Good marketers and effective salespeople share a common secret: They know how to use urgency and scarcity to move potential customers from “maybe” to “yes.” Put simply, they infuse their strategies with FOMO–the Fear of Missing Out. That’s because FOMO taps deeply into our psychology in two ways. First, it shows us the positive qualities of a product or opportunity in order to convince us that we want, need or desire it (also known as aspirational FOMO). Second, FOMO reminds us that if we don’t take action, that product or opportunity we risk missing out (known as herd FOMO). It is this potent combination of aspirational and herd FOMO that drives markets, moves products and closes deals. But deploying FOMO effectively–and ethically–is easier said than done. In this action-oriented keynote by Patrick J. McGinnis, you’ll learn how to use FOMO to drive sales, market products and deploy powerful yet ethical strategies to supercharge your sales and marketing machine.

Whether in the business sphere or beyond, AI sits at the intersection of ambition, human anxieties and the pervasive fear of being left behind in an age of profound change. There is so much that is unknown, it's tempting to make radical changes—change your strategy, change your job or change your organization—out of the fear of falling behind your competitors. But making major decisions out of fear—particularly fear that is based on an unknowable future— has tremendous risks. In this keynote by Patrick J. McGinnis, which draws on real-world examples and compelling anecdotes from the fast-changing world of AI, you will learn how to harness the transformative potential of AI in business and beyond. At the same time, you’ll develop strategies for when to “miss out” and avoid the temptation to fall victim to all the AI hype, wasting time and money on the next not-so-big thing.

Following several years of remote and hybrid working, new demands at home and endemic uncertainty, it feels as if employees have decided that change–any change–is preferable to the status quo. This leaves their employers to determine how to attract and retain talent. Yet there is another critical consideration that is driving this rush for change at any cost—the temptation to chase after the hottest new trends, from crypto to AI—in search of riches and rewards. It is this desire for more and better—even if there is no evidence that this alternative actually exists—that can provide frustrated employees with the profound physiological impetus to throw caution to the wind and run after the “next big thing.” In this solutions-oriented yet entertaining session, Patrick J. McGinnis grounds the quiet desperation felt by so many people in clinical psychology, the future of work and pop culture to explain why employees are so keen to quit even when it’s actually not in their best interest—and how managers can guide them to better consider their motivations and their actions going forward.

Entrepreneurial thinking is a superpower that can build billion-dollar business empires. But it’s too rarely applied outside of the world of startups. However, any leader can create a culture of entrepreneurship by encouraging their employees to explore their own entrepreneurial projects and then challenging them to apply what they learn back at their day jobs. In doing so, they leverage their employees to become leaner, faster and more innovative for the benefit of their business. Based on practices at companies ranging from Google (where this speech is a favorite) to Goldman Sachs, Patrick J. McGinnis will provide your teams with the inspiration and the practical frameworks required to actively integrate every employee in the firm in the process of building an entrepreneurial culture.

In a world full of potential opportunities—and potential pitfalls—it can feel impossible to choose just one path and commit to it. At the same time, there are so many temptations to follow the crowd—hot trends like blockchain, NFTs, Web3 and AI beckon—even when it seems like the responsible thing to do is to head to Corporate America, graduate school or a more traditional path. So, what are you supposed to do? What’s real and what’s hype? And even if something feels like it’s more than a little bit about hype, what should you do? In this fun, interactive, and yet highly practical session by Patrick J. McGinnis, you’ll receive the context, strategies and hacks you need to find the power to choose what you actually want and the courage to miss out on the rest. Using a mix of psychology, anecdotes and actionable advice, Patrick will help you to figure out what you really want so that you can find the best path forward.

Entrepreneurial thinking is a superpower that can build billion-dollar business empires, but it’s not just for startups. In this dynamic keynote, Patrick J. McGinnis, the author of The 10% Entrepreneur, one of the preeminent books on part-time entrepreneurship, reveals why part-time entrepreneurs often achieve greater success and how you can harness this strategy to your advantage. Drawing from real-world examples and proven practices from individuals, startups and multinational corporations like Google and Goldman Sachs, Patrick explains the rationale behind launching a part-time venture as well as how changes in our economy and the way we work have made it possible. He also details how you can actually build a new venture without going all-in and explains why empowering part-time entrepreneurs can be essential to the success of enterprises of all sizes. In this inspiring keynote, Patrick uses stories from across the world and across industries to prove that the old all-or-nothing mindset about entrepreneurship is outdated, how a new generation of entrepreneurs is doing things their own way and how you can, too.