A few reasons to attend Catalyst Dallas May 1-3

10 Reasons to attend Catalyst West 2013

You want to speak at a Catalyst event?

**NOTE: this is a Re-Post from back in 2010. I have many folks contact me about speaking, so thought this might be helpful to provide this list again.**

We are always looking for new speakers/presenters for all of our Catalyst events, whether in Atlanta, LA, Dallas, (or soon to name other cities…!) or providing articles and interviews online. I wanted to give a bit of perspective on how we find new speakers/communicators.

If you think you might be one of those, or know someone who is, here are a few tips:

1. Be a Powerful and engaging Communicator. Great communicators get moved to the top of the list.

2. Have an amazing story. Inspirational, courageous, tear-jerking, changing the world type stuff. True Catalysts. These also get moved to the top of the list. This one is not as easy to create or work on for you.

3. Content is king. Great content always wins. Especially content that inspires, and moves leaders towards action and application. There are lots of great communicators, but not all of them have great content. Start here. Develop great content first.

4. Be a Catalyst. Closely related to #2. We love finding the leaders who are out making a difference, and actually living out what God has called them to do. They are practitioners. They’re not trying to build a platform so they can speak and write books one day. They are just out having an impact and influencing those around them. Inspirational practitioners is what I call these leaders.

5. We start with friends and “Catalyst family” first. If we are friends, that helps alot. Seriously. We feel like Catalyst is a big family, and we rarely invite speakers in without first having a friendship with them and getting to know who they really are. If we are friends that means we actually know each other and have worked on something together or at least connected in person.

6. Not all authors should be speakers. Just because you’ve written a book, doesn’t mean you can communicate. Books give you credibility, but only as a content creator, not as a communicator. I know lots of authors who’ve sold millions of books and are total sleepers when asked to speak. Writing a book is good, but doesn’t automatically qualify you to be speaking.

7. Leadership matters. We have all kinds of different speakers at our Catalyst events, but we are still at our core all about leadership, and all about gathering leaders. So have something to say about leadership.

8. If you contact me and tell me how great YOU are, you get moved to the bottom of the list. Believe me, I (we) know who you are. We spend thousands of hours a year looking for the new voices, researching, asking around, watching videos, reading the blogs, getting feedback from leaders all over the world, etc. If in doubt, have someone else contact me on your behalf.

9. If you contact any of our team after you’ve contacted me, especially my assistant Michelle, and tell HER as well how great YOU are, you get moved off the list. Feel free to contact us and recommend others you may know, but please don’t recommend yourself.

Just to give perspective, I currently have a list of around 700 names who are potential speakers/communicators/articles/interviews at upcoming Catalyst events in 2013-2016!

16 Things to Know about Catalyst Conference Atlanta this week

A few tips for those of you attending Catalyst for the first time this year, or maybe it’s your 2nd or 3rd time, or maybe 13th in a row!!. Hopefully these are helpful and allow your Catalyst experience to be the best ever!

1. Arrive early. Especially on Thursday morning Oct 4. The pre-show starts up around 6:55 am, so we’ll try our best to entertain you while you wait for the doors to open around 7:50 am.

2. Attend LABS. LAB sessions occur on Wednesday, October 3rd, and are a great way to dive deeper into practical topics. We still have a few tickets left for LABS (and pre-labs with Reggie Joiner and Perry Noble on Wednesday morning), so you can register online or walk up. Labs officially start at 11:30 am on Wednesday with the opening session featuring Bob Goff. Can’t wait.

All of the LAB sessions will be great, and I recommend every session that we’ve created. But just want to give you a few names of some of the LAB speakers you may not know but will want to hear:

** Lynne Hybels, Joel Salatin, Rashid Nuri, Charles Jenkins, Eugene Cho, Esther Havens, Dhati Lewis and Sho Baraka, Jonathan Merritt, Herbert Cooper, Nick Vujicic **

3. Listen to the Catalyst Podcast Roadtrip Edition on your way to the event. The episode includes a special interview with Perry Noble, as well as helpful tips, entertainment, and even recommendations on how to MAKE your roadtrip experience even more memorable. Download here.

4. Bring food with you. Because parking is free, and there is now plenty of it because of a new parking deck, you’ll be able to get to your vehicle no problem at lunch and dinner. So with that in mind, plan to tailgate! Bring the grill, or just an ice chest and some extra food. It’s really a pain to drive somewhere for lunch or dinner, so just hang out and soak up the sun! We will also have food for sale onsite outside, so that is also an option.

5. Attend the evening session on Thursday night. Do not miss Thursday night! Francis Chan, plus the Gungor band. It will be a great time. You’ll be tempted to go back to the hotel room and turn on the baseball game or Thursday night college football, but stick around!

6. Download this special APP to be part of the CATALYST experience!! Download the Dan Deacon App from itunes to your iphone or other smartphone. Just do it! Download here. We need your help!!

7. No reserved seating. Because there is no reserved seating, you’ll want to arrive early. And if you are attending Catalyst with a big group, make sure you bring some 5 x 7 cards or paper (and tape) to be able to tape on the seat so that you’ll remember where you are sitting!

8. Sing loud. 13,000 voices together worshipping our God is epic. Don’t stand (or sit) idly by with arms crossed and lips closed. Join in. Stand up, Hands held high and voices raised.

9. Catalyst Backstage- if you can’t attend, no worries. Join us on CatalystBackstage starting on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm EST, and then on Thursday and Friday mornings at 8:30 am EST. We’ll have interviews with speakers, behind the scenes footage, and several LIVE look-ins for some of the sessions.

10. Purchase t-shirts and jackets early at the resource centers. If you plan on buying a t-shirt or jacket, purchase them at the first break. They sell out fast, so don’t wait. And it will be a bit chilly in the mornings this week, so you’ll need a new tee or jacket anyway!

11. Bring items to give back and help others. In partnership with ATLANTA MISSION and CONVOY OF HOPE, we are asking EVERY Catalyst attendee to bring Deodorant, Underwear (men’s, women’s and children’s), Razors, and Pillows and Pillow Cases to give back to those in need in the city of Atlanta. Please stop on your way into Atlanta and the Gwinnett Arena and pick up these items. We want the collection bins to OVERFLOW! There is a Kroger right across the street from Gwinnett Arena if you forget!

12. Bring an extra bag for all the Catalyst swag. There are lots of great partners at Catalyst all around the lobby and concourse. Bring an extra bag to collect all the goodies.

13. Hang out in the Reflective Prayer Tent- allow yourself some time to hang out in the reflective worship tent. And, we’ll have a prayer team available the entire conference that will pray with you, for you, and over you. Some of us just need a fresh dose of God’s provision and goodness, so take advantage of this area.

14. If u tweet, use the hashtag #CATALYST. And follow Catalyst on Twitter @CatalystLeader. 

15. Purchase the Catalyst Experience Kit. Every year we try and put together the best of the best so you can take the Catalyst experience home with you. This year is no exception.You can purchase it before you get to the event and then pick it up onsite without having to mess with the lines. I highly recommend this! Includes all kinds of great stuff, including the talks from this event, plus a best of set from Dallas and West Coast earlier this year.

16. Engage. Meet other leaders. There is an incredible amount of wisdom and influence gathered in one place at one time, so take advantage of the other leaders who are present. Many of us go to leadership gatherings and conferences and never really connect. We get distracted by things going on around us. This year we want you to truly Laugh. Listen. Sing. Pray. Engage. Connect.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel in Seattle and Sacramento this fall

TODAY is your last chance to get the best rates on these 3 exciting Catalyst events coming up later this fall. Register your team today.

CALIBRATE on Wednesday, October 24 - will include Mark Driscoll, Judah Smith, Brenda Salter McNeil, Ryan Meeks, Rick McKinley, Eugene Cho, and Jo Saxton, all teaching and presenting on Missional Leadership, specifically as it relates to the Pacific Northwest.

CATALYST ONE DAY SEATTLE on Thursday, October 25 - will feature Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel focusing on the topic of Healthy Organizational Culture. This practical leadership experience includes multiple sessions of content, Q and A, dynamic music, and a day of practical insight from two of the principal voices on leadership in the Church today. Whether you are a pastor, non profit leader, business professional, or entrepreneur, the leadership principles you’ll hear taught by Andy and Craig apply to all of us in whatever leadership capacity we serve in. So pastors- bring your business leaders with you!

All of these leaders together over 2 days at The City Church in Seattle October 24-25. A can’t miss leadership experience! You can register for both of these events today. 

CATALYST ONE DAY SACRAMENTO on Thursday, November 29 – Catalyst is finally venturing into Northern California!! Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel will be teaching on the topic of Healthy Organizational Culture. Rates as low as $79 still available.

Again, register TODAY for any or all of these events coming up later this fall to take advantage of the lowest discounted rates available. Use Rate Code FOB when registering for additional savings.

If you have additional questions, feel free to call our Catalyst Concierges at 888.334.6569.

Hope to see you there!

Catalyst One Day is coming to the NorthEast!

4 Important things to know Today!

1. Catalyst One Day Pennsylvania- that’s right, Catalyst One Day with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel is coming to Pennsylvania on Thursday, November 15, 2012!

Catalyst One Day Pennsylvania will be happening on Thursday, November 15 at LCBC in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Leaders from all over the Northeast US will be joining us. New York, DC, Philly, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Baltimore, Boston and more.

Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel will focus on the topic of Healthy Organizational Culture. This practical leadership experience includes multiple sessions of content, Q and A, dynamic music, and a day of practical insight from two of the principal voices on leadership in the Church today.

Whether you are a pastor, non profit leader, business professional, or entrepreneur, the leadership principles you’ll hear taught by Andy and Craig apply to all of us in whatever leadership capacity we serve in. So pastors- bring your business leaders with you!

TODAY is the super early registration deadline, so make sure and register NOW if you plan to attend. (You can get tickets as low as $79). Use discount code FOB when registering for additional savings. 

2. Catalyst One Day Seattle and Calibrate- Also, this fall, we’ll be in Seattle on October 24-25 for the combination of Catalyst One Day Seattle and Calibrate. Best rates for these two events expires September 27, so make sure and register today. 

As a reminder, Calibrate on Wednesday, October 24 will include Mark Driscoll, Judah Smith, Brenda Salter McNeil, Ryan Meeks, Rick McKinley, Eugene Cho, and Jo Saxton, all teaching and presenting on Missional Leadership, specifically as it relates to the Pacific Northwest.

All of these leaders together over 2 days at The City Church in Seattle. A can’t miss leadership experience! Again, register for either or both of these events now.

3. Catalyst One Day Sacramento- we’ll also be in Northern California later this fall on Thursday, November 29, at Bayside Church in Sacramento, CA. So all of you leaders in southern Oregon, California, Nevada, the Bay area, and even Idaho and Utah, we’re coming to you! Andy and Craig will be sharing on Healthy Organizational culture.

You can register for Catalyst One Day Sacramento here.

4. Catalyst Conference Atlanta- still time to register for Catalyst Atlanta (East) coming up on October 3-5, 2012, at Gwinnett Arena. 13,000 leaders together. It’s gonna be epic! And if you’re already registered, don’t forget about Catalyst LABS on Wednesday, October 3, featuring David Platt, Bob Goff, Mark Batterson, Lysa TerKeurst, Michael Hyatt, Jon Acuff, Nick Vujicic and many others.

Make plans now to attend any or all of these Catalyst One Day events, Calibrate, or Catalyst Atlanta.

If you have additional questions, feel free to call our Catalyst Concierges at 888.334.6569.

Hope to see you there!