I’m deeply honored to be a featured keynote speaker for the Opening Plenary of the 2025 Rotary International Conference in Calgary, Ontario, Canada this June. Since my second TEDx Talk came out this past summer, amazing invitations keep coming. This is, by far, the biggest one yet.
Rotary International has a membership of about 2 million people worldwide, and Rotary leadership is expecting as many as 30,000 people to come to Calgary for this annual gathering, with simultaneous translation into many languages, and many more people watching online from around the world. Being a keynote speaker at the opening plenary is, of course, a very special slot, and it is moving to be trusted in that space.
The Rotary Foundation funded my master’s degree in International Studies, Peace, and Conflict Resolution through the Rotary Peace Fellowship, and more recently, Rotarians in Asheville and nearby clubs partnered with a Rotary Club in Guatemala and the Rotary Foundation to fund the construction of a much-needed new school building for the Escuela Comunitaria David LaMotte in Tzanchaj, Guatemala (it’s important to me that folks know that the school was named after me as a surprise — I had nothing to do with the selection!).
Rotary is doing great work in the world, and I’m so grateful to have a chance to speak about it.
I have been in front of audiences of thousands before, but this will certainly be the largest audience I’ve addressed. The opening plenary will actually require two seatings, since the Scotiabank Saddledome, pictured above, holds about 20,000 people in this configuration, and that is not enough to accommodate this audience. This summer, when my son Mason and I road-tripped to a Doobie Brothers concert, I couldn’t help but look around at that audience of about 18,000 and imagine it half again as big.
Friends have asked how I will handle this, since my normal style on stage tends to be intimate and informal. I think I will do things just about the same way, actually, and I trust that the message will get across. The best practice I know of, based on my own life experience, is to focus on the people gathered, and what they need, rather than thinking about myself and what happens if I blow it (or nail it!).
At any rate, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I see when I look at Rotary, and tell a story or two that might at least hint at the gratitude I feel to the organization. Thanks for celebrating with me!
David
I am already registered for the Rotary International Convention at Calgary and am thrilled that you, David, have been honored to be a keynote speaker there. I’ll see you there along with 30,000 of my closest friends.
See you there, Nancy! Be sure to wave! 😉