Biography

Patrick Schwerdtfegeris a leading authority on technology trends including big data, artificial intelligence and blockchain. He’s the founder of Trend Mastery and the host of the Strategic Business Insights video blog (with over 28,000 subscribers and six million views on YouTube). He discussed “Learned Intuition” at TEDx Sacramento.

Patrick is a keynote speaker who has headlined events for dozens of Fortune 500 companies in a wide variety of industries as well as government and association events all around the world. His programs focus on technology trends including big data, artificial intelligence, Fintech, blockchain, and digital marketing.

He is the author of Anarchy, Inc.: Profiting in a Decentralized World with Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain(2018, Authority Publishing) as well as the award-winning Keynote Mastery: The Personal Journey of a Professional Speaker (2016, Authority Publishing), Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed (2011, John Wiley & Sons), Webify Your Business: Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed (2009), and Make Yourself Useful: Marketing in the 21st Century (2008). He has been featured by the New York Times, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN Money, Reader’s Digest, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Associated Press, MONEY Magazine and Forbes, among others.

Patrick has covered technology trends at corporate events, association and industry conferences, and government summits all around the world. While he lives in the USA, he regularly keynotes events in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He is best known for his keynote programs about technology, digital marketing, and global business trends, and their impact on consumer behavior and market leadership. Patrick’s strategic perspectives make his programs inspiring and thought-provoking for attendees.

He is a passionate and dynamic speaker who focuses on delivering thought-provoking content that encourages strategic thinking and disruptive innovation. His keynotes highlight practical strategies that people can implement immediately and see results quickly. His programs consistently receive enthusiastic reviews and leave attendees burning to put their new ideas and strategies to work.

Patrick was born in Vancouver, Canada, and received his Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing and Finance) from Carleton University in Ottawa (1993). At the age of 27, he discovered that he was an American citizen and moved to Los Angeles just six days after receiving his first American passport. Patrick now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

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Embracing Disruptive Innovation

Disruptive innovation invalidates existing business models. That’s why it’s become so important for business executives around the world. Technology is evolving along an exponential curve, and entire industries are collapsing as new (mostly digital) business models provide better outcomes for fewer dollars. Disruptive innovation generally comes from the edges of industries, not the center. It comes from ‘adjacent markets’ often catching executives by surprise. Patrick explains the topic and provides two (2) modesl and a strategic framework for executives to both anticipate and PROFIT from disruptive innovation.

AI Unleashed: Disruptions and Opportunities

New AI technologies like ChatGPT are revolutionizing industries from healthcare to finance, and from manufacturing to education. In this groundbreaking keynote, updated almost daily, Patrick Schwerdtfeger explores the transformative impact AI is unleashing on business models across the economy, including some scary disruptions as well as massive opportunities. Gain insights into the productivity explosion available to those who strategically leverage these remarkable technologies.

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence

The explosion of big data technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) have led to dramatic advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies are fueling innovation in predictive analytics, autonomous driving, image recognition, virtual reality, and countless other fields. Patrick has accumulated dozens of case histories and success stories in a variety of different industries, allowing him to explain the trends in a way that people understand. His technology keynotes don’t get into technical specifications. Instead, they highlight trends and strategies for business executives to exploit within their own respective business models.

Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin

Bitcoin was the first application of blockchain protocol. Since 2009 when it was officially launched, the bitcoin blockchain has never been hacked. This distributed public ledger technology is now finding its way into hundreds of different applications. In particular, supply chain management, capital formation, and digital identity are leading use cases. Its popularity is part of a larger trend from centralized to decentralized structures. Ironically, the industries that are most threatened by blockchain technology (banks and insurance companies) are the ones investing most aggressively in its development. Patrick explains both the risks and opportunities for business executives.

Anarchy and Decentralization

Technology enables decentralization, and decentralization enables anarchy. Today’s media environment is a case in point. Everyone has strong opinions, and they all accuse each other of “fake news.” All industries will trend towards this model over time. Success amidst anarchy requires defiant leadership. Business executives need to identify their target market and ignore the haters and trolls. Those who like you will love you! Those who hate you don’t matter.

Digital Marketing and Social Media

Marketing has been forever changed by the Internet and social media, but online channels are converging with offline channels. The secret to successful marketing is to convey compelling stories on both online and offline channels simultaneously. This is done with (1) event-based ‘launch’ campaigns or (2) ongoing ‘drip’ campaigns. Patrick has dozens of fascinating and entertaining success stories for each strategy. His programs leave attendees inspired to revolutionize their businesses with cutting-edge marketing techniques.

Monetizing Big Data: Leveraging Predictive Analytics and Business Intelligence

Monetizing Big Data is the most powerful and energizing big data keynote available. It’s perfect for an opening or closing general session. What are the prevailing trends? Where is the technology going? And how are businesses leveraging it today? Patrick’s engaging speaking style combined with a string of fascinating and entertaining case histories guarantee a dynamic session. This program has garnered top reviews from private equity managers and business owners to C-level executives and IT professionals. Patrick will inspire your attendees and leave them with cutting-edge ideas they can implement within their own organizations.

Monetizing Big Data: Program Take-Aways
1. Understand the underlying technology trends and where they are heading
2. Identify the 3 primary opportunities: optimization, prediction & security
3. Hear case histories of businesses who are leveraging big data technologies

Think Bigger! (leadership)

Build a culture of innovation! Build a team of leaders! These are exciting times. The next ten years will be nothing like the last ten! That’s the primary message in Patrick’s ‘think bigger’ leadership program. By reviewing technology developments at a strategic level and identifying the trends tying them all together, the ‘think bigger’ program energizes attendees and gets them thinking more expansively about modern technology as well as the leadership opportunity they have in exploiting it. Patrick’s ‘think bigger’ keynote is a great opening session to get your attendees thinking bigger right from the opening bell.

Social Media Victories: Real Businesses, Real Campaigns, Real Results

The vast majority of business professionals spending time on Facebook and Twitter are just wasting time. For the most part, they’re using unfocused and ineffective tactics that do nothing to attract new clients. In the meanwhile, a few are using simple but powerful strategies to explode their businesses virtually overnight. Patrick is passionate about finding these little-known tricks – those juicy secrets – that transform social media from a relentless time waster to a reliable business builder.

Social Media Victories: Program Take-Aways
1. See how different companies are using Twitter to find new customers.
2. Leverage the biggest opportunity on Facebook to build your business.
3. Discover powerful tricks to get more views for your YouTube videos.

Global Business Trends: How to Predict the Future

Business and geopolitical mega trends are converging and overlapping, bringing implications in every aspect of life and business, and Patrick is well-known for his ability to break down complex subjects into accessible and understandable language. With his dynamic and engaging speaking style, Patrick’s mega trends (including Big Data) keynote is perfect as a high-level strategic and inspirational closing session for your upcoming event. Some of the primary mega trends include changing demographic profiles, the globalization of everything, increasingly empowered and connected citizens, accelerating technological advancements, resource depletion and global warming, unprecedented monetary and currency manipulation, and increasing leverage in business and finance.

Global Business Trends: Program Take-Aways
1. Understand that global mega trends are reshaping our world.
2. Discover emerging opportunities driven by global mega trends.
3. Learn how other businesses have capitalized on these mega trends.

Think Bigger! How to Dominate Tomorrow’s Economy

Thinking BIG is the fastest path to success. Not just thinking a little bigger but thinking WAY bigger, because a fascinating domino effect begins when you embrace huge goals. For starters, you tend to encounter far less competition because everyone else is too busy chasing “realistic” goals! Secondly, a positive mental attitude not only improves your own performance but also the performances of everyone around you. And finally, your visionary focus will inspire countless others along the way. These are all great reasons to set blatantly audacious goals and stroll unimpeded towards them. This motivational keynote will enlighten your attendees with fascinating research, energize them with inspiring case histories, and empower them with simple, actionable steps.

Think Bigger: Program Take-Aways
1. Discover the domino effect that starts when you think WAY bigger!
2. Achieve ambitious goals easier with a “top-down” approach.
3. Embrace learned intuition as the path to cultivate greatness.

Digital Marketing and Social Media

Marketing has been forever changed by the Internet and social media, but online channels are converging with offline channels. The secret to successful marketing is to convey compelling stories on both online and offline channels simultaneously. This is done with (1) event-based ‘launch’ campaigns or (2) ongoing ‘drip’ campaigns. Patrick has dozens of fascinating and entertaining success stories for each strategy. His programs leave attendees inspired to revolutionize their businesses with cutting-edge marketing techniques.

Predict the Future … Today!

Patrick also facilitates interactive strategy sessions for senior executive teams. Not only will we identify the seeds of disruption in your industry, but you will also be introduced to a series of predictive models and proprietary frameworks that Patrick uses to filter technology developments and anticipate where the trends are leading. The agenda consists of a 60-minute presentation followed by a coffee break and then an interactive workshop-type session where we apply the models and frameworks to your specific business environment. This powerful program can reshape your entire business strategy in a single three-hour session.

Testimonials

A big thank you for participating in our Summit this past week! I continue to receive high praise for your presentation. I was impressed that you spent quality time preparing up front, as well as engaging with our licensees for the day. That preparation really allowed the presentation to come to life for the agricultural sector and made the speech all the more relevant to the audience of licensees.
– Andy Higgins, CEO, International Food Genomics (IFG)
Thank you again for a great event! I’m still receiving calls from folks that attended wondering when we’ll have you in town again. The tips and tricks that they took away were “priceless” and many can’t wait to implement them. I too took much away from the event. The products we sell are fully capable of providing the features needed to put your ideas to work right away for the customer. Many of my reps are already using your ideas to help sell our products. I’d almost say that we gained more from the event than our customers. But after some of the calls I have received, I’d say it’s a tossup.
– Brian Gray, SMB Manager, Comcast Business Class
We have truly had rave reviews about him, and I believe he is absolutely the best speaker we have had during the series. He provided exactly the kind of information our small business members needed – easy-to-understand, easy-to-do social media tips with excellent case studies to really bring the ideas alive.
– Laura L. Williams, Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce
Patrick Schwerdtfeger is the most mesmerizing speaker I’ve ever encountered. His uncanny talent to explain complex business concepts utilizing digital social media in such a simple, easy to understand format is impressive. Patrick is genuine and fun!
– Betty Tam, MetLife Financial Services
Patrick’s presentation regarding leveraging social media with our broker advisory council was outstanding. He is very professional, provided useful and valuable points and examples that can be quickly applied to today’s business environment. Working with social media can be overwhelming for some and Patrick had a way of demonstrating how easy it can be and what possible results can be had when his techniques are applied. Our senior executives were very engaged and have asked Patrick to speak to our corporate marketing team.
– Kate Moher, National VP of Broker Strategy, United Healthcare
I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation last month. Your delivery was so engaging that I lost track of time. By any measure, you are a very effective speaker and educator.
– Mitzy Russom, Blue Shield of California
Patrick did a great job of presenting the core information about Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. The material was all familiar to me, but I appreciated his arrangement of these four social networks as spokes around the hub of your blog. What stuck with me most was the advantage of going where your prospects already are, rather than struggling to build up traffic on your own website.
– Sal­lie Goetsch, The Podcast Asylum
Patrick tells it like it is. His book ‘Webify Your Business’ is a down-and-dirty step-by-step practical guide for anyone who wants to get real with Social Media. Highly recommended.
– Ian Griffin, Professional Speech Writer, Cisco Systems

Booksby Patrick Schwerdtfegeris

Anarchy, Inc.: Profiting in a Decentralized World with Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain

Keynote Mastery: The Personal Journey of a Professional Speaker

Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility and Crush Your Competition

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Blog Posts

 

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