NSA Carolinas upcoming events

Second Saturday Meetups (please check specific time for your Regional Meetup) (April 11, 2026)

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMT

NSA Carolinas is committed to serving and building the Professional Speaker Community throughout North Carolina & South Carolina. In that spirit, we host ‘2nd Saturday’ Regional Meetups to foster connection, community, and collaboration.

These Meetups are regionally located, wherever a volunteer member Champion commits to hosting. A remote option (via Zoom) is also available.

GREATER RALEIGH (in-person): 9:00am - 10:00 am @ The Frontier, Blue Ridge Room, 800 Park Office Drive, Durham, NC 27709. (See "Address Note" below.) Area Champion: Alex Dumas (alex@speakeralexdumas.com) and Dr. Holly Sullenger (drhollyspeaks@gmail.com)
GREATER CHARLOTTE (in-person): 10:30am - 11:30am @ Charlotte Mecklenburg Library - SouthPark Regional Branch, 7015 Carnegie Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211, Area Champion: Allie Pleiter (alliepleiter@gmail.com)
PIEDMONT/TRIAD (in-person) 10:00am - 11:00am @ New Market Plaza, 970 South Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284 Area Champion: Sherman Transou (srtransou2@gmail.com), Carolyn Bennett-Sullivan (carolyn@carolynbsullivan.com)
REMOTE (virtually): @ 9:00am via Zoom (Zoom link will be included in the registration confirmation and reminder emails). Area Champion: John Edwards john@edwardsgroup.org)

NSA Carolinas is here to help you knock it out of the ballpark, and hit a home run in your Professional Speaker business. See you at our next 2nd Saturday!

###

Address Note: Our GREATER RALEIGH event will be held at 800 Park Office Drive, Durham, NC 27703 — inside the Research Triangle Park campus. Some GPS systems mistakenly route to other “Park Office Drive” addresses in the area, so please double-check that your directions lead you to RTP near the Frontier campus.

For best results, try entering: ➡️ “800 Park Office Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27703” or use this direct Google Maps link.

###

Want an in-person 2nd Saturday location closer to you? Get in touch with us about being a champion so you can help host and pick the location!

Speaker Development Series: Speaker Style: Why The Right Outfit Will Get You Booked More (April 15, 2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Join us every third Wednesday for the NSA Carolinas Speaker Development Series, designed to help you build a thriving, ethical speaking business.

April Speaker Development Series: Speaker Style: Why The Right Outfit Will Get You Booked More

Date & Time: April 15, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET

As a professional speaker, choosing the right outfit for your speaking engagement can be overwhelming and frustrating. You want to come across as credible while balancing professionalism, individuality, and comfort.

As a Style Strategist, Kay will share 3 easily implementable guidelines on how to align your look to your message, so you can use your style as a strategy to get more speaking engagements and charge higher fees.

Key Takeaways

How to look credible while staying authentic and comfortable
⁠⁠How to use your outfit as a strategy to get more bookings
How to be memorable and not overdo it

About the Speaker

Kay Korsh has spent over 20 years dressing celebrities, collaborating with luxury brands, and helping professional speakers and business leaders use their style to create opportunities. With a keen eye for detail, proportion, color, and presence, she understands how clothing communicates credibility on stage, on camera, and in high-stakes environments. As the founder of Mind Over Fashion, she combines styling expertise with psychology and visibility strategy to help clients align their appearance with their authority and message, building confidence, a strong visual identity, and a presence that attracts aligned clients and bigger opportunities.

NSA Carolinas Member Retreat: April 2026 (Theme: The Intersection of Ethics, Enterprise and Expertise) (April 17, 2026)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

NSA Carolinas Member Retreat: A Weekend Dedicated to Growing Your Expertise in Professional Speaking

April 17 and 18 | Embassy Suites by Hilton Winston Salem

Don't miss this two-day immersive retreat.

Speaker announcements will be shared soon — but mark your calendar to save the date, or register today to reserve your spot!

Event Details:

Embassy Suites by Hilton Winston Salem
460 North Cherry Street Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101 USA
April 17-18, 2026

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

2:00 p.m. Welcome - Acknowledgements

2:30 p.m. SESSION #1 Applause Doesn’t Pay the Bills: Designing an Audience Experience That Turns
Attention into Revenue (Ryan Vet)

3:30 p.m. Break

4:00 p.m. SESSION #2 Brand YOU: Leverage Your Personal Style to Stand Out on Stage - Mary Michele Nidiffer

5:00 p.m. Day 1 Program Concludes

5:00 p.m. Break

5:30 p.m. Evening Reception

6:30 p.m. Dinner (included w/ registration)

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

8:30 a.m. Breakfast (included)

10:00 a.m. Welcome Back and Recap

10:30 a.m. SESSION #3 – Power Up Your Speech and Story - Kelly Swanson, CSP, CPAE

11:15 a.m. Break

11:30 a.m. SESSION #3 (continued)

12:15 p.m. Lunch

1:15 p.m. SESSION #4 – How to Be Funny(er) - Andrew Tarvin, CSP

2:00 p.m. Break

2:15 p.m. SESSION #4 (continued)

3:00 p.m. SESSION #5 Using Humor in Speaking Panel

Andrew Tarvin (moderator)
Kelly Swanson
Craig Collin
Kim Coleman
Lauren Ansley

3:45 p.m. Action Items, Wrap Up and Closing

Registration & Cost

Registration includes access to all sessions over two days, dinner on day one, breakfast on day two, and lunch on day two.
NSA Carolinas MEMBER RATE — Registration – $225.00
Registration includes the cost of attending and meals during the event (dinner on Day 1 - Friday, breakfast and lunch on Day 2 - Saturday).
The fee does not include lodging, but information on special hotel room rates will be emailed to all attendees after registration.
NSA MEMBER (Any Chapter) RATE — Registration – $225.00
**If you are a member of another NSA chapter, or of NSA National, we invite you to attend at our chapter member rate. Please note that you will be contacted to confirm your chapter registration.
GUESTS - Bundle (Retreat + Membership) – $375.00
Registration includes the cost of attending and meals during the event (dinner on day #1, breakfast on day #2, and lunch on day #2).
The fee does not include lodging, but information on special hotel room rates will be emailed to all attendees after registration.
Guest registration ALSO includes an Annual Membership to NSA Carolinas (good for one year)

*If you are an NSA Carolinas member, please log in before registering and select the NSA Carolinas member ticket.

Registration includes the cost of attending and meals during the event (dinner on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday).

The fee does not include lodging.

** Important note on the hotel accommodation **

The block for the host hotel has expired and the rates are higher than average.

We recommend checking with the Fairfield Inn or Hawthorne Inn (both in downtown Winston Salem) to see if they have availability or hotels near the Hanes Mall area, which is about 10-15 minutes away from the event.

Seats are limited, so secure your spot today and be part of this impactful retreat that will shape the future of professional speaking!

Second Saturday Meetups (please check specific time for your Regional Meetup) (May 09, 2026)

Sat, 09 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT

These Meetups are regionally located, wherever a volunteer member Champion commits to hosting. A remote option (via Zoom) is also available.

GREATER RALEIGH (in-person): 9:00am - 10:00 am @ The Frontier, Blue Ridge Room, 800 Park Office Drive, Durham, NC 27709. (See "Address Note" below.) Area Champion: Alex Dumas (alex@speakeralexdumas.com) and Dr. Holly Sullenger (drhollyspeaks@gmail.com)
GREATER CHARLOTTE (in-person): 10:30am - 11:30am @ Charlotte Mecklenburg Library - SouthPark Regional Branch, 7015 Carnegie Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211, Area Champion: Allie Pleiter (alliepleiter@gmail.com)
PIEDMONT/TRIAD (in-person) 10:00am - 11:00am @ New Market Plaza, 970 South Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284 Area Champion: Sherman Transou (srtransou2@gmail.com), Carolyn Bennett-Sullivan (carolyn@carolynbsullivan.com)
REMOTE (virtually): @ 9:00am via Zoom (Zoom link will be included in the registration confirmation and reminder emails). Area Champion: John Edwards john@edwardsgroup.org)

NSA Carolinas is here to help you knock it out of the ballpark, and hit a home run in your Professional Speaker business. See you at our next 2nd Saturday!

###

For best results, try entering: ➡️ “800 Park Office Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27703” or use this direct Google Maps link.

###

Want an in-person 2nd Saturday location closer to you? Get in touch with us about being a champion so you can help host and pick the location!

Second Saturday Meetups (please check specific time for your Regional Meetup) (June 13, 2026)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

These Meetups are regionally located, wherever a volunteer member Champion commits to hosting. A remote option (via Zoom) is also available.

GREATER RALEIGH (in-person): 9:00am - 10:00 am @ The Frontier, Blue Ridge Room, 800 Park Office Drive, Durham, NC 27709. (See "Address Note" below.) Area Champion: Alex Dumas (alex@speakeralexdumas.com) and Dr. Holly Sullenger (drhollyspeaks@gmail.com)
GREATER CHARLOTTE (in-person): 10:30am - 11:30am @ Charlotte Mecklenburg Library - SouthPark Regional Branch, 7015 Carnegie Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211, Area Champion: Allie Pleiter (alliepleiter@gmail.com)
PIEDMONT/TRIAD (in-person) 10:00am - 11:00am @ New Market Plaza, 970 South Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284 Area Champion: Sherman Transou (srtransou2@gmail.com), Carolyn Bennett-Sullivan (carolyn@carolynbsullivan.com)
REMOTE (virtually): @ 9:00am via Zoom (Zoom link will be included in the registration confirmation and reminder emails). Area Champion: John Edwards john@edwardsgroup.org)

NSA Carolinas is here to help you knock it out of the ballpark, and hit a home run in your Professional Speaker business. See you at our next 2nd Saturday!

###

For best results, try entering: ➡️ “800 Park Office Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27703” or use this direct Google Maps link.

###

Want an in-person 2nd Saturday location closer to you? Get in touch with us about being a champion so you can help host and pick the location!

NSA Carolinas upcoming events

Second Saturday Meetups (*please check specific time for your Regional Meetup*) (April 11, 2026)

Speaker Development Series: Speaker Style: Why The Right Outfit Will Get You Booked More (April 15, 2026)

Key Takeaways

About the Speaker

NSA Carolinas Member Retreat: April 2026 (Theme: The Intersection of Ethics, Enterprise and Expertise) (April 17, 2026)

NSA Carolinas Member Retreat: A Weekend Dedicated to Growing Your Expertise in Professional Speaking

Event Details: Embassy Suites by Hilton Winston Salem 460 North Cherry Street Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101 USA April 17-18, 2026

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

Registration & Cost

Second Saturday Meetups (*please check specific time for your Regional Meetup*) (May 09, 2026)

Second Saturday Meetups (*please check specific time for your Regional Meetup*) (June 13, 2026)

Second Saturday Meetups (please check specific time for your Regional Meetup) (April 11, 2026)

Event Details:

Embassy Suites by Hilton Winston Salem
460 North Cherry Street Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101 USA
April 17-18, 2026

Second Saturday Meetups (please check specific time for your Regional Meetup) (May 09, 2026)

Second Saturday Meetups (please check specific time for your Regional Meetup) (June 13, 2026)