Motivational Speakers

Bill Geist brings the Zeitgeist ("spirit of the times," "essence of the moment") to today's audiences across North America. Starting his post collegiate career as a radio rock jock and program director (to the shame of his loving parents that had been counting on medicine or law), Bill learned the principles of marketing cause and effect first hand. When he spun love songs at night, girls would come to his in-store appearances. When he played AC/DC, the guys would show up. After breaking all the rules (and the ratings), Bill migrated to the marketing of destinations, eventually being named the President of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. During his tenure, he was the lead spokesperson and co-strategist for the successful public referendum fight to build the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Convention Center. He also succeeded in doubling the Bureau's sales and marketing budget and oversaw the launch of one of the Top 25 Marathons in the nation. For the past decade, he has headed up his own consulting firm called, appropriately, Zeitgeist... which specializes in strategic planning, governance, marketing and legislative issues for destination marketing organizations, tourism-focused chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and communities.

You need a speaker that can inform, entertain and create a sense of purpose in your audiences. A speaker that can combine real-life success stories with compelling trend indicators to suggest winning strategies for the future. With a background in marketing, media, political advocacy and community development, Bill exhorts his audiences to break out of the same ol' same old and grab for the next big thing. Fun, fast-paced and slightly irreverent presentations designed to keep the audience talking and thinking throughout the conference, Bill mixes laughs with high-end content to create a lasting impression."