We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rina Rovinelli a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rina , thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
Rina , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Speaker Slam® is a premier speaker development agency We help cultivate the next generation of Changemakers through speaking and video. We offer comprehensive training programs, video marketing solutions, and brand-building services for experts, authors, coaches, and thriving entrepreneurs.
We are best known for creating North America’s Largest Inspirational Speaking Competition, where you can showcase your life story and inspire others to take action. The competition offers a platform for speakers to gain recognition and win prizes worth up to $10,000.
Our agency has fostered numerous successful speakers who have achieved remarkable accomplishments, including securing paid speaking engagements, delivering TEDx talks, publishing books, receiving media coverage, being featured in documentaries, going viral, leading movements, creating events, and much more. Most importantly, they go on to inspire schools, charities, and corporations with their messages, driving positive change at the grassroots level.
We’ve had over 500 million views on our speakers’ videos and we are most proud of the transformations we’ve seen. Our platform creates leaders who leverage speaking to change the world.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Like most businesses, we found the pandemic challenging. There was something very painful about running a business that was completely focused on live events and live training and having to transition online. We were worried that it wouldn’t translate well. We did have pivot pains for sure. There was some resistance to Zoom but we managed to run an online speaking competition for several years.
Today I can say that our online experience has been incredibly beneficial for our business. We have reached people around the world whom we wouldn’t have reached otherwise. We now have people competing and flying in from around the world. Additionally, we have a successful online Momentum Membership that allows us to reach more people.
It’s definitely a silver lining.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
We do everything we can to create a phenomenal experience for our speakers. Our venue, our videography, our photography, our marketing, our judges and prizes – everything is top-notch. Our speakers compete at Speaker Slam and we make them look amazing. We go above and beyond to help them create opportunities, such as gaining media attention or securing paid speaking engagements. Our competitors bring their family and friends and co-workers out to watch them compete. Inevitably, many of their guests fall in love with the experience themselves and want to jump in. It’s an ecosystem we’ve been cultivating for 8 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.speakerslam.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakerslam/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rinalee.rovinelli
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rina-rovinelli/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/speakerslam
Image Credits
Phil Zave