Ignite the Room. Keep It Burning.
If your theme is Ignite, Chris Sund brings the spark and the system that keeps it going. His culture keynote, You Are Capable of a Better Culture, is built on five SPARK drivers, and his signature keynote, You Are Capable of More, turns a room’s energy into actions people take the same day.
Where Ignite Conferences Book Chris
An Ignite theme promises energy. The best keynotes deliver it, then give people a way to keep it after the hotel checkout.
Kickoffs
Start the year with energy and a plan. See company kickoffs.
Association Conferences
An opening keynote that sets the tone for the whole event.
Employee Engagement Events
Re-ignite a team after a hard year.
Sales Meetings
Energy plus the LOCKS and LAARC frameworks. See sales.
Why Does the Spark Fade?
Most event energy is gone by the next Tuesday. People go back to the same inbox, the same habits and the same culture that drained them in the first place.
Chris’s SPARK drivers, Support, Purpose, Appreciation, Relationships, and Knowledge & Growth, are what keep motivation alive inside a team. His signature keynote adds the personal side: ownership, stretch and the momentum of small daily wins.
- The five SPARK drivers of lasting motivation
- Why pay alone does not keep people motivated
- Turning event energy into a same-day action
- Momentum habits that compound
- Recognition that keeps people engaged
- One commitment each person keeps after the event
Proof: Rooms That Lit Up
Chris delivered the SPARK Advantage at the POWER Conference, the AOHP Annual Conference and the NAHCR Annual Conference, and a sales keynote to 800+ at the Definitive Healthcare sales kickoff.
The full SPARK keynote is on the culture keynote page, and more sessions are on full sessions on YouTube.
Chris would be an incredible addition to any live audience! I’ve had the privilege of seeing Chris speak a few times now, including at our company’s Sales Kickoff in front of 800+ people (which he crushed). Each time he finds a unique way to connect with his audience on both a personal and professional level keeping everyone engaged and attentive.
One of my biggest takeaways was that being a leader doesn’t mean removing every hard thing. It means making sure your people don’t have to face it alone. That’s the kind of leader I want to be.
Programs That Fit an Ignite Theme
Chris keeps his program titles and builds your theme into the session.
You Are Capable of a Better Culture
Build a workplace people never want to leave, with the five SPARK drivers.
You Are Capable of More
The signature keynote: people are capable of far more than they realize, and the gap closes when they stop waiting and take ownership.
You Are Capable of More Sales
The key to closing more deals, built on the LOCKS framework and the LAARC method.
Employee Engagement
Re-igniting engagement across a whole organization.
Formats
Most committees book an opening keynote.
Keynote
An opening keynote that sets the energy for the whole event.
Breakout
A smaller-room session for leaders or a track.
Virtual
The same session live online.
Who Books This Session
Related pages: Conference Theme Ideas for 2027 · Sales Kickoff Themes · Employee Engagement Speaker · Motivational Speaker · Opening Keynote Speaker · Company Kickoff Speaker
What Planners Ask About a Ignite Keynote
Will Chris retitle his session to match our theme?
Chris keeps his program titles as they are, and builds the theme into the session itself: the opening, the stories he chooses and the closing call to action. Your program book can list the session under your theme heading.
Which program fits Ignite best?
The culture keynote for engagement and HR events, the signature keynote for general audiences, and the sales keynote for sales meetings.
Does Chris speak virtually?
Yes. In-person sessions are his preference, and he also delivers keynotes and breakouts virtually.
How much does it cost to book Chris?
Chris quotes the speaking fee and travel together in one proposal, so the total is clear up front. Send your date, city and audience through the contact form and you will have availability and a quote within one business day.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynote, and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Ten principles for closing the gap between what a team is producing and what it is actually capable of.
Many hosts give every attendee a copy of You Are Capable of More so the message keeps working after the event. Bulk pricing and signed copies are available.
He Still Runs the Companies
Chris is President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare and Nebula. He has spent the past decade in healthcare staffing, a business that runs on people, pace and morale, and he speaks two to three times a month alongside running his companies.
He took Uniti Med from startup to one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the US: 10x revenue growth on the core brand, #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and a Fortune Best Workplaces award along the way.
He is the bestselling author of You Are Capable of More, winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival and built on original research with more than 200 working adults, 92% of whom said they were capable of more than they were doing. He writes for Inc. and Forbes.
Stages I Have Spoken On
Where Audiences Have Heard Chris
Conferences, company meetings and kickoffs where Chris has spoken.
POWER ConferenceOmaha, NEDefinitive Healthcare SKOBoston, MA · 800+ sellersNAHCR 2026 Annual ConferenceMilwaukee, WIemPower Breakfast LincolnOct 2026 · Handling ObjectionsLeadingAge IllinoisPublished the LAARC MethodSIA Healthcare Staffing SummitArlington, TXAlso: Conference Theme Ideas for 2027 · You Are Capable of a Better Culture · All Speaking · See all speaking engagements →
Light It Up and Keep It Lit
Send your theme, date and audience. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on fit and availability.
Check Availability & FeesResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots