Keynote Speakers

Emmitt Smith
NFL Leading Rusher, Three-Time Super Bowl Champion & Best-Selling Author

Opening Keynote

DAY 1: wednesday, october 9
10:00 a.M. – 11:30 a.M.

IFMA is thrilled to announce NFL legend, businessman and entrepreneur Emmitt Smith as the World Workplace Opening Keynote Speaker! In this engaging session, Smith will provide attendees with the rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the greatest NFL players of all time, offering unprecedented insights into his illustrious career — both on and off the field. Smith’s wisdom, anecdotes and perspectives on success, leadership and overcoming challenges is sure to be inspiring and enlightening — a great way to kick off World Workplace week!

Emmitt Smith, businessman and entrepreneur, leads several companies spanning real estate, construction, technology and renewable energy. His current businesses include E J Smith Enterprises; E Smith Legacy, a premier real estate development firm; E Smith Advisors, a majority-owned joint brokerage firm in partnership with Newmark Knight Frank, a globally recognized real estate advisory firm; EJ Smith Construction, a Dallas-based commercial and civil construction management and general contractor; PROVA Group, Inc., an enterprise providing technology-based authentication solutions for memorabilia and high value items; and Notable Live!, a mobile social media platform connecting celebrities and notables with their fans.

Prior to his business career, Mr. Smith played in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, earning such accolades as the NFL’s All Time Leading Rusher, Super Bowl XXVIII MVP and induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Mr. Smith earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, where he played football for the Florida Gators.

Pamela Barnum, MPA, J.D.
Trust Strategist & Nonverbal Communication Expert

Plenary speaker

DAY 2: thursday, october 10
8:00 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.

Tactical Influence: A Blueprint for Powerful Results 

Most of our communication is nonverbal, and we miss more than half of the conversation when we ignore what is not said. Learn the secret second language reserved for communication experts and law enforcement to communicate confidence, elevate influence, and improve negotiation outcomes. 

  • Display calm confidence and trustworthiness in every situation. Use nonverbal cues to regulate how others perceive you. 
  • Decode nonverbal cues with certainty. Understand their true intent, regardless of the words used, resulting in better-negotiated outcomes. 
  • Deliver results with greater accuracy using science-backed techniques. Confidently assess verbal and nonverbal misrepresentation indicators, bluffing, and lies in real-time, ensuring you're always one step ahead. 

Pamela Barnum is a communication expert focused on strategies and techniques that increase trust, improve relationships, and decode nonverbal cues.

Her expertise has been featured in print media, radio, and television news programs throughout Canada and the United States.

Her TEDx Talks, “What Drug Dealers Taught Me About Trust” and "How Empathy Empowered an Undercover Cop," have been viewed more than 450,000 times and continue to attract praise and interest from around the world.

Andrew Busch
Economic Futurist & Former First Chief Market Intelligence Officer for U.S. Government

Closing keynote

DAY 3: Friday, october 11
1:00 p.M. – 2:00 p.M.

Future Economy: growth opportunities

The world is going to see more economic change in the next 5 years than we have seen in the last 100 years. AI adoption, turmoil in the Middle East, war in the Ukraine, interest rates spiking, supply chains crashing, fears of recessions are all examples of the speed of change.  

But how did we get here? More importantly, where do we go from here?

Andy provides the context needed to understand the forces at work creating momentum for change in the economy and your business. AI, climate subsidies and digital twins are just a few of the extraordinary tools/spending being leveraged right now. Are you aligning yourself for what will occur? Andy literally wrote the book on large, catastrophic events and how they impact our markets, economy and world. As a futurist and economist, Andy dives deep into exploring how innovation, policy changes and societal shifts (war/elections) drive opportunities for clients. He provides context by doing a “where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going” for the economy. He takes the trends super charged by infectious diseases, climate, war and political uncertainty then applies them to your industry via a case study to show where money is flowing, and opportunities are growing.

Audience Takeaways:

  • Update on global conflict, supply chains and the economy (inflation/interest rates/govt. spending/recession)
  • Govt. policy (trade & spending) and elections
  • Key trends supercharged by demographics, AI, conflict & climate

Andrew Busch, the former 1st Chief Market Intelligence Officer for the US government and economic futurist at AndrewBusch.com, streamlined complex economic and market data for government and public consumption during his tenure with the CFTC. He briefed various high-profile entities, including the White House, US House, US Senate, SEC, Federal Reserve Board, and US Treasury staff on topics such as interest rates, inflation, trade dynamics with China, and technological impacts on the economy. Prior to his government role, Busch founded Bering Productions, Inc (BPI), a financial markets and policy research firm, and served as the Global Currency and Public Policy Strategist for Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Chicago. An author and sought-after consultant and keynote speaker, he specializes in advising clients across industries such as chemicals, financial services, energy, real estate, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture, with expertise in navigating global economic trends and events.

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