National Speakers Association upcoming events

More Clients, Less Chaos: The Secret’s in the Ops with Kara Barnes (April 11, 2026)

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:30:00 GMT

More Clients, Less Chaos: The Secret’s in Ops

Your business is growing but are your operations keeping up?

Join Kara Barnes for a practical, no-fluff session designed for visionary speakers ready to scale with intention. Learn how to invest wisely in systems and support staff, focus on the three core growth phases, and prioritize what truly moves your speaking business forward. Leave with actionable tools and a free set of 5 PDFs to deepen your learning and implement strategies immediately.

About the Speaker: Kara Barnes, founder of Backstage Ops, helps speakers and thought leaders scale their businesses by bringing structure to vision, refining strategy, and designing systems that empower teams to deliver consistent results. A Certified Director of Operations and EOS® Integrator Masterclass Graduate, she partners with clients to align daily operations with long-term goals. When she’s not helping businesses run smoothly, Kara enjoys snowboarding, paddleboarding, and Zoom calls with her two mischievous pets, Cosmo and Binx.

Monthly Auction

The Speaker Operating System™ (SOS) is a high-impact overhaul designed to turn your "solo hustle" into a scalable booking machine. For a value of $2,500, we move your business out of your head and into a system that drives outbound growth and simplifies delegation.

The Speaking Strategic

Outbound Engine • A full Marketing & Sales Pipeline Map paired with a Speaking ROI Calculator to ensure you’re targeting the right stages for the right pay.
The Roadmap • A 1-year Strategic Map with clear benchmarks so you know exactly where your business is headed.

The VA Delegation Toolkit

We provide the exact materials needed to hand off the heavy lifting to a Virtual Assistant:

SOPs & Checklists: Crystallized workflows for every line of service, ensuring tasks are done right without your constant input.
Outreach Assets: Ready-to-use pitch email templates, event briefings, and meeting agendas.
Hiring Framework: Custom job descriptions to refine your VA’s scope and a Presentation Tracker (CSP-formatted) for them to manage.
Audit & Automation: A full tech/expense audit to trim the fat and automate the "busy work."

The Result: You stop being the "Chief Everything Officer" and return to your zone of genius—the stage—while your infrastructure handles the rest.

Value: $2,500

—but you have to be in the room to win it!

BIZ LAB: "Your Introduction is Not Your Bio: How to Connect with Your Audience Before You Take the Stage" with Joel Weldon (April 22, 2026)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Your Introduction is Not Your Bio: How to Connect with Your Audience Before You Even Take the Stage

Most speakers focus on their content and delivery, but the most powerful moment of your talk happens before you say a word, your introduction. If someone is reading a long list of accomplishments, you are missing a prime opportunity to instantly engage your audience. In this highly interactive session, Hall of Fame Speaker Joel Weldon shows you how to craft an introduction that builds anticipation and excitement before you take the stage. Through live before-and-after examples and a simple step-by-step formula, you will learn how to transform your introduction into a powerful audience hook.

About the Speaker:

Joel Weldon is a CPAE Hall of Fame speaker and a founding member of the National Speakers Association. With over 3,000 paid speaking engagements under his belt and more than 10,000 speakers personally coached, Joel has spent a lifetime helping others turn their messages into unforgettable experiences. He’s the creator of the Ultimate Speaking System—an online course used by professionals across industries to elevate their communication skills. While some people can do and others can teach, Joel does both—and he does them brilliantly.

See you in the lab!

Booked and Brilliant: The Bookability Lab (May 09, 2026)

Sat, 09 May 2026 15:30:00 GMT

BOOKED & BRILLIANT:

THE BOOKABILITY LAB

Back by Popular Demand

You asked for more.
More depth. More strategy. More real talk.

We’re bringing back Booked and Brilliant with The Bookability Lab.

Extended Roundtables

This time, the roundtables are longer and everyone gets to experience all of them.

Make It Easy for an Event Planner to Justify Booking You
From Vendor to Solution
Network to Get Work
The Right Book Topic For Your Speaking Brand

These are structured, working sessions designed to increase your bookability immediately.

Hot Seats — Hotter Than Ever

Four speakers.
Fifteen minutes each.
Live pitch. Real feedback. Strategic pressure test.

No fluff. Just honest insight about what makes a speaker easy, or hard, to book.

If you want to sharpen your positioning and become easier to say yes to, this is the room to be in.

BIZ LAB: "Your Business Plan in a Box (Part 2)" with Matthew Ferrara (May 27, 2026)

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Your Business Plan in a Box (Part 2)

In the second part of this 2-part series, you'll identify 2-3 specific growth priorities for the next 1-3 years and build a focused, targeted action plan featuring key steps, budgets, resources and accountability metrics to turn your goals into reality. If you're ready to develop a clear, targeted and measurable plan to build real business results, don't miss these sessions. You do not need to attend the first part to get value from this part!

About the Speaker: Matthew Ferrara is a philosopher, photographer, writer, mentor, and professional speaker who has spent more than 33 years helping people grow through creativity, inspiration, and leadership. After beginning in talk radio and moving into real estate in 1991, he went on to lead multiple training and mentoring organizations, advising clients in 49 states and 33 countries. Drawing on experience as a CEO, entrepreneur, artist, and cancer survivor, he blends business, innovation, art, history, and technology to deliver fresh insight for the modern world.

See you in the lab!

BIZ LAB: "AI Platforms - YouGotIntel, IntelLeads.ai, and the Speaker Intel Engine" with Sam Richter (June 05, 2026)

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:30:00 GMT

AI Platforms - YouGotIntel, IntelLeads.ai, and the Speaker Intel Engine

Discover how to use the Speaker Intel Engine and other online resources to grow your business. Learn how to find conference opportunities, decision makers, and how to reach out in relevant ways that differentiate you, both in sales calls and on the stage. All attendees receive complimentary access to Sam's AI-powered resources.

About the Speaker: Sam Richter is a Hall of Fame speaker, bestselling author, and globally recognized expert in leveraging digital insight to uncover opportunities, build trust, and communicate authentically. Named one of the World’s Top 50 Global Gurus and inducted into both the Minnesota and National Speaker Hall of Fame, he has also earned a Codie Award, a Gold Award at the International Film Festival, and multiple distinctions as a top motivational, sales, and virtual speaker. Featured in Forbes, CNN, and USA Today, Sam is also the creator of the AI-powered Intel Engine used by organizations worldwide to gain a competitive edge.

See you in the lab!

NSA Las Vegas Speaker Academy Graduation Featuring Opening Keynote by Michelle Villalobos (June 13, 2026)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Join us for one of the most inspiring events of the year — our Speaker Academy Graduation Celebration.

This special event honors the growth, courage, and commitment of our Academy graduates as they take the stage to showcase their work. It’s a powerful reminder of what happens when speakers commit to refining their craft and elevating their message.

Opening Keynote with Michelle Villalobos

Build Your Big Back End: How To Add Revenue Streams to Your Speaking Business With Communities, Masterminds, and Other Group Programs

The speaking industry is shifting. If your model relies solely on keynote fees and corporate contracts, it may be time to diversify.

In this dynamic keynote, Michelle Villalobos, CSP, shares her proven framework for building a “Big Back End” — adding seminars, small events, communities, masterminds, and group programs to create recurring revenue without awkward or sales-heavy pitches from the stage.

You’ll learn:

A 3-part model for generating follow-up revenue from speaking
How this approach works financially with real-life examples
The “magic phrase” that attracts clients without selling from the stage
Case studies across multiple industries

Whether you implement the model immediately or simply rethink your current strategy, you’ll walk away seeing your business model in a whole new way.

Michelle Villalobos, MBA, CSP is a business alignment strategist who for 18 years has helped leaders align what they do with who they truly are so they can grow their impact without burning out. She has delivered programs for brands like American Express, Bacardi, and Audi, has been featured in outlets including Forbes and Fortune, and currently serves on the National Speakers Association’s national board.