Simon Banks

Simon Banks Book as a speaker/entertainer for your next event

Key Points for Simon Banks

Simon Banks is known for his energy on stage, being extremely easy to work with and having a finely honed sense of humour. His particular talent is audience interaction and engagement – a critical piece of any event or facilitation jigsaw.
He has facilitated over 1300 successful events across Europe, Asia, America and Australia, including keynotes, conferences and events, visual storytelling programs, and creativity, innovation and design thinking workshops.
Has worked to bring fresh thinking and innovation to companies that include: EY; Chevron; BHP Billiton; Sportsbet; Laing O’Rourke; NAB; Geoscience Australia; University of Technology Sydney; The Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science; and Volkswagen to name a few.
Author of A Thousand Little Lightbulbs: How to kickstart a culture of Innovation in your Organisation, Simon brings you a BS-free guide to dealing with your creative ogre, taking off the blinkers and leveraging the greatest innovation tool in your business: your people.
He lives and breathes creativity. He’s also a talented professional artist, exhibiting both in Australia and the UK, has lectured at the National Gallery of England and has developed programs for institutions such as The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.
Combined with a 20-year corporate career, Simon brings these two worlds together to enable his clients to shift their thinking, develop their endless human potential and build essential future workforce skills that last long after the event is over.
If you’re after a keynote speaker, event facilitator or innovation specialist who can help you build the skills you need to thrive in the future of work and who also has the professionalism, creative flair and energy your audience expect, you’ve found him.

Topics for Simon Banks

Future skills: It’s time to be human
Welcome to the workplace of the future. It’s a new way of thinking, being and working built around imagination, empathy, multidisciplinary thinking and curiosity, something we all have in abundance, if we choose to use it. Explore that ‘if’ and find out what gets created in the space we give it. It’s time to be human.
A thousand little lightbulbs
Kickstarting a culture of innovation (change which adds value) can feel pretty hard but it doesn’t have to. You don’t have to ride a unicycle or start eating kale salads, I promise (though I won’t stop you if you want to). Small steps can make a huge difference, so if you’re looking to kickstart a culture of innovation, fulfil your organisation’s potential and have a constant stream of little lightbulb moments this keynote is for you.
Busting assumptions
Technology is driving and forcing change at a pace never seen, however technology by itself Is not enough. The intersection of humanity, creativity and technology is the most exciting part and where we will see the most revolutionary strides in the future. Digital transformation and human transformation go hand in hand. Embrace the marriage of human and tech with this inspiring keynote.
Crafting beautiful stories
Humans have been telling stories since day one. They’re an essential part of our communication. A good story makes us think and feel, and speaks to us in ways that numbers, data, and dull presentation slides simply can’t. Learn why we need to put information in a way that our 21st Century minds crave – simple, meaningful and engaging. Whilst technology can spice up storytelling, it’s the most basic human traits of human connection that drive a story and its ability to cut through and make meaning for your audience.
Getting to yes
Ideas can get stuck or shut down all too easily, killing inspiration and innovation in their tracks. Getting to yes is a highly interactive keynote session that uses the principles of improv theatre, storytelling and Simon’s unique delivery style. He enables delegates to move to a place where rewarding conversations, captivating stories and great ideas exist and enable a culture of innovation and freshness to thrive every day.
Master of Ceremonies
Workshop and event facilitator
Workshop Topics
Simon delivers a wide variety of workshops that shift people’s stale thinking and develop skills essential for thriving in the future of work.
These include:
- Design thinking
- Design sprints
- Visual storytelling and visual communication
- Innovation and innovation hackathons
- Co-Creation and co-design programs
- Storytelling
- Rapid prototyping
- Creativity and problem solving
- Visual strategy programs

Testimonials for Simon Banks

I would like to thank you for your role as facilitator and MC at the Department of Transport and Main Roads DG Customer Led Innovation Challenge. Your role was integral to making the day a success and was greatly appreciated by myself and all the participants.
Director General
QLD Department of Main Roads

What a cracking event yesterday. Everything was superb. Everyone’s still talking about it. The vibe in the office is charged, as it was at the event also. Absolutely nailed the brief and got everyone excited about our new brand. Thanks for keeping so cool under pressure and a huge thanks to your team for being so wonderful and helping us during the madness that was the room set up. YOU’RE AMAZING!!!
Senior Internal Communications & Events Specialist
REST Industry Super

We called on Simon to help us with an internal event we held recently. From the outset he was brilliant, from thoroughly understanding our needs through to fulfilling his role as MC. Simon was able to engage the audience, inject energy and keep everyone entertained. The feedback from attendees was exceptional and left the crowd wanting more.
Agile Coach - Digital
Commonwealth Bank

Simon facilitated our inaugural innovation event in September 2016 in Melbourne, where over a dozen teams participated. He brought great energy to the session, engaged the teams very well, coached us along the way, and made the event fun. Simon is a great presenter and facilitator and I would recommend him for other organisations looking to run innovation sessions, hackathons, or similar events.
Head of Insights
eNett

Simon recently facilitated at our Senior Leaders Workshop - he was fantastic at keeping the group motivated and is very adaptable. He reads people extremely well so can quickly adjust the flow on the day to deliver the right outcomes - and ensures energy levels never wane. His visual creations of the day / session add another valuable dimension to any event.
Head of Internal Communication
METCASH

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for work at the conference last week, the day was excellent and the feedback we are receiving about you and the overall day is the best ever! I think you were a great addition both years, you kept the exercises different each time which certainly helped and I think staff were all really happy, particularly the way you managed the event.
Manager Marketing and Media Marketing and Sales
QLD TAFE

Simon supported me in a bid for new work. His creative skills and imagination helped us communicate our proposition in a highly effective way and I believe this helped differentiate us from our competition. He was very professional, organised and flexible which helped us meet a very tight deadline. I look forward to working with him again soon.
Executive Director
Ernst and Young

I tasked Simon with the job of MC and session facilitator at a national conference for accountants - Not the easiest of audiences, yet Simon’s unharnessed energy ensured the room remained engaged for the entire 3 days. Simon’s is fun, dynamic and forces the listener to move outside their comfort zone (in the right way). I have had the pleasure of working with Simon on numerous occasions and would personally recommend him to anyone seeking a speaker with a difference.
Practice Manager
Hayes Knight (SA)

Everyone absolutely LOVED the experience. They were still talking about and referencing their experience on Friday! After 9 years – I’ve finally topped the best event!! Everyone was so engaged, Friday night was beyond hilarious. The laughing from everyone, cheering – was just incredible! Thank you again for making it such a tremendous success.
HR Manager Australia & New Zealand
Sennheiser

You were a breath of fresh air after a long day of travel and content-heavy presentations. You obviously have a gift for what you do! Loved the “breaking the ice” activities, which loosened everyone up, and the activity itself really got participants outside their comfort zones, thinking differently, networking and having fun all at the same time!
Sponsorship Advisor
Suncorp Group

Simon Banks is a man passionate about a topic critical to Australia’s future: people and creativity. How grateful can we be that he has taken his wealth of knowledge and condensed it in an easy-to-read book that is fun, cuts to the chase and contributes in a thousand little ways. The ‘answer’ may be rarely that simple, but Simon leads the way to finding it and I would recommend this book to anyone at any level. It is a superb read.
Louise Mahler
Leadership Influencer, International Keynote speaker, Author and Coach

The feedback has been nothing short of fantastic. Again thanks Simon for pulling off what will be a memorable night and of course now the bar for next year’s conference is set very high. Great job and really enjoyed working with you. General Manager Small Business Programs & Services
Telstra