2026 - 2027 Meeting/Event Information
At NSA-MN we strive to provide our members and guests with the very best programming designed to inspire and share expertise in aspects of growing your speaking, training, or coaching business. Most of our guest speakers have been awarded the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation-one of the highest designations that can be attained as a professional speaker.
Our event season begins in September and extends through May. We provide 8 regular chapter meetings, each 3-4 hours in length generally on Fridays starting at 8:30am. At most meetings, a meal is provided.
In addition to our chapter events, we will host several socials, deep dives, and fireside chats throughout the year, capitalizing on the remarkable talent we have within our chapter.
We hope to see you soon.
If you’ve never attended a NSA-MN event, we invite you to join us for your first event at 50% off of the registration fee. To receive this discount, select "First Time Guest" when you register for the program.
Beyond Distinction™ for Professional Speakers | Scott McKain, CSP, CPAE & Cavett Award Recipient
September 04, 2026
8:30 AM CDT - 12:00 PM CDT
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The Club at Golden Valley
7001 Golden Valley Rd
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Directions
For years, speakers were told to be different. But today, different is everywhere. If your clients can compare you, they can replace you. Beyond Distinction™ is about becoming the only choice for your clients. Not better. Not cheaper. Not slightly different. Just unmistakably valuable.
The real threat to your speaking, consulting, or coaching business is not your competition. It's irrelevance. Your signature talk or program may be out of sync with what your clients need today. Your sales approach may be outdated. Your instinct might be to defend what used to work, but in an AI-transformed world, the very assumptions that built your past success are the very things most likely to make you invisible.
What once made you unique is quickly copied, matched, or replaced. Clients move faster. Expectations rise higher. Loyalty becomes more fragile. Your challenge is no longer just to be different. It’s to stay relevant, valuable, and essential—over time.
Scott McKain, CSP, CPAE & Cavett Award Recipient (NSA’s highest honor) will share his framework to confront the evolving reality impacting every professional speaker. His insights will help you to adapt and navigate a world where the distance between distinction and irrelevance has never been shorter.
Scott's Key Takeaways:
- Discover how successful speakers have shifted from defending old talks, programs, services, and promotional efforts to investing their resources in innovation and a forward-looking strategy.
- Understand how becoming unmistakably valuable, instead of merely different, is the key to winning the work.
- Learn the framework for anticipating changing client expectations and evolving the experience you deliver, so you build trust and engagement your competitors cannot replicate.
About Scott
Scott McKain is the author of Beyond Distinction: How Leaders Transcend the Turbulence of an AI-Transformed World (Wiley, 2025) and other recognized books on differentiation, customer experience, and organizational relevance. A recipient of the Cavett Award—the highest honor in professional speaking—he is a member of both the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and the Sales and Marketing Hall of Fame. He has delivered more than two thousand keynote presentations worldwide. His client roster includes Cisco, BMW, and Fairmont Hotels. He serves as the In-Residence Expert on Distinction and Relevance at High Point University.
Program Agenda:
8:30 AM - Gathering/Networking with breakfast
9:00 AM - Welcome & Chapter Updates
9:30-12:00 pm- Program (includes a 15-minute break)
Please note that this meeting is at a NEW LOCATION.
The Club at Golden Valley
7001 Golden Valley Rd
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Program Rates
Early Bird registration discount ends Aug 27th at 11:59pm
- $ 0 - Professional and Speaker Academy & Legacy Members
- $45 - A la Carte
- $79 - Returning guest
- $39 - First time guest
Registration from Aug 28-Sept 4, 2026
- $40 - Professional and Speaker Academy & Legacy Members
- $65 - A la Carte
- $89 - Returning guest
- $49 - First time guest
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ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 1 AT 11:59PM
SPACE IS LIMITED. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCOMODATE WALKINS!
Cancellation Policy
We understand that sometimes you are not able to attend an event that you have paid for. All attendees are factored into our event expenses and therefore, we are not able to offer refunds, but would be happy to move your registration to the next event for you. Please contact our office (mailto:[email protected]) for additional details.
• Photography/Video Policy
NSA Minnesota reserves the right to use any photograph or video taken at any event sponsored by NSA-MN, without the expressed written permission of those in the photograph or video.
• Accommodations
If you have a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in an NSA- MN chapter event, Please email your request to [email protected] a minimum of five (5) business days in advance of the event for arrangements to be made.
Tickets
$40.00 Professional Member Ticket
$0.00 Earlybird rate before August 28
$65.00 A-La-Carte
$45.00 Earlybird rate before August 28
$40.00 Speakers Academy Student
$0.00 Earlybird rate before August 28
$89.00 Returning Guest
$79.00 Earlybird rate before August 28
$49.00 First Time Guest
$39.00 Earlybird rate before August 28
$25.00 Legacy Member Ticket
$0.00 Earlybird rate before August 28
