The First Hour Decides the Whole Event. Make It Count.
The opening keynote is the one session every attendee sees, and it sets the energy for every room that follows. Chris Sund, President and COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare and COO of Nebula, opens conferences with a message built to travel: most people are capable of far more than they are using, and this event is where they start proving it.
What an Opening Keynote Has to Do
People arrive at the first general session tired from travel, half in their inbox, and unsure the event is worth the time away. In about an hour the opening speaker has to change that. Chris designs every opener around three jobs.
Wake the Room Up
Real stories, a quick pace and moments where the audience participates, so energy is high before the first breakout begins.
Give the Event a Theme
One clear idea attendees can hang every later session on. Breakout speakers and panelists can refer back to it all week.
Make People Glad They Came
A practical takeaway in the first hour signals that this conference will be worth the trip, which keeps people in the sessions instead of the hallway.
Set Up the Close
If you are also booking a closing session, the opener plants the question the closing keynote answers on the last day.
The 92% Question That Opens the Room
Chris surveyed more than 200 working adults and asked whether they believe they are capable of more than they are doing right now. Ninety-two percent said yes. That number makes a strong first slide at a conference, because almost everyone in your audience is in that 92%.
The opening keynote turns that admission into a challenge for the event itself: you already know you have more in you, so use these next days to find out where. Attendees stop treating sessions as something to sit through and start looking for the one idea they will act on.
- A shared starting point every attendee recognizes in themselves
- Energy that carries into the first breakouts instead of fading at the coffee break
- A theme your later speakers can build on without coordinating scripts
- True stories from a leader who still runs companies, not a career motivator
- One commitment each person writes down before leaving the general session
- A tone that is upbeat and practical, never preachy
Timing and Length for an Opening Session
Most conference openers run 45 to 60 minutes. Chris works to your schedule and keeps the welcome remarks, sponsor slots and housekeeping on either side intact.
First General Session
Right after the welcome from your chair or CEO, while the whole audience is in one room and still fresh.
Opening Breakfast
A morning keynote over breakfast on day one, before attendees split into tracks.
Keynote Plus Breakout
Open the main stage, then lead a working breakout later the same day for the people who want to go deeper.
Welcome Reception Talk
For events that start the night before, a shorter talk at the welcome reception can set the theme early.
Proof: What Planners Say After the Opener
Chris has delivered the keynote at national conferences and opened the Definitive Healthcare sales kickoff in Boston for more than 800 people. He also spoke at the WSHMMA Annual Conference to more than 200 healthcare supply chain professionals.
What an inspiration it was to see Chris present the keynote at the recent AOHP national conference. His content was engaging, relevant and informative to the health care space. Chris has a straightforward approach offering several nuggets that can be taken back to work to implement right away! I highly recommend Chris as a presenter!
Chris brought exactly the kind of energy and engagement we wanted for our WSHMMA Annual Conference. Speaking to more than 200 healthcare supply chain professionals with a wide range of experience levels, he connected with the entire room. He didn’t simply stand on stage and talk about leadership — he created an experience. His Leadership Exchange had attendees talking, laughing, reflecting, and learning from one another. He knows how to read a room and turn a traditional conference session into something people actually participate in and remember.
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.
Programs That Work as an Opener
Every program is customized to your theme and audience on a planning call before the event.
You Are Capable of More
The signature opener. Built around the 92% finding, it gives an event its theme and a reason to lean in from the first hour.
You Are Capable of More: Leadership
For leadership conferences that want the first session to frame what kind of leaders attendees are trying to become.
You Are Capable of a Better Culture (SPARK)
For HR and association events where culture is the through-line of the agenda.
Winning the Talent Battle
For staffing, HR and healthcare workforce conferences opening on hiring and retention.
Who Books an Opening Keynote
Related pages: Closing Keynote Speaker · National Association Conference Keynote Speaker · Leadership Conference Keynote · Breakout Session Speaker · The Event Planner’s Guide to Booking a Keynote Speaker
What Conference Planners Ask About Openers
What makes a good opening keynote speaker?
An opener has to lift the energy of a room that just arrived, give the event a theme, and deliver something practical early so attendees trust the rest of the agenda. Chris builds each opener around those three jobs and ties it to your conference theme.
How long should an opening keynote be?
Usually 45 to 60 minutes. Shorter works for a breakfast or welcome reception, and Chris will fit the time you have around welcome remarks and sponsor slots.
Can Chris open and close the same conference?
Yes. Chris can be booked for both: the opener sets a question and the closing keynote answers it on the final day. He can also run a breakout in between.
Will the keynote tie into our conference theme?
Yes. A planning call before the event covers your theme, your audience and what the rest of the agenda is trying to do, and the stories and examples are chosen to fit.
What formats are available besides the keynote?
A breakout session, a half-day workshop or a full-day workshop. Workshops are delivered in person.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynote, and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. It opens with the same question the keynote does: what would change if you used more of what you already have?
A copy in every registration bag gives attendees something to read on the flight home, so the opener keeps working after the event ends. Chris can sign copies after the session.
An Executive Who Opens the Room
Chris is President & COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare and COO of Nebula. He helped grow Uniti Med 10x in revenue in two years, earning #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and the company was named to Fortune Best Workplaces.
He writes for Inc. and Forbes, is a Paris Book Festival award-winning author, and serves as VP of the NATHO Board. Audiences have seen him on WOWT, 10/11, WFLA’s Bloom, KXAN’s Studio 512, KCTV5, WOI and Dakota News Now.
Stages I Have Spoken On
Conferences Chris Has Opened and Keynoted
General sessions and keynotes at association, industry and company conferences.
Definitive Healthcare SKOBoston, MA · 800+ sellersNAHCR 2026 Annual ConferenceMilwaukee, WICalifornia Staffing ProfessionalsCSP ConferencePOWER ConferenceOmaha, NEBeatStars Company MeetingMay 2026DisruptHR Omaha 6.0Stop Building FencesAlso: Closing Keynotes · Association Conferences · All Corporate Events · See all speaking engagements →
Book Chris to Open Your Conference
Tell Chris your dates, your theme and who will be in the room. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on fit and availability.
Check AvailabilityResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots