Monica Lewinsky reflects on an act of professionalism and kindness

In our industry, focus is usually placed on the impact that speakers can have on their audiences, and never the other way around. Sometimes when the roles are reversed, we can clearly recognize that everyone involved in the events process, from the corporate executor to AV techs, is a human being just like us, and that we have the opportunity to impact one another in ways that reach beyond a scripted keynote.

Today we stumbled across an article published by People Magazine revealing a glimpse in to exactly just that. In the article, Monica Lewinsky recalls an instance with one of Key Speaker’s most loyal clients, Vince Valvo of American Business Media LLC. At the company’s 2014 event, the other event headliner (who brought with her a majority of the event’s sponsors) refused to participate due to Monica’s involvement. Instead of siding with this speaker, the planner had a courageous response and ultimately refused to disinvite Monica or discredit her expertise because of how her name was portrayed in the media years prior. Vince was an ally and stood up for Monica, showed her profound kindness, and made her feel supported.

Our industry is based on human connection—at the end of the day, let’s ensure that we act in the name of kindness and understanding because every individual is able to provide impact in far-reaching and sometimes surprising ways.