Twitter / asblumberg: @ericstandlee put me on the...

A good friend who went to Envision 08, Adam Blumberg, CEO of Truistic in Houston said this on Twitter:

put me on the schedule for Envision 09.

That has been the response across the board.

Eric Standlee

Envision'08 Surpasses Expectations!

Well, I think I've finally recouped from the envision'08 experience. Wow! What a blowout...500 attendees! Guy Kawasaki couldn't believe it was our inaugural event. A head honcho at Oracle explained that he attends conferences all over the world and has never seen anything like envision'08.

I'd like to take just a moment and thank all those volunteers that helped get the word out. You know who you are: Dean McCall (San Antonio), Eric Standlee, Marc Nathan, Dayna Marcum, Jill Lindquist, Christine Spray, Larry Collis, Kyle Leney, Mike Young, Greg Price,
Mary Wilson, Hilla Abileah, Jim Pillans, and many, many more.

Here's a little taste of what went on at envision'08 with more footage to come:
http://blip.tv/file/867928/

Hate Your Job?

Hate your job? No problem, Oprah can help!

You read that right...Oprah. Envision'08 special guest, Marcus Buckingham, will be appearing on Oprah this Friday to showcase the workshop he facilitated with 30 viewers. He'll show how he helped these working women understand their strengths and passions and how to use them.

Check our the promo video on YouTube.

Also, all you late registrants to the conference, be sure and use he discount code "guest" to receive special pricing.

More Video Footage for Envision'08

I received more video footage from last Wednesday's sit-down with envision'08 supporters. This is good stuff, folks. Take look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU8AQyYeKkk

Envision'08 Video Spotlight

Hi, guys, spent some time with a few supporters of envision'08 Wednesday morning and we caught it on video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gHJ2ZhU6lM

Richard Scruggs, Texas A&M University Center for
New Ventures & Entrepreneurship
Karen Love, PKF Texas
Marc Nathan, Houston Technology Center

Marcus Buckingham & Rackspace

Here we are at the final push for Envision'08. Wow, it's going to be awesome!

I found a video clip of the CEO from Rackspace (San Antonio) where he talks about Marcus Buckingham and thought I would share that with everyone. He attributes much of his company's success to Marcus.

http://www.gazellestv.com/player.cfm?fid=14

Rackspace's CEO calls him the next Peter Drucker. Check it out! And, don't miss Marcus at Envision'08.

Envision'08 Shares Buckingham's Message with San Antonio Student Athletes

Envision'08, in partnership with the San Antonio Sports Foundation, will be providing 20 student athletes an opportunity to hear Marcus Buckingham speak.

“The San Antonio Sports Foundation is grateful for the opportunity to share Mr. Buckingham’s message with our young athletes,” said Dr. Susan Blackwood, executive director of the Sports Foundation. “They are highly motivated young people on the cusp of making significant decisions in their lives. I expect a speaker of Mr. Buckingham’s caliber will inspire them to develop their strengths and pursue their passions in college and beyond.”

The athletes are participants in the San Antonio Sports Foundation's Dreams for Youth and Community Olympic Development Program. They are fencers, badminton players, divers and volleyball players who are competitive athletes at the regional and national levels.

Check out the SASF's website here.

Envision'08 Lands Another Best Seller

Envision'08 lands another New York Times & USA Today best-selling author, Flip Flippen! Flip's the most famous guy you've never heard of. He's worked with companies like Chevron to sports arenas like NASCAR. Here's what David Weekley has to say about him...

“The Flippen Group's processes are outstanding. Not only have they assisted me in building a stronger company, but they have transformed my personal life. I think every business leader should have the opportunity to meet Flip and his company.”

- David Weekley, Chairman
David Weekley Homes
One of the “100 Best Companies to Work for – Fortune Magazine 2007

Check out his best-seller, "The Flip Side".

Who is Marcus Buckingham?

So many of the people we've talked to about our keynote speakers knew who Guy Kawasaki is, but not Marcus Buckingham. Who is Marcus Buckingham? Here's what he'd tell you...

"After more than 17 years with the Gallup organization and in recent years as an author, researcher and speaker, I’ve dedicated my life to starting and sustaining a strengths revolution. I’ve examined the complexities of today’s digital world and diversified work force and have worked with leaders of every age and career stage in order to identify the crucial differences between management and leadership, strengths and weaknesses."

Here's a video of Marcus...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuZBJQAFOfM

Who is Guy Kawasaki?

As the Conference Management Committee has been getting the message out about Envision'08, we have run into many people who do not know all of our keynote speakers. Some might know Stephen Covey, but not Guy Kawasaki. So...we thought we'd share with you some video footage of what's sure to come to Envision'08. Introducing, Guy...

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/06/the_art_of_the_.html

BioHouston Sponsors Envision'08

The word is getting around! BioHouston now in line to promote Envision'08. BiHouston's mission is to create an environment that will stimulate technology transfer and research commercialization, thereby generating economic wealth for the Houston region and making it a global competitor in life science commercialization. If you are not familiar with BioHouston, you've got to check them out: www.biohouston.org.

List of Envision'08 Sponsors to-date

Since we are on the topic of Envision'08 sponsors, I thought I would list the companies signed up so far:

Adec Employer Solutions
Administaff
Advena Artemis
Calvetti Ferguson & Wagoner
E-Flex
Ernst & Young
Frost Bank
RJ Gallagher
Haynes & Boone
Humana
NASDAQ
Oracle
Pannell Kerr Forster
Pierpont Communications
Texas Business Journals
Vistage CEO Partners

Another Great Sponsor at Envision'08

There's another great sponsor signed up for Envision'08, Calvetti, Ferguson & Wagoner, P.C. CF&W is one of Houston's 25 largest accounting firms. A full service CPA firm helping companies and individuals interested in financial growth meet their objectives and obligations.

Check them out at www.cfw-cpa.com

If you have interest in talking with them, just give Christine Spray a call, 713-957-2300 or email, cspray@cfw-cpa.com.

Creating a Culture of Innovation...an Envision'08 Workshop

JD Messinger has agreed to conduct a workshop at Envision'08 around building a culture of innovation. The title of the workshop will be: "Innovation in Action: from the depths of the oceans to the pinnacles of power".

You've probably heard JD on his radio show which airs on CNN Radio News in 45 states and over 60 countries. You can check-out JD at his website: http://www.jdmessinger.com.

Learn How to Raise Money...at Envision'08

Funding is often high on a CEO's priority list. What does it take to raise money? How long does it take? How many investor presentations are required? Envision'08 has pulled James Lancaster, director of the Research Valley Innovation Center, and Dr. Joe Coombs, Assistant Professor at Texas A&M to talk about the effort required to raise capital.

Big Time Sponsors at Envision'08

I just caught up with Don Newell from ADEC Solutions, he's responsible for sponsorship of Envision'08. There are some big name sponsors that will be present at the conference, namely: Oracle, Ernst & Young, Humana, PKF Texas and Administaff.

If your company is interested in being a sponsor at Envision'08, contact Don Newell for details, d.newell@adec-solutions.net.

ADEC's FounderJoins Envision'08

James Donovan, Founder and CEO of ADEC Solutions has agreed to share the story of ADEC's founding. This is truly an international company doing business on multiple continents and started from zero by James. Check-out his bio at www.adec-solutions.com

Envision'08 Reaches Out to Women Entrepreneurs

Austin-based, CEO and co-founder Ellen Wood has agreed to tell the story of the creation of her fast-growth services firm, VirtualCFO, Inc. You can learn more about Ellen and VirtualCFO by reading these great articles in the Austin Business Journal, "VirtualCFO is a reality", "VirtualCFO saw a need and filled it creatively", and the Austin Chronicle, "Women on top".

and, check-out her website at...

www.vcfo.com