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| What Craig's clients are saying... “One thing I’ve learned over the past 9 years while planning meetings is that picking the right speakers and entertainers is critical to the success of the conference. Everything else can be on point, but if the speaker and entertainment is a miss it will reflect negatively on the overall conference feedback. Having said that, I could not have been more pleased with your performance at the four AT&T Southeast conferences. As you will recall from our initial telephone interview, the conference objectives were to reward, inspire and re-energize this group of dedicated individuals. For the evening entertainment, I was searching for someone exceptional who would amaze, motivate the imagination and demonstrate the possibilities when we tap into the power of the human mind. I thought you would be the perfect fit. Four performances and more than 1400 people later, you did everything your write-up promised and more! You thoroughly entertained the audience, challenged their minds and left them talking. I could not be more satisfied with the end results! Craig, you gave us exactly what we needed and more. It was a pleasure to sit in the audience and watch them experience your presentation. Thank you for what many wrote were the best conferences we have EVER had!!” Beverly W. Washington, Manager, AT&T Southeast Region “Thank you for your third OUTSTANDING performance for Bayer. Again you wowed my crowd, engaging their minds for the evening closing. Each time you presented with a dynamic style whether it’s 150 people or 750 people you have exceeded Bayer’s goals. We appreciated the customized element of your presentations when you close with our corporate message. Although I have had the privilege of seeing you 3 times - I am always awestruck. Thank you for making Bayer look good.” Cathy Ewing, CMP, Executive Manager, Corporate Meetings & Events, Bayer CropScience “What a spell-binding performance you made at our annual conference! Your presentation actively engaged our members and more than lived up to our high expectations. While we anticipated some connection between your theme of opening one’s mind to all that’s possible and ours of ‘be at the top of your game,’ you did a masterful job of ensuring that our audience also made the linkage. Our spontaneous standing ovation when you ended the program said it all - truly an extraordinary demonstration that captured and held everyone’s full attention and stretched their minds.” Chris Bates, President, Office Furniture Dealers Alliance “I just wanted to thank you for an outstanding performance at our Star Building Systems National Sales Meeting in Palm Springs. It was by far the most fun we have had at any meeting that I can remember. People are still talking about it. Your presentation was just what we wanted. With 500+ important guests in attendance, we needed a true professional to entertain. Since I was in charge of the entertainment, my reputation was in your hands. I needed something to say to my attendees that she certainly knows how to step up to the plate and put on a meeting worth attending year after year. You certainly rose to the occasion ... you certainly contributed to my success and it was obvious you were a consummate professional. I would not hesitate to recommend you to any organization looking for a great person to entertain their audience.” Anna L. Shelton, Manager, Meetings & Special Events, Star Building Systems “First, just let me say thank you for your wonderful performances in Phoenix over the past few weeks. Our attendees were talking for days about various elements of the show. Your delivery, demeanor, and content were all very engaging. Your ability to interact with the audience brought the special touch that I was looking for. I received many compliments that this had been the best entertainment we’ve provided - and this event has been in place for more than 15 years. A number of people even mentioned that the method by which you closed uniquely brought together the theme of the event, our current business challenges, and your material. This could only have been accomplished through the research time you spent reviewing our needs.” Jonathan Dawley, Manager, Aftermarket Business Development, NACCO Materials Handling Group “Wow! Thanks so much for the unbelievable job you did in entertaining the attendees of our 27th annual conference. You are an extraordinary entertainer, that is for certain, but our members also benefited from your inspirational message that tied the magic to real life and that was above and beyond the call of duty! Please feel free to call on me as a reference for any groups who are considering using you for a future event. I know that they, like us, will be amazed, entertained and inspired.” James Booth, Executive Director, Professional Records & Information Services Management (PRISM) International “Just wanted to take a moment to thank you so much for your amazing presentation at our annual franchisee reunion in Scottsdale last week. Wow! Having you kick off the week really set the tone for the entire program. It made a huge impact on each and every person there. I was impressed with your ability to blend humor, extraordinary events and basic human science into a compelling and very motivating presentation. It is tough to keep the attention of 200+ folks, let alone teach them something or have them come away with a message and you succeeded famously. To stand in the back of the room and hear the gasps, and exclamations of amazement was very exciting for me. We have hired countless keynote speakers over the last 30 years and it was unanimous that you were by far one of the best.” Kendra Sartor, VP of Brand Development, The Melting Pot “He was a hit with all in attendance. His performance was truly phenomenal! He not only wowed the audience, but provided humor with an effective reinforcement of the association message to the audience. Craig Karges is a unique entertainer who positively engages his audience, provides a message that the impossible is possible, and totally amazes everyone with his feats. As an entertainer he is easy to work with, responsive to change, and always upbeat in his approach. We could not have had a better working relationship. It is without hesitation that I would recommend him to any type audience - he will thoroughly enthrall all present.” Frank K. Hurd, VP and Chief Operating Officer, Carpet & Rug Institute “Craig Karges was the perfect entertainer to introduce our ‘Greater Powers’ software launch to our customers. The thrust of our message was that our engineering software helped people tap into their intuitive powers - and there is no better way to demonstrate the power of intuition than by witnessing Craig’s amazing performance. What I particularly liked about working with Craig is that he took the time to learn and understand what we were trying to accomplish with our stage show, then adapted his performance to our needs. Craig left the crowd feeling amazed, empowered and ready to hear our message. I would highly recommend Craig as a keynote performer at any corporate meeting.” Peter Tiernan, Director of Creative Services, UGS PLM Software “Where did you find this guy? He was terrific! That was incredible! I was spellbound the whole time! Marc Watts, Director of Marketing Business Development, Bunzl Distribution “Amazing! Thank you for creating such wonderful energy and excitement with our conference! We are full of wonder and awe! What a super way to kick off our conference and our year!” Theresa Moberg, VP Organizational Effectiveness, Tastefully Simple “The presentation you gave us last week still has folks talking... the presentation was exceptional and you left our minds spinning. Comments coming back from our annual conference attendees’ questionnaire such as the best ever and we need to bring him back has made our 2007 conference another success with much to remember. Thank you for your energetic and professional presentation.” Jack J. Amar, P.E., Senior Vice President, S&ME “It was both a pleasure and an honor to have you join us at our National Sales Conference. Every year we try to ratchet up the experience for our employees and this year was no exception. You can imagine the difficulty with such a diverse group of people, to bring them something new and different, while keeping their interest. Your presentation hit the mark. I have never seen our entire group speechless at the same time, but you managed to accomplish that. Your awareness to the pulse of the group was not only perfect, it was amazing. From the first moment on stage to the final thought, you were able to captivate each and every one in attendance. I continue to get e-mail and comments from our group to say that this was the best conference we have held to date. They left the meeting energized and ready for business." Michael Bonacci, Director of Marketing, Hahn Automotive Warehouse, Inc. Wanda Oneferu-Bay, Donna Tomlinson, Rebecca Jones, Kathy Newson and Freda Armstrong, The Sales Conference Committee, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield "What an incredible presentation you did for our MICROS Users Conference! I walked around the tables during breakfast the next morning and you were the topic of every conversation. They just wanted to enjoy the wonder of it all. I was also extremely impressed with how you worked the topic of our users conference into your presentation. You really related to the crowd and they loved it. You definitely made me look like a star!! I'll certainly be in touch for future events." Louise Casamento, Vice President of Marketing, MICROS Systems, Inc. "This was a very important meeting, consisting of our top-level executives from all around the globe. It is often difficult to find the right entertainment that meets all of our criteria for this meeting. 1) Pleases a mix of conservatives AND liberals by neither offending nor boring them. 2) Appeals to the various ages (30-60+) - both male and female. 3) Allows people to unwind from long meetings. We've had acts that people walked out on or fell asleep during. You had everyone's attention the entire time and EVERYONE told me how much they enjoyed your show! Furthermore, as you are aware, because our President saw you at another meeting's dinner, and you were only available on night number two of our meeting, we moved around the ENTIRE meeting to be sure to get you there! We are looking forward to our re-booking of you to entertain our Annual Meeting guests in March. Thanks so much for making my job easier and pleasing the crowd so perfectly!" Victoria Johnson, Meetings and Special Events Manager, Underwriters Laboratories "Thank you for the outstanding job you did for us at our Annual Meeting. That was the third time I have seen your show and I was as amazed, pleased and awed as ever. The entire audience enjoyed your show from start to finish and we all went home shaking our heads in disbelief. I am a curious person who loves to know how things work, but I can only conclude that what you do is real magic and that you are a modern day wizard. Your show is absolutely ideal for a corporate audience. Bravo on being such a fabulous performer!" Loring W. Knoblauch, President & CEO, Underwriters Laboratories "On behalf of SBC, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for your outstanding presentation at our annual kick-off meeting. The audience was 'blown away' and the subsequent buzz has not yet ceased. I desired entertainment, motivation and a business message. You went 'beyond the call' and exceeded everyone's expectations. As a result of your influence and inspiration, I'm confident BCS will bring growth back into the business. I can't thank you enough because you truly made me look like a hero." Diane Quido, Associate Director Business Communications Sales, SBC Communications "What seems to stand out most is your natural optimism, sincere interest in the group you would be presenting to, and absolute professionalism. From our first planning phone conversation, it was clear you wanted our event to be a success. Craig, I also can't leave out our thanks for an incredible performance. Our guests were mesmerized, astounded and enjoyed your show immensely. I just wish I knew how to have our entertainment in future years measure up!" Leslie Miller, Member Relations Manager, National Fluid Power Association "We recently had Craig Karges perform at a business seminar where most of the attendees were top-level executives who get to attend many such functions. When it comes to seeing speakers, business gurus and entertainers our audience has 'been there done that!' At least that was the case until they saw Craig Karges. To put it simply, Craig astounded, delighted and entertained our group with his unique performance. I would highly recommend Craig Karges to the event planner that is looking to find someone who is truly different ... Craig engages the audience and enthralls them. The real magic involved is how good you will look for bringing Craig to your group." Frank Daley, Vice President, AmeriQuest "Our attendees were overwhelmed by your performance. In fact, many people listed your presentation as 'the best' aspect of the meeting. You left an everlasting impression on our group. Your presentation was a refreshing change of pace and will be hard to top next year!" Stephanie M. O'Malley, Meeting Planner, Ferguson Enterprises "On a scale of 1 - 10 Craig was consistently rated a ten with comments such as: 'Great ... Super ... Amazing ... Wonderful ... Fantastic ... Awesome ... Bravo ... Excellent presenter, couldn't be better.'" Betty Green-Heffern, Manager National Marketing, CoBank "The trouble with having high expectations is the likelihood of being under-whelmed. Happily, I found myself thoroughly overwhelmed by the reaction of our guests to your amazing program. They, and I, were quite literally stunned by your demonstrations and captivated by your stage presence. What a treat it was to have my high expectations exceeded in every way." Robert Smith, Marketing Communications Manager, Balboa Life & Casualty "Thanks so much for your fabulous presentation. As you know, we promise our attendees ‘The Best Seminar Ever,’ and because of you this was our best one yet!! Your show was without a doubt one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen!! In a field of top notch presenters that weekend (Erin Brockovich, Deborah Norville, Hyrum Smith, and many luminaries from our field) yours was the presentation that had everyone talking! Plus, your personalization made our attendees feel like you were doing it just for them. It is great as executive producer of the event to have a speaker that makes me look like a genius - and that’s exactly what you did!! On our rating sheet you consistently scored not just 5 (our highest rating) but 5+!!" Dr. Richard Madow, The Madow Group "Excellent show! By all accounts, the audience was astounded with your presentation and everyone had a wonderful time. I can truly say that out of all the closing banquets and speakers that we have had in the past, you were the best - thank you again for closing out our best conference ever with the best closing event yet." Brian Lagana, Executive Director, Air & Expedited Motor Carriers Association "Entertaining ... highly interactive ... engaging. The program was well received by our audience, ranging from the firm’s Chairman and other senior level partners and executives to 750 university interns. We were equally impressed with Craig’s professionalism during the planning stages of our conference. Craig was customer-focused during the entire process ... he was very willing to work with our conference themes and took time to understand our objectives and key messages. Our conference team would highly recommend him to other organizations. Craig definitely left a lasting impression on the audience and his performance exceeded our expectations." Lisa P. Young, Partner, Americas Director of Recruiting, Ernst & Young LLP "What a pleasure it was working with you! The evening was a huge success due greatly to your performance. Your style, charisma and performance were captivating and inspirational; you kept our employees on the edge of their seats during the entire routine. No one wanted to see the evening end. Thank you again, you made us look like stars!" Leigh Burke, Secretary, Oki Management Club, Oki Data Americas, Inc. "You were an absolute delight to work with and to watch. As for my group, well the survey cards continue to roll in and ALL of them found you amazing! You made my job easier this year because you are just incredibly fantastic, but you have made my job next year incredibly tough. How will I top your act????" Michelle McCormac, CMP, Special Events Manager, Farm Credit Bank of Texas "What a thought-provoking presentation you gave to our group. People are still talking about it. You amazed, dazzled and totally entertained. You were definitely the highlight of our conference! What a good maneuver it was on my part to recommend you to our conference committee. You certainly made me look good. If any future clients are looking for a reference, please send them my way. I will be happy to share with them one of my best engagement bookings in over fifteen years (and this includes many well-known celebrities). I certainly hope to bring you back to this group or to another one in the future. I know I can expect and will receive the highest quality speaker around." Mimi Harlan, Executive Director, International Society for Weighing & Measurement "We all love those things that remain mysterious - especially when we can find ways to use them to our advantage even when we don't understand how they work. Thank you for making the hairs stand up on the necks and arms of an entire international group of attendees. Thank you for contributing such a positive message of optimism - to us in particular, and to the world in general. In an environment of considerable change with lots of anxiety, our people need to hear that they do indeed have what it takes both consciously and unconsciously to be successful. They now know that they have more working for them than they themselves had even imagined!" Michelle Desreux, Senior Vice President, UNIGLOBE Travel "Thanks for making our General Opening Session a complete success. You had our attendees in the palm of your hands. 'Amazing,' 'Outstanding,' 'The Best General Opening Session Ever' ... just a short list of superlatives from an audience who went on and on about your stellar, and amazing presentation. I knew that if you were booked for our conference you would make me look good, but I have to say you made me look GREAT!" Lynn Fisher, CMP, Vice President and General Manager, Texas Apartment Association "I don’t think that I have ever seen this audience give a speaker a standing ovation - you were quite a hit! Thanks again for a fantastic performance!" Jennifer Paradela, meeting planner, Accenture "You not only kept the audience riveted and amused, you gave them something fun and exciting to share when they returned home. The comments and feedback have been excellent. Thank you for a great job." Deborah More-Ramsey, Staff Manager, Special Events, Lucent Technologies "What a terrific performance! When you gather subsidiary presidents, senior level managers and the Chairman of the Board in one room and keep them all completely entertained you’ve hit a home run. My job just got a little more challenging. I now have to find someone who can measure up to your standards!" Patricia Holt, Manager, Public Relations Services, Walter Industries, Inc. "Wow! Fantastic! Mind blowing! These are but a few comments heard following your program that kicked off our National Conference. We always begin our conference with a winner and you certainly are that. An even bigger benefit to us was your workshop presentations the following day that received great comments as well." Douglas Shaw, VP Planning, National Management Association "Mesmerized! Spellbound! Captivated! These describe our top customers’ reactions to your presentation. Thank you for creating such a positive impact with our group. You could feel the energy in the room - it was electric!" Nancy Larson, Mgr., Marketing Communications, Firestone Building Products "You really fascinated our audience! I enjoyed looking around the room and watching the complete attention you commanded from them. Okay, okay, so it gives me a sense of pride that I CHOSE YOU and they were lovin’ it! When I asked the crowd it they wanted an encore their enthusiastic applause was buoyant!" Nancy Takaichi, Meeting Planner, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation "What a show! Your presentation was tremendous! It was an energetic performance which left each of us saying WOW! I would be happy to speak with anyone who is looking for a highly charged speaker. Especially if they are looking for a speaker who delivers a great message in an outrageous presentation." Dan Fagan, Training Manager, Ames Tools "WOW! Thank you for an outstanding performance. Having planned scores of meetings and conventions for the insurance industry, I can tell you that sending them home amazed, amused and even empowered is not easy. And you managed to do all three for our six hundred guests." John Carson, Director of Administration, Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia "Wow! What a performance. Not only were you entertaining, but you have sparked an interest in our members that I have never seen before." Rick Eisenman, Executive VP, Virginia Society of Association Executives "People are still commenting and congratulating us on our choice to bring you in as a speaker! Attendees have commented that your presentation was a perfect blend of entertainment and education. You really added value to your presentation by incorporating our business goals into your discussion on intuition and risk taking. Should we have the opportunity in the future to bring someone in for an evening of entertainment or an afternoon workshop, your name will definitely top the list!" Kerry Leet, Meeting Planner, Strong Funds "Craig Karges gave us and our audience so much more than we had anticipated. He blew the delegates away with his unbelievable diversified performance. Not one negative response from over 350 high profile travel people who ‘have seen it all’. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending his performance to the world." Alan Crockford, Director, Travel Technology Conference & Trade Show, Baxter Publications "Absolutely extraordinary! It was, by far, the most outstanding and enjoyable entertainment we have ever had. Anyone who has not seen you has missed the best!" Sharon Thomas, Manager Corporate Events, SmithKline Beecham Consumer Brands "At the close of your show, it was sheer bedlam-in-the-ballroom! I’ve never seen anyone more enthusiastically received or so wildly applauded. As the show’s producer, you made me look like a hero!" Imo K. Todd, Executive VP, Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia "Your presentation as our keynote speaker and subsequent Intuitive Edge management workshops has left me with a BIG PROBLEM! What do I do next year to top Craig Karges??? Adding the Intuitive Edge workshop to complement your presentation was well worth it. While I got many compliments on your keynote, I think attendees enjoyed the smaller group workshops even more. Everyone loved your sessions and I did too as they set a very positive and exciting tone for the remainder of the conference." Robert "Sandy" Parker, VP, EPL Customer Sales & Marketing "My sincere thanks for closing our forum on such a high note. It was truly extraordinary! Your mix of Experience the Extraordinary and The Intuitive Edge provided a perfect balance of entertainment and inspiration for the group. You presented - we learned. You entertained - we were amazed. Rest assured that when I have the chance to recommend a speaker, your name will be right at the top of the list." Joel Dandrea, Executive Director, Driver Training & Development Alliance "Please accept my appreciation for the MOST entertaining luncheon of any convention that I’ve put on for the GAB - and this was my 28th semi-annual meeting. You were terrific. Broadcasters are masters of show biz and you wowed them as I have never seen anyone do before! Thanks for making me look so good!" William Sanders, Executive Director, Georgia Association of Broadcasters "Why doesn’t it surprise me you received four standing ovations at only three meetings. Executives from our company attending the Nashville meeting are already looking forward to having you attend their meetings next year. Your professionalism before, during and after our meeting resulted in a wonderful close to our conference." Paul J. Sanders, Franchise Manager, Burger King Corporation "You were a resounding success! We have a unique mix of attendees. Trying to find a general session presentation that will meet the needs and interests of these various groups is a challenge. Our challenge was met with your presentation - everyone was wowed. The words 'excellent,' 'wonderful,' and 'outstanding' appeared all over the session evaluation forms. You were a pleasure to work with and made the conference planners look like stars for choosing you." Crissi McGlynn, Dir. Of Councils, Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. "Intriguing and powerful. You captivated our audience with your truly amazing performance. We couldn't have chosen a better speaker for our Closing General Session. The presentation was remarkable, your illusions left us stunned and the personalized attention you offered to our attendees during the session and after was extremely appreciated." Lisa N. Frase, Convention Coordinator, National Business Education Association "WOW!...Fantastic!...Mindblowing! These are but a few comments heard following your program that kicked off our National Conference. We always begin our conference with a winner and you certainly are that. An even bigger benefit to us was your workshop presentations the following day that received great comments as well." Douglas Shaw, VP Planning, National Management Association
Robert "Sandy" Parker, VP, EPL Customer Sales and Marketing |
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