Zander Touts Possibility While Seminar
Attendees Capitalize on Chance to Learn
From the Best
By Thomas Haire ( thaire@questex.com) and
Jacqueline Renfrow ( jrenfrow@questex.com)
SAN DIEGO — Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, kicked off Response Expo 2008
with an inspiring keynote address on
May 6 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt
in San Diego.
The conductor since the Boston
Philharmonic Orchestra’s
formation 30 years ago,
Zander has also taught
music for 42 years at the
New England Conservatory
and co-authored — with his
wife Rosamund — the best-selling book “The Art of
Possibility.” He enthusiasti-
ness — to never doubt the capacity of
the people they are leading. “In any decision you make in life, you can choose
resignation, anger or possibility,” said
Zander. “My job is to remind the players
of the rhythm of possibility.”
Erik Qualman, global vice president
Conductor Benjamin
Zander’s inspiring
message of
possibility, vision
and leadership to
a crowd of more
than 400 kicked off
Response Expo.
cally delivered a message of possibility,
vision and leadership to more than 400
direct response marketing executives.
“Every time you open your mouth,
it’s an opportunity for leadership,” said
Zander.
Getting the crowd up and motivated
almost immediately, Zander had the
group singing “Happy Birthday” to one
lucky attendee — not just with their
voices, but with their entire bodies. He
then went on to demonstrate to the
crowd that anyone could love classical
music, saying that it was just up to the
leaders — whether in music or in busi-
of marketing for EF Educational Tours,
one of the Expo’s featured speakers, exclaims, “The keynote was amazing!”
Zander’s words on opportunity and
possibility were clearly taken to heart
among the more than 1,600 attendees
at the Expo during the educational
seminar sessions that took place on May
7-8. The nine educational sessions drew
nearly 600 total attendees, with the
“Branding or Blending” session on May
7, featuring speakers from Boost Mobile,
MTV Networks and Prevea Health,
drawing an event high of 150.
