PRAISE (NICE THINGS THEY SAID ABOUT ME)

“If anyone could write this recommendation of Howard to perfection, it would be Howard, but I’ll take second place. Encore! If you watch, hear, or read anything from Howard, you will want more. He has a special way of seeing things as they really are, and before perhaps we have realised it ourselves, so I guess you could call him a futurist. Howard not only sees the present and future landscape, he masterfully guides us to epiphanies that help us understand this bonkers planet and it’s even more bonkers inhabitants. If you want someone to put their phone down and look up, call Howard. Howard owns the stage, he is a superb thinker and performer. He will engage and inspire your audience every single time. Thanks for flying all the way to Australia to (intellectually) entertain us.”

“Looking for a keynote speaker who could entertain and inform our members at our annual business day in the after-lunch spot was a challenge. A colleague from another association suggested Howard. What a suggestion! Here is what some of our members had to say: Knowledgeable, insightful, amazing, enthusiastic, thoroughly entertaining, hilarious and filled this time slot brilliantly.  Who came top of our member survey for the best part of the day? You guessed it, Howard. Would we use Howard again? Absolutely, he fully understood our brief, he went above and beyond to make sure the content was relevant to our audience and that they would come away from our event feeling inspired, but more importantly valued for the skills they have. I cannot recommend Howard highly enough, if you book him, you really will not regret it.”

“Howard is amazing…insightful, engaging and fun…!’ His take on the strategic landscape and future impacts to retail is unique. A global view applied at a local level…with plenty to make you think. I would thoroughly recommend spending some quality time with him.”

“Howard is one of the most inspirational speakers I’ve ever experienced. He has tremendous insight into retail trends on a global scale. He is great at framing his presentations, and his presence on stage is amazing. He has the ability to grasp the audience’s attention thanks to his knowledge, passion, humour and physical presence. After seeing him on stage the first time, I instantly wanted to book him for our biggest event, the annual summit where we gather more than 350 decision makers from the Danish lifestyle industry. Howard delivered a relevant, industry specific and thought-provoking keynote. He was also one of the highest rated speakers of the day, both in terms of content and performance. I would highly recommend Howard to anyone interested in an honest, thoughtful and witty journey into the future of retail.”  

“Do you want someone to entertain, amuse, surprise, and above all inspire the audience on how to face the future of retail?  Do you want someone who can make your guests think that they never before saw such a unique and brilliant presentation? (or “performance” to be more accurate).  Do you want to be thanked and praised by your attendees for making them enjoy a keynote address at unexpected levels? Then, hire Howard Saunders!”

 

“Not all trend-spotters are created equal. Howard Saunders has a rare talent for sniffing out what is important in this crazy, fast-changing retail world of ours, and is a fantastic resource to help busy people like me get under the skin of the trends that really matter. Beyond this, his real genius is in communication – to audiences big and small his passionate style is provocative, witty and engaging, and he makes the process of challenging long-held assumptions and beliefs less painful… and even fun!”

“Howard Saunders is one of those rare presenters who not only informs and inspires, but also takes you on a wonderful futuristic journey.  Witty, entertaining, thought provoking and insightful he is a true retail guru.  Hearing him talk is an experience, and one not to be missed. I could not recommend him more.”

“Howard delivers his vision of ‘what the future holds’ with verve and a liberal dose of New York – take-it-or-leave-it – sass. No messing, his acid observations cut through the fat of what you believe to be true.  Like a baseball, concepts and ideas that tumble from his thought provoking and insightful commentary – on both the now and the future – have the potential to be the home-run hitter of the season. And the money shot for the future of food retail.”

“With all the wit and natural timing of a stand-up comic, you may be mistaken that Howard is just a naturally entertaining and charismatic speaker full of topical examples from the world of retail on both sides of the Atlantic. But (and it is a big BUT) his insights and observations are grounded in hard research. His delivery – including a wide range of funny voices and dubious accents – makes his content understandable and accessible with an insight into the past, present and future of retailing that you will never have encountered before. He has spoken twice at The Company of Master Jewellers Business Conference and has tailored his presentation to be relevant and highly impactful to an audience made up of independent jewellers, jewellery and watch brands, distributors and manufacturers. Worth every coin you pay him and more importantly every minute of your time and attention.”

“Howard is my “go to” guy for anything and everything about creating the ultimate customer experience. I first witnessed his real passion and intimate knowledge of today’s consumer at a major retail conference where he was a keynote presenter. I consequently asked Howard to run a customer intimacy session with 300 retail pharmacy franchisees. The feedback from this session was everything I could possibly have hoped for. Six years later those franchisees are still talking about Howard and “that” presentation, and the concrete ideas they have implemented and which have delivered outstanding results. His insights into the continuous evolvement of the modern consumer enables my business to be at the forefront of building real, relevant, sustainable solutions for our clients. Do yourself a favour, go and listen to him and then engage, engage, engage! Your business will thank you for it.”

“Howard gave another fantastic performance at the annual convention of SSM Retail Platform. As always the audience was just thrilled with his view on what retailers should and shouldn’t do to stand out and be meaningful for customers in a fast changing world. Not only is he a ‘top of the league’ speaker, he is funny and entertaining as well. One could listen to Howard for hours. And go home with a lot of new energy and ideas!”

“Howard spoke at Vantage, the customer event we run in Melbourne which attracts over 2000 delegates. His speech on innovation was inspirational. We all wished it could have gone on longer. He also made an impression on the media. Sky News were in attendance and interviewed him to camera straight afterwards.”

“I asked Howard to present at our Westfield Marketing University. He delivered one of the best sessions I have ever seen – full of insight, innovation and relevance that kept the audience of more than 140 people engaged for the best part of 3 hours. The positive feedback and comments I received from so many people at this event were unbelievable, and to say that Howard’s presentation was the best (and most appreciated and enjoyed) of the two days would be an understatement. I would most definitely recommend Howard to any organisation that thinks it’s consumer focused and wants to truly understand retail.”

“Bucket-loads of energy partnered with great humour and a tiny bit of eccentricity make every one of Howard’s presentations memorable, always delivering the highlight of any event. The insights he’s gathered from his travels provide our audiences with an enlightening reality check on the trends they need to be considering. Howard is always well received at our events and I look forward to every chance I get to work with him.”

“Howard has an uncanny ability to de-construct retail trends and challenge your thought processes. He played an instrumental role in helping one of our portfolio companies, Sushiro, the largest sushi chain in Japan, develop a radically new urban concept. What makes Howard such an effective consultant is not his endless library of retail concepts but the brilliant way he challenges your thoughts to help you come up with the right answers. He is direct, very creative and always eager to further push the boundaries. I look forward to continuing to work with him on many other projects to come.”

“I first met Howard back in 2008 when he presented to our World Retail Tour Group. Since then Howard has been a muse on retail and a speaker for our retail events in Australia, UK and the US. His skill is in identifying future trends before others, and then communicating it all with passion, fun and panache to ensure his message is received. Howard challenges his clients and audiences to think about what might be and then provides insights as to how to deliver this back into your business.”

“Bursting with charisma and a good splash of quirk Howard Saunders will leave you captivated. Like your favourite dinner party guest he will make you laugh and set you at ease before he imparts his candid worldly insights. Contemplating the relevance of retail? Make sure you do it with Howard.”