Saturday June 10th, 2012 – Schaumburg, IL
Day two of ‘Internet Prophets Live!’ at the Marriott Renaissance in Schaumburg, IL. I was able to spend most of the day participating in some of the outstanding programs put on by the speaker lineup, which was nothing less than stellar. These people are the best of the best in their fields.
I always love to participate in conferences like this, as there’s a synergy that develops with the people who attend. There’s a definite energy that solidifies when like minded people collect in a specific place for a weekend, and it’s always positive. Connections are made that last for years.
This reminds me of the Comedy Conference I organized at Zanies in Chicago years ago. It was a similar format, with speakers and teachers from the worlds of standup and improv comedy that had a similar vibe. I still am in contact today with people I met at that event. It was well worth it.
One of those people is business speaker Todd Hunt. Todd came to the conference to add humor to his presentation, and we have stayed in contact and been able to help each other. Todd markets himself extremely well, and I continue to learn from him on that level as I need help. His mentor in the speaker world is Larry Winget, who happened to be the keynote speaker for this evening.
Larry is the recognized king of that genre these days, much like Jay Leno was in standup when I started. In the ‘80s, Leno was the undisputed king and Jerry Seinfeld was the prince. Everybody else was after them. In speaking, it’s Larry Winget and then there’s everyone else. He’s the guy.
I’ve wanted to watch him work for years now, only because I like to study well done examples of any performance genre. I remember watching both Leno and Seinfeld as I was climbing up the comedy ladder, and enjoying them very much. I knew how much work it took to get that good.
I had the same feeling watching Larry Winget, only this time I could relate to a lot more due to the fact I’ve got a lot more of my own stage experience to draw from. He was a total pro, and the audience appreciated his skill level as well. This wasn’t a corporate gig, they knew who he was.
I have a ton of respect for how Larry has built his business. Just like a successful comedian, he has developed a very identifiable stage persona, and is consistent with it the entire time. Not only that, he’s a master marketer and offers a bag of his merchandise after his presentation for $100.
There are DVDs and books in the bag, and his picture is on it like Colonel Sanders puts his on a bucket of chicken. He’s a sellable package, and I enjoyed watching it in action first hand. He’s a tremendous entertainer, as is Todd Hunt. Todd learned from Larry, and they both do it right.
Steve Olsher has really put together a solid event. The people who were smart enough to attend got to see Jay Conrad Levinson and Larry Winget in the same weekend for a bargain price which also included an all star lineup of other speakers. I hope he makes money so he can do this again.
Nothing done well is ever easy. Comedy or speaking or organizing live events is difficult and it always will be. Seeing a weekend like this come together so well is satisfying. It gives me hope.
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