talk, help you put issues into context, provide moments of clarity and reinforce or change your thinking.If you’d like to see Marcus’ talk from last year pleasevisit the video of his talk.

This fall we are really excited about thisKeynote lineup.

Butch Lumpkin will get you inspired, motivated and ready to fulfill your dreams once you hear his incredible and dynamic story. After my first conversation with Butch I was ready to climb Mt. Everest. If you haven’t seen a video of Butch check out thisvideo.

John Hofmeister is the former president of Shell Oil and recent author ofWhy We Hate Oil Companies.For many of you I bet you are wondering why in the world we would select a former oil company leader to keynote a healthcare supply chain summit. We believe John has amazing insight into burning issues within the supply chain. He has led a large worldwide organization trying to fund healthcare for his employees, his supply chain is extremely well respected, and his insights into the importance of leadership make him a perfect choice to deliver the General Session Keynote. I guarantee you that you will take something away from his talk to improve your operations.

Chuck Lauer is going to have a very interesting discussion in the upcoming edition of his Thought Leadership panel. Two health system CEOs (Michael Israel, CEO, Westchester Medical Center and Thomas Sadvary, CEO, Scottsdale Healthcare) will be joined by the leader of a large healthcare insurer (Ben Cutler, Chairman of the Board & CEO USHEALTH Group, Inc.) as they discuss what they are doing to improve healthcare.

So we believe that the quality of just one morning’s experience cannot be replicated anywhere else and that you’ll leave this Fall’s Summit by talking about these in-person experiences. Next week we’ll be releasing the full agenda that we hope helps you answer important issues impacting your organization.

Please visit the general session agenda on for more information.