Kelly Tope, Class 25
Senior Marketing Manager, Scottsdale CVB
I am fortunate enough to not have a fear of public speaking. Now, before you go throwing things at me, I don’t mean like absolutely, positively no fear. But, I’m not throwing up behind the curtain either. Call me crazy, but I think it’s actually fun to get up on stage, especially if you have an exciting topic.
Which is why I was so excited when I heard about the format of our (Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau) annual meeting this year. Rather than bringing in one or two keynote speakers, we decided to engage the community through high-energy, fast-paced lightning talks. Anyone can submit a topic (so long as it is somehow relevant to Scottsdale) and will have 20 slides and 5 minutes to talk about their passion. Seriously, how cool is that?
So, if you’ve got a passion and a familiarity with Scottsdale (could I be talking to a more perfect audience), I encourage you to submit a topic to be considered for our annual meeting, which will take place October 19. We welcome anything that could reveal the unique personality of Scottsdale – from fascinating people and thought-provoking ideas to intriguing experiences. So . . . What are you always talking about in conversation? What gets you bubbling over with excitement? What do you do in your spare time? What don’t others know that you think they should? Why do you love living, working or playing here?
Before you shut me out because you’re the person throwing up backstage (I’m sorry, I really don’t envy you), just think about it. Could your desire to talk about your passion override your stage fright? And, for anyone who is worried about staying on track (trust me, we’ll boot you after your five minutes), we’ve got you covered – the founder of Ignite Phoenix will be meeting with speakers to help coach them on giving a lightning-fast, timed presentation.
What are you waiting for? Get on over to www.ScottsdaleCVB.com/AnnualMeeting for more info and to submit your topic. Submissions are due September 23. Oh, and if you just want to come and watch it all go down, you can buy tickets at the same site.
What’s Your Passion? The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau is inviting you to share it!
The Scottsdale Leader 