Keynote Speakers
Will Guidara
Will Guidara is the author of The NY Times Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants. He is the former co-owner Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership received four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and in 2017 was named #1 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. He is the host of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that brings together like minded people to share ideas, inspire one another, and connect to form community. A graduate of the hospitality school at Cornell University, he has coauthored four cookbooks, named one of Crain’s New York Business’s 40 Under 40, and is the recipient of WSJ Magazine’s Innovator Award.
KEYNOTE SESSION DESCRIPTION
Unreasonable Hospitality: How Giving People More Than They Expect Can Get You To #1
Will Guidara took Eleven Madison Park from a middling Brasserie to the best restaurant in the world when he realized something revolutionary – in a restaurant, the food, the service, and the design are simply ingredients in the recipe of human connection. When Will encouraged his team to be present with their guests, take what they do seriously without taking themselves too seriously, and employ a “one size fits one” strategy, magic happened. In this talk, Will shares why these lessons took EMP to #1, and how an unreasonable approach to the pursuit of human connection can help you win – and give people an experience they’ll remember forever.
ZACK KASS
Advisor, researcher, keynote speaker, and former Head of Go-To- Market at OpenAI
At OpenAI, Zack led the teams responsible for sales, partnerships, and customer success, turning the company’s cutting-edge research into real-world business solutions. He has personally advised executives across dozens of industries on deploying AI at scale.
As an executive business advisor, Zack now works with Fortune 1,000 boardrooms and leadership teams, including Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Amgen, to help leaders navigate the relentless advancement of AI.
Zack’s mission is to ensure individuals, businesses, and governments are active participants in the AI-powered future by making the technology both understandable and actionable. He is recognized as one of the foremost thinkers in applied AI, with his insights featured in Fortune, Newsweek, Entrepreneur, AdAge, and Business Insider.
Zack and his team also help organizations navigate the complexities of AI adoption, providing leadership with the strategies and frameworks needed to drive real business impact. As AI strategists and business transformation experts, they work closely with executive teams to identify challenges, assess opportunities, and implement AI solutions that prepare companies for the future of work.
Through boardroom advisory, executive workshops, and strategy consulting, Zack provides the insight and practical guidance needed to integrate AI effectively. While the team is committed to delivering successful business outcomes, the broader mission is to contribute to an optimistic AI future by empowering organizations to innovate, operate more efficiently, and ultimately expand human potential.
Beyond his advisory work, Zack also supports AI education and research at the University of Virginia. He holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and currently resides in Santa Barbara, California.