Meet Chris.
CHRIS GASBARRO IS KNOWLEDGEABLE, CHARISMATIC, AND AN EVENT INDUSTRY VETERAN, WHO BRINGS HUMOR, CREATIVE IDEAS, AND ENGAGEMENT TO EVERY SPEAKING OPPORTUNITY.
CHRIS GASBARRO, O
wner of Ember
With 20 years in the meeting & events industry, Chris is still energized to produce some of North America’s most unique and powerful meetings. As President of Ember, a forward thinking gathering agency, he helps to influence the meeting and event portfolios for wicked awesome brands that include Costa Sunglasses, Saucony, Keds, Footjoy, Wolverine Worldwide Inc, Hanover Insurance, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. From a humble beginning as a touring guitar tech, to now shutting down Wall Street for an IPO launch event, or collaborating with Taylor Swift, Keds, and Nordstrom’s to launch a new shoe for the 1989 Tour, Chris has been lucky to assemble and lead a team of some of the best meeting and event producers in the industry. Ember is a 17-person creative gathering agency based in the small seaside city of Newburyport, MA who exist to amplify brand passion through extraordinary gatherings.
As a member of the meetings industry, Chris is a past President of both MPI New England and ILEA New England chapters, and also served on the MPI International Board of Directors. A recipient of the Collaborate Magazine’s “40 under 40” and BizBash’s “2013 Innovator of the year” and about a dozen other industry awards including MPI New England’s “Planner” and “Supplier” of the year award (different years).
Prior to Ember, Chris grew up in several meeting and event industry firms including Party by Design and massAV. Before that, Chris was a roadie, sound engineer, and tour manager for some very obscure bands - touring North America in a Jeep Cherokee and the occasional converted 1974 MCI tour bus.
KEY SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES
Creative Thinker
Entrepreneurial
Change Agent
Executive Coaching
Energy/Humor
CURRENT ROLE:
CO-Owner of Ember
Oversees the strategy, growth, and financials of Ember. In addition serves as a client lead and gathering strategy director for 50% of the firm’s brands including - Hanover Insurance, FootJoy, Titleist, Saucony, Keds, and The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
Has grown the company from $0 to $10M+ in 10 years
The firm started as C3 (Creative Community Connections) - acquisition/rebranding in 2017 to Ember
Awards and recognition:
Collaborate/Connect Magazine “40 under 40”
BizBash’s 2013 & 2014 “Top 50 Innovative Event Pros” list
Meeting Professionals International - New England
Supplier Professional of the Year 2004
Planner Professional of the Year 2008
Boston Business Journal’s 2015 & 2016 “Pacesetter”
The Inc. 500 list in 2016 (fastest-growing companies in the US)
Inc. Magazine “Best Places to Work” 2017
SPEECH TOPICS
WOWENTS: Turning moments into emotional power at your event. Learn more.
Think Like an Agency. Learn more.
Cheap & Cheerful Event Design. Learn more.
SH--T: Not a bad word, how to move your organization forward. Learn more.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
MPI Speech | 2010
MPI New England Speech | 2019
MPI New England Speech | 2019
Michigan State Class | 2021
TESTIMONIALS
“Chris Gasbarro is an entertaining and engaging speaker. Just as he so beautifully partners with clients to help tell their story, he uses his creative talents fully when he delivers educational content and tangible learnings for the audience. He has a way of captivating and transporting the audience in a large group setting but yet can also help individuals find that learning place, almost like it is a one-on-one conversation, to reach deep and connect. His presentation abilities helped light a fire in me to make a radical shift in my approach to meetings that has generated returns ten-fold over the years.”
“We have worked with Chris Gasbarro and the team at Ember (and its predecessor company) for 12 years now. What’s been consistent over that time frame is Chris, who has supported us on our exclusive agent incentive programs as well as other high-profile events. His depth of knowledge and passion for what he does is truly inspiring and infectious. He has developed a strong rapport with our senior-level executives and has truly become an extension of our corporate event team. He’s able to think outside the box, sell an idea or concept and deliver events and gatherings that truly set us apart from our competition. Chris is incredibly well respected within the industry and has a presentation style that is captivating, engaging, exciting, and thought-provoking. He challenges us to think differently and we are grateful for his contributions and partnership.”