corporate speaking Tag

July 26, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro EYE Filmmuseum Opening

Greg Shapiro Speaks at EYE Filmmuseum Opening for ‘Coen Brothers Complete’ film festival

What was I doing speaking at the opening of a Dutch Coen Brothers film festival?

Amsterdam’s EYE film museum is hosting a Coen Brothers retrospective all summer long, kicking off with their first-ever feature Blood Simple. The programmer thought “What if we get The American Netherlander to comment on the differences in Dutch & American film culture?” Either that or pay for Joel Coen to be there… They chose me.

Boy, do Dutch people love the Coen Brothers! Cinema 1 was totally full. By the way, if you’ve never been to the new EYE film museum across from Amsterdam Central Station, you’re missing out.

You don’t even need to see a film: the building, the bar and the terrace are a work of art. I crossed the water on the ferry with my cinephile daughter, who was my plus one.

The opening word was given by the film museum programmer Ronald Simons, who wore an Evil Dead t-shirt. Why? Because Joel Coen was the cinematographer! Part film quiz. I loved it.

As for my speech, I got to show my PowerPoint slides on the big screen with a 4k projector. Ronald and I had met earlier to craft the message of my 15 minutes. He thought it would be fun to reference the US election – or as I call it – “No Country for Old Men.” (Hopefully.)

What are the themes of the Coen Brothers movies?

They are notoriously difficult to categorize. But Ronald wanted me to highlight these 3 things:
1) ‘Old Testament-like Trials.’ I had to reference Genesis and the famous Dutch mapmaker who said “God created the earth, but the Dutch created their own country.” Dutch people would have been the ones in Moses’ tribe who stayed behind to make their homeland on the bottom of the Red Sea. “We’ll put up some dikes, we’ll dig a few canals. Gezellig.”

2) They parody and subvert film genres. Dutch director Paul Verhoeven is well known for playing with genres.. but the master of parody and subverting genres would be Dick Maas. Coming soon: “Amsterdamned – TWO.”

3) Man vs Indifferent Universe / Bad Things Happen to Good People. The best example I could think of was the (part-) Dutch film called Spoorloos, from 1988. I saw it in an art-house cinema in 1990. And the ending was such a shock! It was such a sensation there was a Hollywood remake in 1993, called The Vanishing. This movie is so bad you have to watch it to believe it. I re-enacted the Hollywood version of the ending. And I ended by saying “now you know how hard it is to make a truly original, truly dark movie in the United States. With that in mind, let’s watch the Coen Broertjes’ first film: Blood Simple.” And it was great!

The Coen Brothers Complete – click here for dates (ends 11 September)
https://www.eyefilm.nl/programma/the-coen-brothers-complete/1268320

For more Greg Shapiro Corporate Events Click Here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-corporate-events/

July 20, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Hosts TUDelft Event

Shapiro Hosts TUDelft Event – 10 years of TU Delft Sports Engineering Institute

On days like these, I love my job.

Just as the Netherlands Olympic team is getting ready for Paris 2024, they celebrated 10 years of help from the TU Delft Sports Engineering Institute. I was brought in to host the 10 year event.

https://www.aanmelder.nl/sportinnovation/new-page

What is Sports Engineering?

When milliseconds make the difference between Silver and Gold, the Sports Engineering Institute uses high tech innovations to give the Netherlands the advantage. Onstage, I interviewed the head of the TU Delft program to discuss the new prototype Olympic racing bike (warning – brakes not included). (Professor Tim van der Hagen – rector magnificus at TU Delft)

I interviewed the head of the NOC Dutch Olympic Committee about the Dutch love of speed skating. When people say “the Dutch have skating down to a science,” it’s Delft they’re talking about. (Marc van den Tweel – general director at NOC*NSF)

I interviewed the head of the head of the Nationaal Klimaat Platform about how sports innovation helps sustainability. The Netherlands is also known for Olympic sailing – 100% wind power. But the officials’ boats are now being powered by hydrogen fuel cells developed at TU Delft. You may have heard how Paris 2024 wants to be the Greenest Olympics ever. You can thank the Dutchies. (Kees Vendrik – Chairman of Nationaal Klimaat Platform – will dive into the relevance of sports innovation for society.)

Sports Engineering and Baseball

After the plenary session, there was a gallery of sports exhibits, from skating to tennis – even darts. (see Michael van Gerwen, former Dutch World Champion)

My personal favorite sport is baseball. That’s how I grew up. So when I saw the exhibit for baseball pitchers, I had to try it myself.

There’s more and more pressure on young baseball pictures to throw with higher and higher velocity. The result is that many young pitchers blow out their arms and need surgery. But Delft SEI asks, “what if we use sensors to help young arms avoid injury?”

So I gave it a try.. I reached a top speed of 75 miles per hour. If you ever need a quasi-celebrity to throw out your first pitch, I’m available.

TU Delft Pitching

Thank you to event organizers JMT Management and to Karsten Stouten for the photos – and video.

And thank you to Ramona and the SEI team for putting glitter tape on my cue cards (blecch)…

…but then handing out top quality schwag: a TU Delft SEI t-shirt. Sports Engineering for Life!

For more Greg Shapiro Corporate Events, click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-corporate-events/

April 3, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Hosts Government Event NL

Shapiro Hosts Government Event for Netherlands Innovation Network

3 April, 2024

What an inspirational event for the NIN Netherlands Innovation Network’s 70th Anniversary (Oct. 2023)! I was honored to be host for the entire day.

The NIN is an outreach program to create public-private partnerships across borders – and make history. In 70 years of international networking, they can claim credit for the creation of CD’s, WiFi, water engineering, and a whole exposition floor full of more examples.

I started by singing happy birthday for the current staff of the NIN – which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.

The Future is Bright

Next, we got a preview of the future. AI and Quantum computing. Agritech and Health / Life Sciences. But for me most interesting was Aviation and the race between SAF (Sustainable / Synthetic Aviation Fuel) and Alternate Power Trains (e-Jets). The good news is: pretty soon we won’t have to feel so bad about flying anymore.

I’ve hosted so many events where the theme is efficiency / downsizing. This was one event where the boss was telling the staff: “get more people to claim more of these subsidies!”

Celebrating 70 Years

Next we heard some Best-of stories from 70 years of Innovation Attaches from around the globe.

And the Minister was there – at the end. I was introduced to Micky Adriaansens.

And I introduced her to the main stage.

At the very end, organizer George van der Raaij was exhausted. But…

After the event, one of the Innovation Attaches insisted on a group photo WITH the minister.

I enticed the organizers to rally for ONE more group photo. Luckily, photographer Robin Utrecht was on board.

And there she is. Adriaansens still is the ‘demissionaire’ minister. And since our next minister will likely be from a new coalition of science-denying amateurs, the longer she stays on the better.

Long live the NIN! (and please make your theme song Trent Reznor & Nine Inch Nails)
https://netherlandsinnovation.nl/

For more Greg Shapiro Corporate Events, click here

Corporate Events

January 12, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Same-Day PowerPoint Parody

Greg Shapiro Introduces Same-Day PowerPoint Parodies for Corporate Events

12 January, 2024

“Could you watch a day full of keynote speakers and then – at the end – perform a parody PowerPoint, based on their PowerPoints?” The answer is YES.

At the end of a corporate event, you’ll sometimes see a sketch artist give their impressions of the day. Or a spoken word artist. Or me, doing a standup routine.

NOW you can watch me perform a comedy version of the highlights of the day, with a tailor-made PowerPoint presentation.

The visionary who tasked me with this challenge was Ton Wesseling from Online Dialogue. I’m always inspired by his events on the subject of CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization). When he first hired me a few years ago, I did a tailored PowerPoint – with a few last-minute additions: my impressions of the day. In 2023, he hired me again – but this time he asked if I could give my impressions of ALL the speakers. Obviously, the most challenging were the speakers toward the end. Not as much prep time. BUT – I did it!

Thank you Ton, for forcing me to develop a format that didn’t really exist yet. Since Ton is obsessed with data and testing, he gave me a score: “We are always looking for speakers with a 70% or higher Good or Awesome rating. Your score: 90.5%!:”

Here are the Reviews:

“It is truly awesome how he dares to be on stage being funny about sessions that happened only an hour ago.”
“Super impressive how much he listened and took that onboard.”
“Great presentation. Great energy. Super impressed with how quickly you pulled it all together, especially for the ones who had only just spoken before your session. Really tough to nail it but you did. Bravo.”
“Greg had me crying from laughter at some point …and I was really impressed of his recollection of the event.”
“HAHAHAHA !!!!”
“Thanks for the amazing closing keynote. I truly admire your talent to come up with something in such a short time that is so funny, and also makes you think.”
“I love his energy and attitude. He greatly adapted to the world of CRO and improvised.”
“Really fun close of the weekend with the ‘roast’ like presentation. Greg just gives energy to the crowd.”
“Great closing keynote Greg! You certainly shook everybody up that were on the break of tuning out.”
“I love your jokes, rants and energy. Very nicely improvised and integrated …Love it!”

Watch: Greg Shapiro PowerPoint parody at CRO event ‘Conversion Hotel.’

https://conversionhotel.com/session/keynote-2023-how-to-make-fun-of-conversion-hotel/

More Greg Shapiro Corporate Events
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-corporate-events/

October 12, 2023 In Blog

Shapiro Premieres ‘ClimateGoodNews’ Show

Greg Shapiro Premieres His ‘ClimateGoodNews’ Show

12 October, 2023

The premiere was a success!

‘GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE: 60 Minutes of Climate Good News’ at De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam. Next up come shows in Utrecht, Haarlem, Nijmegen & more…

Based on a True Story

My day job involves speaking and hosting at corporate events – increasingly for Dutch green startups and leaders in sustainability. Inspiring stuff, actually. So I thought: “why not make a show about it? With d**k jokes.”

So far I’ve got funny stories and inspiration to share about events for:

Boskalis Offshore Wind Energy
HZI Waste-to-Energy Power Plants
The European Sleeper Overnight Train (sustainable alternative to short-haul flights)
Kipster Sustainable Chicken Farm
Mosa Meat Lab-grown hamburger
NRC “How Green Are We” Survey
TU Delft Energy Transition event
TU Eindhoven Pitch Coaching for Green Startups
WUR Wageningen Food X – the food of the future
Koppert Agriculture – the Future of Farming

And I was even hired by a company called New Motion to standardize EV charging stations in Europe. But then I was fired – because apparently the startup had been bought out by Shell Oil, and Shell “wanted to move in a different direction.” …specifically BACKWARDS.

The show is so satisfying to do!

GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE: 60 MINUTES OF CLIMATE GOOD NEWS
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/greg-shapiro-saves-the-climate/

The Reviews

“Important and Inspiring.”

“Climate news stories making you realise it’s not all bad. Amusing and uplifting.”

“Climate theme is great. Also the ‘look out for greenwashing’ angle. Appeals to the sceptic in me.”

The opening was part of the Nutty Anita’s Solo Nights, at De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam. And it was a nicely full house. Thanks to Amsterdam’s ‘Maestro of the underground’ Ken Parsons for producing. And thanks to Amsterdam’s Maeva Dolle for being the opening act. Her solo hour is well underway.

FOR MORE GREG SHAPIRO GREEN-THEMED CORPORATE EVENTS:

Shapiro Hosts Sustainable Train Launch

WATCH: Greg’s YouTube Series ‘Climate Good News’

September 18, 2023 In Blog

Shapiro Hosts Kipster Event

18 sept., 2023
Hooray! I hosted another green event, this time for a sustainable chicken farm called Kipster.
Kipster (not Kipsta) started with 2 Dutch chicken farms, creating the world’s first carbon neutral eggs. Now this Dutch business is expanding into the US, and to host their launch event, they called me: The American Netherlander. The event took place in North Manchester, Indiana (23 Aug). And Queen Maxima even taped a video message.

To prepare, I met with one of the founders Olivier Wegloop, who is a vegan and animal rights activist. Here he is in the blue shirt behind me (gawd it was hot in that tent…)

Olivier believes in the writings of animal rights activists like Temple Grandin, who said: “nature is cruel, but we don’t have to be. If we are raising animals to be eaten, at least we can treat them with some respect.“ (and then we got to interview Grandin… see below) Since chickens are traditionally forest animals, Kipster has created – not only a cage-free environment, but – a fun forest.

As you can see, they still lay plenty of eggs.

Another Kipster founder is Ruud Zanders, who explained the main reason their chickens are carbon neutral: they feed the chickens food waste.

Every year A) humanity grows enough food to feed 4 billion people – and then we give it to livestock, B) of all the food we produce, we waste about 33%. Kipster simply asks: “Why not feed the chickens food waste?” The motto of Kipster is “Crops should be about Food not Feed.” This ground-breaking strategy is actually thousands of years old. But …

KIPSTER’S REVOLUTIONARY TWIST

The revolutionary part of Kipster is: Roosters for Meat.

Since male chickens don’t lay eggs – and they’re considered too gamey to eat – the normal practice on chicken farms is to kill baby male chicks they day they hatch. (The waste product is hopefully repurposed into things like pet food.) But Kipster asks “what if we let the roosters grow to maturity (and then we eat them)? How gamey are they really?”

To end the event, Kipster served up the first-ever rooster meatballs. I met with Managing Director Sandra Vijn to try one. And I thought it the texture was perfect. The tray of ‘Boom Boom’ rooster balls was not finished at closing time, and I was afraid it might become food waste… but I suppose the rooster meat was fed to the hens. What better way to say ‘Death to the Patriarchy’ -?

Thanks to Olivier Wegloop for putting this event together. He was the one who arranged an interview with Dr Temple Grandin – via Livestream. Dr. Grandin is famously autistic, and she demanded to see all the questions in advance. Then – as soon as Olivier asked his first question – she just went on a rant about sustainable farming and animal behavior and didn’t stop. She’s a legend!

Thank you to Olivier & Sandra for inviting me. Thank you to the Dutch Consulate of Chicago for putting us in touch (years ago). And thank you to Markey’s Event Services who created the backbone for an extremely professional show – including full build and build-down in extreme heat. And they made it look easy.

For more about Kipster in English:
https://www.kipster.farm/

More Green-themed events hosted by Greg Shapiro:
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/shapiro-hosts-sustainable-train-launch/

Greg’s new Green standup special GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/greg-shapiro-saves-the-climate/

July 31, 2023 In Blog

Shapiro at ‘4 More Years’ Event

Greg Shapiro Helps Celebrate ‘4 More Years’ of Castro Communicatie, May 2023

31 July, 2023

How do you celebrate your 4th anniversary as a Dutch political consultancy? With a political-themed party called “Four More Years!” Dutch communication and lobbying agency Castro Communicatie hired me to help them celebrate their fourth birthday, at The Loft in the A’dam Tower Amsterdam.

Stefan de Bruijn, Greg Shapiro, Frits Huffnagel

I asked if “Four More Years” might seem too partisan for their clientele? But of course – in the upcoming 2024 US election – the term “Four More Years” could apply to two different candidates: Biden and Trump. So “Four More Years” it was! They wanted an event with all the hype and hollering of American campaign – but with a Dutch twist. Who better to help them than The American Netherlander?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castrocommunicatie_castro-four-more-years-activity-7064245462496665600-upym?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Castro Communicatie’s American Roots

Castro Communicatie gets its name from the Castro district in San Francisco, the historic gay capital of the US. The two business partners (who also have male life partners) are Stefan de Bruijn and Frits Huffnagel. (aka S+F for SF: San Francisco). And they base their political consulting on the American model, so a connection to the USA seemed a perfect fit. (And then of course there’s Fidel Castro, who was famous for giving political speeches lasting for hours – which Frits and Stefan try to avoid.)

My job was to host the video presentations – and give a 20-minute keynote speech about the 4-year history of Castro Communicatie and the unique appeal of their Dutch-American style. In English, of course. Were there some older folks who didn’t like standing? Yes. Was there a MAGA hat or two? Yes. And was there one tired guy right up front? Also yes. Luckily, I’ve been trained to focus on people who are laughing, and that was most of them.

After my bit, Frits announced a new partnership with Castro Communicatie and event organizer New Balls Please. https://www.newballsplease.amsterdam/

They did a great job organizing this event – with real popcorn!
And I got to meet the DJ, who is also a former client and currently the mayor of Halderberge in Brabant: Bernd ROKS!

Congrats Castro Communicatie! We wish you a happy 4 more years.

Greg Shapiro Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shapiro-b030392/

Greg Shapiro Corporate Events

Corporate Events

June 28, 2023 In Blog

Shapiro Hosts Sustainable Train Launch

28 June, 2023

Looks like my Climate Good News series is paying off! Again I got the call to host an event with the theme of Sustainability: the launch of the new European Sleeper train from Brussels to Berlin.

photo credit: Alvin Williams JMT Mgmt & Events

Link: ‘Night Train Startup European Sleeper’

Background: Two Dutch entrepreneurs (and train nerds) created a startup company to offer more overnight train service throughout Europe. And – after years of crowd-funding and organizing – the day of the maiden voyage had arrived! While the two founders were focused on preparing the photo moment of the train departing… the event organizer told them they really should consider a professional host for the launch event.

I was told that the two founders were nervous and rather serious. So – as soon as I met them, I said “I hear you two are entrepreneurs… but I assume you’re primarily train nerds?” And I asked if I could take a selfie with them. Here’s what we got:

I could tell this was going to be fun.

The launch event was held in the Pullman Hotel. Hence, my intro wrote itself: “The Pullman Hotel refers, I assume, to George Mortimer Pullman – the inventor of the first railroad sleeping car. And where did George Pullman set up his business? Chicago, Illinois – which is where I’m from. …Hence, my entire life has been leading up to this moment!”

THE GOODNIGHT TRAIN

I had to ask a question of the two founders. “Everyone knows there’s a term for having sex on a plane: ‘The Mile-High Club.’ So why is there no term for having sex on a train?” And I was quickly corrected by founder Chris Engelsman, with a perfect deadpan delivery: “There is a term, actually. It’s called ‘The Mile-Long Club.’”

The event ended with the Belgian transport minister taking the stage and announcing the news: the Belgian parliament had voted to grant a subsidy to The European Sleeper and their Goodnight Train. Hey, I was already thrilled to hear that Belgium had a functioning government.

The train arrived on time and departed on time, with many happy first-time passengers.

And look at serious entrepreneur Chris Engelsman as the European Sleeper train arrives in the station.

The Goodnight Train is now running regularly from Brussels to Amsterdam to Berlin.
https://www.europeansleeper.eu/en
Next up, they plan to extend service to Prague. Soon, there will be a new service from Brussels to Barcelona. It’s like playing real-life game of Ticket to Ride!

Thanks to the excellent Alvin Williams at JMT Management for organizing a memorable event. Extra thanks for all the photos.

Read more about GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE: 60 Minutes of Climate Good News
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/greg-shapiro-saves-the-climate/

June 7, 2023 In Blog

Greg Shapiro Saves the Climate

GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE – 60 minutes of Climate Good News

Netherlands Tour 2024-25

In the Netherlands alone, there are solar-powered cars, wind-powered trains, garbage-powered trucks – and homes heated by cow poop (warning: contents are not vegan). Comedian Greg Shapiro shares an hour of uplifting environmental game-changers and asks “Why aren’t we ALL doing this?”

TALES FROM THE EXPERT

Shapiro’s day job is hosting events for Dutch green startups and leaders in sustainability. Greg has hosted events for: offshore wind, lab-grown meat, garbage-powered trucks, a sustainable chicken farm, the European Sleeper train, Extinction Rebellion – and even for Shell. Come hear the stories from the front lines – and behind the scenes. Warning: audience members may include activists and innovators such as Mark van Baal (Follow This), Olivier Wegloop (Kipster), or David Rossati (Climate Law, VU).

“Yes 90% of climate news is bad. But if you ignore the 10% that’s good, you’ll go 100% crazy.” – Greg Shapiro

Preserve your mental health and come see GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE.

AUDIENCE REVIEWS:

“Important and Inspiring.”

“Climate news stories making you realise it’s not all bad. Amusing and uplifting.”

“Climate theme is great. Also the ‘look out for greenwashing’ angle. Appeals to the sceptic in me.”

Greg Shapiro (Boom Chicago, Comedy Central, ZDF) is best-known as the voice of the ‘Netherlands Second’ video. Meanwhile, he has written and performed 6 solo shows including Leaving Trumpland and How to Be Orange. As author, Greg has written books such as How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and his latest The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales. He is a proud contributor to Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History.

Reviews for Premiere GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE:
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/shapiro-premieres-climategoodnews-show-2/

For more of Greg’s Solo Shows, see the ARCHIVE
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-web-archive/

April 21, 2023 In Blog

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup 

21 April 2023

Was that me performing standup in a global livestream called Summit for Democracy? Yes, it was. introducing a new category of performing: Greg Shapiro Summit Standup.

I got a call from a friend who works at the Dutch foreign ministry. Was I aware of this ‘Summit for Democracy’ thing? It’s an initiative of the Biden White House, to push back against authoritarianism worldwide. There are various themes hosted by different countries, and the Netherlands gets to host the Freedom of Speech.

Would I be willing to perform three minutes of standup for this Summit for Democracy livestream? I said yes. “But,” he said, “the livestream might not be live in America, because they might want to censor some of the content. In fact, you want want to make a joke about that…” Oh, believe me I did.

I said: “I was told that this Freedom of Speech livestream was originally NOT going to be live in the United States, because they might want to censor some of the content. …Censoring the content? About the Freedom of Speech? Ah, America! We’re almost 250 years old, and still trying to grasp the basic concept of irony.”

“Censoring content is very hot in America right now. On the Far-Right, you’ve got people banning books because they talk about homosexuality, or they suggest that slavery might have been racist. And then on the Far-Left they’re censoring books because they use the N-word, or they’re written by Roald Dahl. Oddly, banning books is one thing that could unite the Far-Left and Far-Right in America. And then we will have truly learned the meaning of the word IRONY.”

You can watch the 3-minute monologue here, BUT please note the students sitting behind me were apparently instructed: YOU WILL BE ON CAMERA! DO NOT LAUGH!

THE SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY LIVESTREAM

The entire Livestream is worth a watch. Did you know how many initiatives are already in place to push back against anti-democracy disinformation? Samantha Power (USAID) explains. The Dutch Foreign Minister talks about ‘PersVeilig’ to protect journalists from harm. And Amanda Bennett talks about how Voice of America & Radio Free Europe are a vital source of news, even in Iran.
Here’s a teaser for the livestream (I’m in it briefly):

+ You can watch the whole live stream here:

CLICK HERE for more about Summit for Democracy events.

https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs/activiteiten/summit-for-democracy

ALSO – GREG SHAPIRO’S POLITICAL COMEDY SHOW ‘PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA’ AT BOOM CHICAGO:

Review: ‘Pep & Greg Save America’