Well I did a double take when I received this news from Karen Beattie at The Growth Faculty: If it wasn’t enough to see the founder of microfinance, Muhammad Unus of The Grameen Bank; and one of the best brand builders, Martha Stewart, in this event program; there was a clearly audible squeeeeeeeeeal through the office when George Clooney was added to the lineup!

UPDATED 11/10/11: Sorry everyone, I got the price wrong in my excitement, the earlybird rate has been corrected below and is $880 per person til Friday 14th October 2011.

This speaker line is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!:

• George Clooney:  For the last five years, George Clooney has been focused on leveraging his celebrity to get people to care for something more important than celebrity – in particular the issues of Southern Sudan.
  Clooney said, “There is more attention on celebrity than ever before—and there is a use for that besides selling products….My job is to amplify the voice of the guy who lives in Darfur and is worried about his wife and children being slaughtered.”
  
• Martha Stewart:  This one-woman powerhouse has had more influence on how Americans, eat, entertain, and decorate their homes and gardens than any single person in our history. Now, during a rare visit to Australia, Martha Stewart will share the insights she has gained over her expansive career; in particular how she’s exercised her personal strengths to build a highly visible, successful and admired brand that is leveraged across a remarkable range of channels.
  Stewart said, “Without an open mind, you can never have great success!”
  
• Michael Fertik:  Michael Fertik founded Reputation.com with the belief that people and businesses have the right to control and protect their online reputation and privacy.
  Fertik said, “Everybody likes to believe in transparency, until it affects their personal and professional lives. We’re reaching a tipping point, where radical transparency is getting close to radical invasion.” 
  
• Russell Simmons:  Since rising out of the New York City streets over 25 years ago, Russell Simmons has helped create ground breaking ventures including Def Jam Records, Phat Farm, and Def Comedy Jam, and is known the world over as “The CEO of Hip Hop”.
  Simmons said, “I know some people say “Keep your eyes on the prize” but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you’re going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you’ve got to keep your eyes focused on the path.”
  
• Jeff Taylor:  From the advent of job sites like Monster.com and social networking sites, the Internet has completely changed the dynamics of the employer-employee relationship. Jeff Taylor takes a fascinating look at the current employment environment and the challenges today’s organisations face.
  Taylor said, “I asked my clients what they thought of the Monster idea. My biggest client said, “Not only do I hate the name, I don’t like the business idea. No one will look for a job during the day while they’re at work”. The most popular time to look for a job is on Mondays at 2 p.m. in a rolling time zone all around the world.”
  
• Muhammad Yunus:  By pioneering microcredit, Muhammad Yunus developed a visionary new dimension for capitalism to serve humanity’s most pressing needs which he calls “social business”.
  Yunus said, “I went to the bank and proposed that they lend money to the poor people. The bankers almost fell over.”

A huge thanks goes to The Growth Faculty for extending a special sphinxx booking offer to you all – simply register by close of business THIS FRIDAY and you’ll save over $500 on the booking price.  Just quote GLF11SPHINXX in your booking and the special rate of $880 per person will automatically be applied.

I just cannot wait to be at this event on 12^th December in Sydney… and obviously with a lineup like this, the event will sell out.  So if, like me, you’re already thinking about your planning for 2012, and looking for some new ideas and perspectives on building your business and customer engagement… you’ll do well to book now, and join me there.

You can download the event brochure here and register online here.

I look forward to seeing you there!