THE KEYNOTE SHOP 2020 AWARDS

As we wind down another year at The Keynote Shop, we decided to end it with something fun to let you all know how much we've enjoyed working with you – handing out some awards. We've loved connecting with each one of you this year, but there are some moments, speakers, and fresh talent that stand out as we reflect on 2020. So, here it goes... Our annual awards... Are you excited to see if you won?!

Aaaaaand, the winners are:

1. Most Creative Meeting Planner: Connie Edwards, School Superintendents of Alabama. In the midst of the pandemic, Connie bravely and creatively executed not one, but two live events for over 100 attendees. Through spacing, mask wearing, and some creative AV direction, she created an exciting (and well attended) event for her membership.
2. Most innovative virtual speaker: Dr. Mark van Rijmenam. One of the bright spots around the pandemic is the increased access to international speakers. Mark is from the Netherlands and speaks on the future of bitcoin, blockchain, and other big data uses. Mark’s "appearance” offerings include an Avatar and a Hologram in addition to his live presentations which are either in person live or streaming live. His willingness to step up to the plate and embrace change is one reason he's such an in demand thought leader. To my knowledge, no other keynote speaker has taken their platform this far.  He’s certainly sets the bar for innovation in 2020.
3. The freshest new talent of 2020: Jake Sussman. Jake is an up-and-coming speaker and expert on the topic of learning disabilities. He has created a movement that allows people of all ages who suffer from Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD and other cognitive disorders to find mentorship and advocacy. He's been especially busy during the pandemic helping education systems understand best practices for supporting learning challenged students virtually during the pandemic.

Congratulations to our winners! We don't have any tangible prizes to give. You are welcome to the bragging rights though! Happy Holidays and Have a Wonderful New Year. Looking forward to connecting in 2021!

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