A Trade Show and Events Company Trusted Across the Industry — Now Bringing You an Unforgettable Opening Experience
Spoken Cinema, presented by The Expo Group, brings a one-of-a-kind live performance experience to your next conference, general session, or corporate event — where spoken word poetry, cinematic visuals, and original score collide to move a room in ways a keynote never could.
Every general session opener looks the same — until now. Spoken Cinema pairs the raw, insightful voice of acclaimed spoken word artist Steve Connell with dynamic custom animation, immersive visuals, and an original cinematic score, built specifically around your brand, your theme, or your message.
The result isn’t a speech. It’s a short film performed live — one that lands in the chest before it lands in the mind.
Whether it’s the opening moment of a general session, the emotional center of a gala, or the story that ties your entire conference theme together, Spoken Cinema gives your event something no other vendor on the floor can: a piece your attendees will talk about long after they’ve forgotten every slide deck.
Custom-Written for Your Brand – Every piece is written from scratch around your company’s story, theme, or mission — not repurposed from another client’s event.
Cinematic Production Value – Original score. Custom-animated visuals projected across your stage, screens, or arena. A fully produced multi-sensory experience, not a single spotlight and a mic.
A Voice with Real Credibility – Steve Connell has performed for President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Maya Angelou, and on stages including Sundance, the Kennedy Center, TEDMED, and the White House. He currently serves as Poet Laureate of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Proven at Scale – From intimate corporate gatherings to arena-sized productions — including a piece performed live at Bridgestone Arena featuring Olympic champion figure skaters — Spoken Cinema has been created for over 250 events and organizations worldwide.
A Fit for Any Program – General session openers. Conference themes. Product or rebrand launches. Galas and fundraisers. Association meetings. Sales kickoffs. If your event needs a moment that lands emotionally, Spoken Cinema is built for it.
Every organization has different goals, timelines, and resources. Spoken Cinema presented by The Expo Group is designed to meet you where you are, and where it fits on your program:
Sets the emotional tone for your entire event in under 10 minutes
Brings your event's core message to life through story, not slides
Turns a company milestone into a piece your audience feels
Creates the emotional high point of the evening
Sends attendees out with something that sticks
Booking a piece like Spoken Cinema shouldn’t mean juggling a separate vendor, a separate AV team, and a separate production timeline on top of everything else you’re managing for your show.
As your general service contractor, The Expo Group brings Spoken Cinema into your event alongside the staging, AV, rigging, and production you’re already trusting us to deliver — coordinated by the same team, on the same timeline, integrated into your existing show plan.
One point of contact. One production partner. One less thing standing between you and an unforgettable general session.
"Lightning in a bottle" — that's how clients consistently describe the experience of bringing Spoken Cinema into their event.
Trusted by organizations across credit unions, tech conferences, professional sports, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies to open, close, and anchor their most important moments.
