With economic woes and international conflicts on the brain, corporate event planners are booking speakers who can shed some light on foreign policies and money matters—or take listeners' minds elsewhere. Here are five hot speakers:
Madeleine Albright
Why she's hot: She's a history-maker as the first female secretary of state and the highest-ranking woman in U.S. history, and she understands the nuances of international relations.
What she has to say: Albright mixes tales of her diplomatic experience at the highest levels of American government with humor and motivational bits.
Who reps her: Washington Speakers Bureau
Po Bronson
Why he's hot: Bronson's new book, What Should I Do with My Life?, is a motivational bestseller that describes how people find their calling in life at a time when many people are reconsidering how they spend their time.
What he has to say: He shares stories of how American people have found their niche in a changing corporate, cultural and economic landscape.
Who reps him: Greater Talent Network
Robert Reich
Why he's hot: A longtime economic insider, Reich served in three presidential administrations and authored The Work of Nations, a book on workforces of the future.
What he has to say: How a war economy affects trade, global investment and fiscal policy.
Who reps him: Washington Speakers Bureau
Mo Rocca
Why he's hot: The quasi pop-culture guru is chatting it up everywhere these days, from the Today Show to VH1's "I Love the 80s" documentaries.
What he has to say: In the tongue-in-cheek style he perfected as a correspondent at The Daily Show, he delivers commentary on current events and mainstream media coverage.
Who reps him: Greater Talent Network
Chuck Barris
Why he's hot: The former Gong Show host's outrageous claims that he was a CIA assassin have spawned a hip George Clooney-directed movie, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
What he has to say: He chronicles his far-fetched life experiences in Hollywood as a television game show producer, undercover agent, author and music writer.
Who reps him: Greater Talent Network
—Jill Musguire
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of The BiZBash Event Style Reporter newspaper.
Madeleine Albright
Why she's hot: She's a history-maker as the first female secretary of state and the highest-ranking woman in U.S. history, and she understands the nuances of international relations.
What she has to say: Albright mixes tales of her diplomatic experience at the highest levels of American government with humor and motivational bits.
Who reps her: Washington Speakers Bureau
Po Bronson
Why he's hot: Bronson's new book, What Should I Do with My Life?, is a motivational bestseller that describes how people find their calling in life at a time when many people are reconsidering how they spend their time.
What he has to say: He shares stories of how American people have found their niche in a changing corporate, cultural and economic landscape.
Who reps him: Greater Talent Network
Robert Reich
Why he's hot: A longtime economic insider, Reich served in three presidential administrations and authored The Work of Nations, a book on workforces of the future.
What he has to say: How a war economy affects trade, global investment and fiscal policy.
Who reps him: Washington Speakers Bureau
Mo Rocca
Why he's hot: The quasi pop-culture guru is chatting it up everywhere these days, from the Today Show to VH1's "I Love the 80s" documentaries.
What he has to say: In the tongue-in-cheek style he perfected as a correspondent at The Daily Show, he delivers commentary on current events and mainstream media coverage.
Who reps him: Greater Talent Network
Chuck Barris
Why he's hot: The former Gong Show host's outrageous claims that he was a CIA assassin have spawned a hip George Clooney-directed movie, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
What he has to say: He chronicles his far-fetched life experiences in Hollywood as a television game show producer, undercover agent, author and music writer.
Who reps him: Greater Talent Network
—Jill Musguire
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of The BiZBash Event Style Reporter newspaper.
Madeleine Albright and Mo Rocca
Robert Reich, Po Bronson and Chuck Barris are among the hot speakers being booked for events.
