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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Looking For Love Again: Abandoned Buildings That Ask Cities For Renewal

Not all forgotten American cities are struggling

Teju Cole uses his camera and his writing to pry open the cities he visits in ‘Blind Spot’

The secrets of the world’s happiest cities

The Graphic Designer Who Maps the World’s Cities by Smell

DataKind’s do-good data-science projects arrive in 5 more cities

Can We Build Happier Cities? (18:51)

Making Cities Happy (6:07)

How Cities Influence How We Feel and Behave (1:19:03)

How Bike Lanes Can Transform Our Cities

Charles Fishman: Why America’s Cities Need to Change Their Attitudes About Water

Speaking on Sandy, Climate Change, and the Future of Cities

Dreams for Future Cities

Charles Montgomery on The Urban Paradox: What Cities are Doing Right and Wrong

Charles Montgomery: The One Common Factor of Happy Cities

Making Cities Happy

Can We Build Happier Cities?

How Cities Influence How We Feel and Behave

Your Mental Health Awareness Month Event: The Top 10 Speakers on Meaning, Growth Mindset, and Rebuilding Trust

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Lavin’s cutting-edge speakers offer new perspectives on the 2024 theme: “Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World.” They reveal how to become your own best coach (instead of your worst critic), how to design cities that bring us together, and more.

The Top Juneteenth Speakers for 2024: On Racial Justice, Shared Freedom, and How the Past Influences the Future

Every Juneteenth, we commemorate the end of slavery, reflect on the progress we’ve made, and commit to our ongoing fight for true freedom and racial justice. Our brilliant speakers—including the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of On Juneteenth—illuminate the history and importance of this celebration.

Black History Month is More Important Now Than Ever Before. The 12 Top BHM Speakers on The Past, Present, and Future

From a member of the Little Rock Nine to the award-winning author of one of the country’s most challenged books, these 12 top Black History Month speakers show us how to honor the legacy and history of Black communities across America.

Top 10 AI Speaker Ajay Agrawal: Why You Can’t Afford to Be 2nd in the AI Future

Artificial Intelligence is disrupting our entire economy, which means that smart companies have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to consolidate power today, says AI leadership speaker Ajay Agrawal. As the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab, the largest incubator of AI startups on the planet, Ajay shows leaders like you practical ways to get ahead—and stay ahead—in the AI future.

Understanding Our History Is the Catalyst for Real Change: Lavin Welcomes #1 NYT Bestselling Author Clint Smith

Lavin is proud to welcome new exclusive speaker Clint Smith, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller How the Word Is Passed. In talks, he offers a compelling exploration of how the legacy of slavery continues to shape our cities, our policies, and the stories we tell—and how we can work towards a more equitable story for everyone.

Clint Smith

The legacy of slavery still shapes our cities, roads, and stories today. Understanding our history will help us make sense of our world—and fight for a better one.

Edward Burtynsky Shares His Major New Award with Ukraine’s Photographers

World-renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky was awarded a Sony World Photography Prize for outstanding contribution to photography, and he dedicated the award to the Ukrainian photographers diligently documenting the war launched by Vladimir Putin. At the event, Edward said: “As a Canadian-Ukrainian, I would like to share this award with the artists of Ukraine, many of […]

Charles Montgomery

The city you live in has a powerful effect on how you behave. How, then, do we design happy cities?

Lavin Speaker Round-Up: Decoding the Most Important Election of Our Lifetime

This year has been an unforgettable one, to say the least. Marked by a global pandemic, a worldwide call for racial justice, and the worst economic recession we’ve seen since the Great Depression, 2020 also happens to fall on an election year. Soon, we will decide on the next President of the United States—a decision […]

The Top 10 Social Activist Speakers Changing the World Today

Lavin’s Top 10 Social Activist Speakers are the thought-leaders and advocates pushing for a better world. Whether it’s through art, history, education, or humanitarian efforts, these speakers are not only calling for change, but actively making it happen.  LaToya Ruby Frazier: LaToya Ruby Frazier treats art as activism. With her powerful images of post-industrial towns […]

Lavin’s Top Happiness & Wellness Speakers Inspire Personal Growth and Positive Change

Everyone wants to be happy and healthy—but it doesn’t come easy. The pressure of performing well at work and having a fulfilling personal life can often be hard to manage—and that’s where Lavin’s Top Happiness & Wellness Speakers come in. Experts in how to actively enhance our inner lives and outer selves, they inspire audiences […]

Rick Mercer Hosts the Upcoming Just For Laughs Comedy Tour Across the Nation

The last time Rick Mercer hosted the iconic comedy showcase was a whopping 16 years ago. On October 23rd, he will pick the mic up once again, kicking off a cross-country tour starting in NewFoundland and ending in British Columbia.  Last year, Rick Mercer said goodbye to his beloved CBC program The Rick Mercer Report […]

Get to Know Lavin’s MacArthur “Geniuses”!

This year Titus Kaphar and Vijay Gupta join a whopping SIX other Lavin Speakers in receiving MacArthur “Genius” Grants—a prestigious honor awarded to those who are forging truly significant progress towards “building a more just, verdant and peaceful world.” Get to know Lavin’s “geniuses”: Titus Kaphar’s sculptures, paintings, and installations create new and striking ways […]

To Build a Better Society, Social Infrastructure like the Library Is Precisely What We Need.

“Libraries don’t just provide free access to books and other cultural materials,” says sociologist, bestselling author, and speaker Eric Klinenberg, whose just-released book, Palaces for the People, excerpted in The New York Times Opinion section this week, makes the compelling case that libraries, parks, churches, and other community spaces, are absolutely crucial to the future of American […]

In His New Book, Celebrated Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah Disarms Identity

The question of who you think you are is inextricably linked to what you think you are. That is, what gender, religion, race, nationality, class, culture. In Kwame Anthony Appiah’s latest book, The Lies That Bind, the celebrated philosopher and bestselling author explores, disarms, and repositions the collective, contradictory identities that are responsible not only […]

Productive Ease, Meaningful Work, Peaceful Communities: Three Speakers Offer Plans for Happiness at Work and Beyond

Consider the possibility of handling the everyday challenges of work, school, city dwelling, and creative pursuits with nothing more than your own mind. Speakers Daniel Lerner, Emily Esfahani Smith, and Charles Montgomery lay out straightforward actions towards living well, avoiding burnout, and maintaining your performance at work. Happiness is just one part of it.    Daniel Lerner: Balancing Passion with Everything Else     Sometimes it seems […]