FAQ

Questions meeting planners ask

Is Patrick Combs funny?

Patrick has performed by invitation at HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival and at Just for Laughs Montreal — the two most prestigious comedy events in the world. He toured his comedic one-man show, Man 1, Bank 0, Off-Broadway for fifteen years and four hundred performances. According to his kids, none of this counts. Audiences at corporate keynotes have, so far, disagreed.

What do meeting planners say about Patrick Combs after he speaks?

After Patrick keynoted Hilton’s leadership conference, the President of Hilton walked up and said: You gave us a full day in a single hour. You made us think, laugh, and cry. That phrase captures what meeting planners consistently report — that his keynotes work across multiple emotional registers, and audiences remember the experience long after the conference ends.

Will Patrick customize the keynote for our event?

Yes. Before every keynote, Patrick interviews the leaders of the hiring organization to learn the culture, the language, and what the audience is carrying. He’s written more than a hundred origin stories for CEOs across healthcare, tech, manufacturing, finance, and hospitality, which means he arrives having already spent hours inside leaders’ worlds. His goal is for the audience to feel like the talk was written for them — because it was.

What companies has Patrick Combs spoken for?

Patrick has been hired by more than 1,500 organizations across thirty years. His client list includes Hilton, Boeing, Google, Shell, State Farm, Visa, Fannie Mae, Optum, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, as well as universities like Stanford and UC San Diego and member organizations like YPO and Entrepreneurs’ Organization. He’s spoken in every U.S. state and more than ten countries — about a million people in person.

What makes Patrick Combs different from other motivational speakers?

Patrick is an interesting person who happens to give keynotes — not the other way around. Most motivational speakers spend a career refining a single talk; Patrick has spent thirty years writing five books, building six businesses, touring an Off-Broadway comedy show that HBO named the funniest new act in America, coaching incarcerated men for TEDx talks, and helping build a school in Kenya. He brings all of that range to the stage. That’s what audiences remember; that’s what meeting planners come back for.