Speaking Testimonials

Airline Industry

“It was an honor to have you speak at Lufthansa’s Customer Service Week 2011. Thank you for taking the time to do this. It was interesting for us to hear about your customer service experience and how social media played such a vital role in the process. Thanks again for providing such an entertaining and informative presentation. I am happy to share with you that you were the highlight of our event.”

Nicola C. LangeLufthansa German Airlines, Director Marketing & Customer Relations, The Americas, NYC EA/M

Business

(reflection after Dave’s presentation) “ ’Co-creation.’ Let your audience become performers in your show. More than simply delivering the most polished performance that requires no investment on the audience’s part other than purchase of a ticket or cover charge, Dave seeks to partner with his audiences in the creation of something relevant and worthwhile to them. He looks to create shared experiences at every turn. Dave transforms himself from being a solo artist or even a band member to being an orchestra the moment his audience is creating the experience with him. In doing so, Dave has reached farther and deeper into new markets than he probably imagined possible.”

Renee LandoManager, Supply & Quality, Sandvik Coromant

“Thank you on behalf of both our groups that had the pleasure of having you present both your music and your Customer Experience presentation during our meetings this year. As with all of our events, we take a post event survey with all of the participants. You and your presentation had the highest score for the meeting and, not only that, your presentation had one of the highest scores we’ve ever seen with over 82% of the participants scoring your presentation at a 9 or 10. Thank you for two outstanding and valuable presentations.”

“Through our interaction in Dubai, I have come to know you as an extremely professional and committed individual of great ability and dedication. Through your engagement with us, you came across as someone who is creative, passionate, conscientious and a lot of fun! The team was extremely inspired by your powerful story, and more importantly by your terrific ability to draw upon your experiences and observations to develop a thoughtful and thought provoking opinion on a variety of issues.

You were able to stimulate and motivate the thinking of my team and through your session, we were able to increase the awareness of the impact of Customer Service and Social Media. As the Human Resources function for 92 countries across EAG, our focus on these elements is of utmost importance and you were able to drive the learning home in your inimitable disarming style.

My team and I found you highly approachable and “human” in your interactions with all of us. You must know that the ratings for your session were the highest amongst all in HR Academy!”

Stevens J. Sainte-RoseGroup Human Resources Director, The Coca-Cola Company, Eurasia & Africa Group

“Dave Carroll was the closing presenter at our Browns Annual Company Conference in August. After a long day of challenging retail material, Dave’s material was appreciated immensely by our Managers. He was inspiring and entertained/educated for a full hour. I could see that his words resonated deeply with many participants and they were quite impressed with his message.

Additionally, as the conference organizer, I realized how valuable this kind of motivational presentation is at a company gathering, because it teaches life skills that can be used at home as well as in the work environment. Dave’s session provided an opportunity for us to demonstrate that we respect our team as colleagues and as individuals.”

Janis BrownsteinDirector, Corporate Communications, Browns Shoes

“After working with a couple dozen guest speakers over the years, you were by far the most enjoyable and therefore the least stressful! From our very first conference call, your down-to-earth personality put myself and my co-workers at total ease… you by far were the easiest to reach, clarify, and prepare for… Thanks for being such a pleasure to work with; I wish all our guest speakers were like you!”

Wendee McFallsDirector of IT, NaturaLawn of America, Inc.

“Your journey with the broken guitar, told in a most compelling way, helped us to see the importance of a customer’s experience which is absolutely relevant to our day to day operation… You were instrumental in helping us deliver a successful and meaningful meeting to our franchise owners across the country. My one big ‘take-a-way’ (which I will continually remind our owners of) is no customer is ‘statistically insignificant!’”

Phil CatronPresident NaturaLawn of America

“Dave spoke with a lot of passion and spoke on a level we all live on. It was a great presentation without being a boring presentation, like some speakers can be. He made me feel his passion and how I could use his passion to help me in my business decisions.”

JoAnn Mitchell, MBA PMP CMPSenior Project Leader, Sandvik Coromant USA, Marketing/Communications/Machine Investment

“Loved Dave — down to earth, his story / message relates to everyone. Good entertainer”

“Awesome, what a privilege to incorporate this into our working strategy.”

Sandvik Coromant presentation attendees

“Congratulations on securing Dave Carroll as a speaker. It was refreshing to begin avconference with such an effective speaker and timely topic.”

“Dave has a great presence and his sense of humour worked particularly well in hisvpresentation. Relevance to the program was spot on.”

“Dave Carroll – Great presentation from Dave. Loved the journey, enjoyed the music, andvappreciated the take-aways. Will be watching a video or two and maybe even buying a CD. Made the conference for me.”

“Was the best! I liked his comments in relation to ‘statistical insignificant’ as no excuse and ‘we are connected’.”

GRC2013 Delegates

“We saw Dave’s sensational video ‘United Breaks Guitars’ in one of our training sessions and it did not take us much time to get him on-board for our first edition of our MarTech Confluence in Mumbai this September. I think it was the best decision we made because he added a lot of value to the conference and excitement among the delegates. With a 30 mins keynote and a 60 min masterclass, people still could not get enough of him! He has mastered the art of storytelling for sure! The message he gave was loud and clear ‘It’s a customer’s market and organisations need to re-think their marketing strategy’. We wish him all the success for his future assignments.”

Priya ChawlaNASSCOM, Mumbai, India

“… The participants enjoyed your presentation, the music and anecdotes added a nice flavor to this event and enhanced your messaging. The after party was an absolute hit! From the President to all the attendees who got on stage with you to “jam”, they absolutely enjoyed the opportunity! Your enthusiasm and love for music just shone through. Thank you for making this a memorable event! Look forward to working with you again.”

Amanda StewartPresident, Eventive Marketing Inc.

Customer Service

“He made it feel like he was telling his story for the first time – very well done, and great music! Highlight of the conference! What an entertainer – he knew how to capture the audience and his message would resonate with everyone. This was exceptional, interesting, and had a lot of things to consider for our business. Thank you for bringing your message to our group.  You gave over two hundred customer service professionals a lot to think about and hopefully to implement in their companies.”

Mike BaconContact Atlantic, New Brunswick Canada

Education

“Dave is a phenomenal speaker with much more than just one great story to tell. His ability to communicate his message in an incredibly entertaining way made him the highlight of the 2013 Next Generation Customer Experience conference. Dave’s message on the importance of customer experience in today’s business environment was very on point for our group but I also believe he has the ability to tailor it to any number of audiences. As someone who has been organizing business summits globally for 10+ years, I’ve seen a lot of professional speakers and Dave is one of the best. The fact that we’ve already rebooked him for our next event is testament to the value he delivered!”

Richard MillGeneral Manager, Worldwide Business Research

“So glad we got you to Cusp – your presentation was intelligent, entertaining, thought-provoking and freaking funny. In fact you may have delivered the quote of the year, Cusp-wise. I’m sure the next time shit happens, a lot of people will be thinking of you! Please come to Cusp 2014 – October 22-23 – as our guest. A lot of people want to talk to you.”

Dave MasonMultiple | Chicago, Strategic Design

Entertainment

“Working with Dave was a fabulous experience from start to finish. He had our audience captivated as he educated, inspired and entertained them – I’ve never seen a crowd so raptured! And Dave seemed like he was having a ball, too! I could not give Dave a higher recommendation. The problem I’m left with now is finding a keynote speaker who will do as good of a job next year!”

Jenny GaroneDirector of Hollywood Endings, Celebration! Cinema

“With this one song David has remarkably been able to accomplish something that lobbyists have been trying to resolve for 10-years,” explains Bill Skolnik, the AFM Vice President from Canada. “It is not unlike the classic David and Goliath story with David Carroll drawing on his craft to create a metaphoric slingshot that hits right at the heart of the matter. This achievement illustrates the unique ability art has to empower the public, and as such we are hopeful that the attention this internet sensation has garnered will spiral into a resolution to our continuing negotiations with the airline industry at large.”

Bill SkolnikAFM (American Federation of Musicians)

Finance Industry

“Over the years, I have heard many speakers through my various roles and business events. This year, I had the pleasure of hearing Dave Carroll speak at an RBC conference. Dave would definitely make my top five presenters of all time! His genuine care and compassion was very contagious. His presentation was fun, practical and very informative. His talk was so real and from the heart it made it easy to relate to his topic. He had a magical way of drawing the audience in and holding their undivided attention throughout his entire presentation. Although it was the first time most of the audience had heard Dave speak, almost everyone I spoke with afterwards remembered his name and didn’t address him as “the speaker”. Dave was selling his CD’s and books during the break and he managed to make everyone feel important and showed how much he appreciated their support. I personally bought a book and CD for myself and a book as a gift for a friend. I would not hesitate to pay to hear Dave speak again and I would highly recommend his as a speaker.”

Nikki JafariRBC

“Being strongly recommended, our expectations were high…but Dave exceeded them! Dave’s message did more than just resonate; it left my team excited and empowered to deliver service excellence with a renewed perspective. Dave’s message – the power of one voice – is a great reminder for any service business. Beyond the message though, it’s Dave’s personality, the way he delivers his message and how easy it is for people to identify with his story that really left everyone feeling inspired. We also took advantage of Dave’s impressive musicality which reinforced his message but also provided some awesome entertainment! We received glowing feedback about the live concert and Dave’s genuine all-Canadian approachability. Thanks for truly enhancing our entire event Dave, you’re definitely welcome back in the future!”

Dave JonesSun Life Financial

“Dave was a keynote speaker for an incentive meeting we hold every year to celebrate the success of our Investment Advisors. While the location and the social activities are always the highlight, the business agenda is equally significant. This is a well-organized, carefully themed meeting with a strategic message. Our speakers are thoughtfully chosen to ensure they deliver a relevant, meaningful and hopefully, memorable presentation that is aligned to our theme – and resonates with our often finicky audience. Dave exceeded our expectations. It’s a rare moment when our discriminating crowd rises to their feet to acknowledge their appreciation for a powerful performance. Dave informed, entertained and captured the audience with his wit, his humour and his highly pertinent recount of how one person’s experience can have such a tremendous impact on a company’s balance sheet.”

Julie Burnham WardSenior Advisor, Communications, BMO Nesbitt Burns

First Responders

“Our company audience of 1200 left our time with Dave Carroll inspired and emotionally driven to tackle the challenges of the coming year. I have never seen a performer capture the hearts and imaginations of our employees like Dave did…when he was done I witnessed the longest standing ovation I had ever seen.

We asked Dave to create a song about our mission and the people we serve – he hit a home run – I could scarcely believe my ears as I heard it for the first time. His song touched the hearts of our entire workforce. The impact was huge. The song and his performance are assets we will use for some time to come. It is a privilege to have someone of Dave’s caliber communicating on our behalf with our customers.”

George HeinrichsPresident, Intrado Inc.

“Dave Carroll brought his United Breaks Guitars message to our annual Symposium with over 500 fire chiefs and fire service leaders in the room. What a perfect exclamation point at the end of our opening general session!  Dave’s story provided insight and inspiration to this group of public servants who are constantly looking for ways to better serve the citizens. Dave helped the group realize that each customer interaction is an opportunity to serve, and also how social media can help you brand what you do and who you are.”

Vickie PritchetInternational Association of Fire Chiefs – Volunteer & Combination Officers Section

Health Industry

“Dave Carroll takes his clear, warm and intimate approach to music and applies these attributes as an insightful and engaging speaker. Dave uses his own success as a perfect case study of how to connect with clients and build a brand through the ever-evolving social media landscape. His entertaining presence is complemented by informative approaches and ideas to marketing and client relationships that any organization can apply to successfully reach their own goals.”

Laurier FecteauSenior Vice President, Private Business – Medavie Blue Cross

“Amazing job of connecting his story to our work. Very entertaining.”

“Wonderful, engaging funny and relevant in a unique way. Great choice!”

“He was amazing and had my attention the whole time, in fact I forgot my BB was even on the table in front of me.”

“Brilliant choice! Effective, entertaining and informative.”

“I really enjoyed this speaker – very informative, very entertaining – could have listened to Mr. Carroll all day!”

“David Carroll is highly entertaining! I laughed, I cried. He was a great inspiration and midday break.”

“VERY ENGAGING! Interesting topic. Would definitely like to see him speak again!”

“Very entertaining and personal. Showed how powerful story telling can be.”

Fundraising Day AFP AttendeesCHEO Foundation

Insurance

“…one word… inspirational. We took so much from the Customer Contact Association Convention, to which you were without question the star of the show.”

Peter SindenDirector of Sales and Service, LV General Insurance

Public Relations

“When was the last time a speaker picked up the phone and called you to discuss arrangements for their presentation? Dave Carroll does, and simplifies a meeting planner’s life. Dave is thorough and detailed in contracts and requests, quick to respond to questions and easy to work with. When faced with limitations at our evening facility, he accommodated us to ensure a flawless event.

We had the pleasure of hearing Dave deliver his ‘United Breaks Guitars’ presentation which our delegates ranked as the number one keynote at this year’s conference. Dave tailored his speech to ensure that our public relations audience felt the impact of his use of social media in a way that was pertinent to them, and he delivered it in an engaging and entertaining manner. That evening, Dave and his band, Sons of Maxwell, performed at a traditional Maritime Kitchen Party for our delegates. The layering of Dave’s address earlier in the day with his entertaining us in the evening reinforced his connection with the audience. Dave’s ratings topped the chart at our conference this year.”

Monica SimmieDirector, Professional Development and Partnerships - Canadian Public Relations Society, Inc.

“I thought you’d like to know that you were the #1 keynote at our conference this year. Delegates rated you as Excellent with a smattering of Very Good. You also pulled in the highest points for evening entertainment with 80% of the party goers saying you and the Sons of Maxwell were Excellent. You really made our event this year and for that, we thank you.”

Monica SimmieDirector, Professional Development and Partnerships - Canadian Public Relations Society, Inc.

“Your keynote was ‘the best stand-up presentation I have seen in 10 years.’ Don’t change thing. It’s perfect the way it is.”

Tag WatsonAPR LM Past President Canadian Public Relations Society

Social Media

“Dave Carroll is a certified music AND social media superstar. His ‘Dave versus Goliath’ effort with his spectacular United Breaks Guitars videos shows that even one individual can outgun one of the largest, most scientific marketing, PR, and customer-service organizations on the planet. Ten million YouTube views, tens of thousands of blog posts and tweets, and hundreds of mainstream articles later, Dave offers the proven methods that get people and organizations noticed. The rules have changed. The balance of power has been irrevocably altered. Scale and media buying power are no longer a decisive advantage. Today it takes speed and agility, plus the kind of creative imagination and craft skill that allowed Dave to write a song every bit as powerful as a Stinger missile.”

David Meerman ScottCo-author of Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing

“I’m writing about his story, because I think it’s a metaphor for what even a single individual who is in the right can do if he has conviction (and, in Dave’s case, a good sense of humor and fantastic songwriting skills). The results can change an entire industry, an entire nation, or the entire world.”

Gerry AshleyGrand Rants

Technology

“Dave was a huge hit with our customers and the media at our client summit…His United Breaks Guitars story really brought home for our audience just how much impact a single consumer can have on a global business today.

…In addition to be being a talented artist, Dave is a really down-to-earth, likable guy who is easy to personally connect with. I think it is great that Dave is using his talent and his story to champion the cause of consumers to help us all rid the world of bad customer experiences!”

Jason MittlestaedtCMO, RightNow Technologies

“I heard back last week that you were highest rated auditorium speaker in Melbourne. You came in at 4.61 out of 5 for your presentation. Thanks for your partnership with us and glad you were able to be a part of G-Force Melbourne.”

Tim WadeDirector, Event Marketing, Alcatel-Lucent

“We invited Dave to be Keynote speaker at G-Force Prague, our annual User & Partner event, with an audience of 1200 Customer Service professionals from across Europe. His UBG story fitted perfectly with our event theme of ‘Change the Conversation’ and the impact of social media in business today. He was a resounding success and was rewarded with a standing ovation, a ‘first’ for any speaker in the 10 year history of this event. Actions speak louder than words!

His natural storytelling and performing skills made for a compelling, articulate and sometimes emotional story that had the audience captivated throughout. From an organisers point of view he was a dream to work with. Unpretentious, charming, easy to deal with and most importantly, flexible (we had a very tight schedule to adhere to!). Nothing was too much trouble. He exceeded all expectations and I pity next year’s Keynote speaker – Dave has set the bar real high for 2012!”

Alcatel-Lucent EnterpriseJune 2011

“May I  say how brilliant you were last Thursday?! We could not be happier with your session and how it lifted the entire conference. We would enthusiastically recommend you to anyone and everyone interested in making their conference more exciting, inspiring and entertaining. Thank you SO much for coming out to speak to our compliance and risk manager audience.”

Maree HurleyProfessional Development Manager, GRC Institute, Sydney Australia

“As a software company in a fast-moving market, our annual Business In Concert event gives us the opportunity to show how we’re different from our competitors. Music plays an important part of this event, and Dave Carroll’s unique story plus his relevant and poignant original music moved our attendees to their feet, providing a standing ovation that was more than deserved.”

Glenn SeabergMarketing Director, FPX

Tourism

“Dave Carroll is a genius!….His message of what customer service really means is so relevant for the tourism industry and his delivery was tremendous. Even if we didn’t agree with him, his charisma and charm would have won us over in the end. Completely enlightening, completely entertaining!”

John DicksChair, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

“Dave’s keynote “United breaks guitars” was a great start for our conference. His unique story exemplified how important it is for any organization to care about their customers and the experiences they have with their brand. In the times of social media, every customer can share their experience and companies cannot afford to neglect his. Dave used his skills as a musician not only to share his story on youtube but also during a live performance on stage during our conference. Thus, the audience enjoyed both Dave’s lessons learned and some good music. Even though I use United break guitars as an example for the power of social media in my lectures and workshops for years now, hearing him life on stage was a memorable experience.”

Marc StickdornEditor and co-author of the best-selling book “This is Service Design Thinking,” SDT2012 conference board – the first conference on service design and tourism

“Dave is a great story teller. He speaks with the same emotion he uses when songwriting which helps captivate the audience. The lessons he conveys are relevant to any industry, brand or relationship. Music is a great way to kick off a conference!”

Sara Otte ColemanDirector, North Dakota Tourism Division

“Dave’s message to our staff was at once inspiring, thought-provoking, and enlightening. During the presentation, you could, literally, hear a pin drop. Dave’s message, combined with his refreshing sense of humour and incredible musical talent, made for a wonderful and memorable afternoon for the entire group! Since our event, I’ve heard nothing but glowing remarks from employees regarding Dave’s presentation. Highly recommended!”

Danny McLaughlinH.R. Manager Assigned to the Department of Tourism and Culture for the PEI, Public Service Commission, H.R. Excellence in Public Service