Applied AI Speakers — Event & Business Mastery
Deb Nells Porter
President & CEO, Debutante Inc. • Certified Wedding & Event Planner • Small Business Growth Consultant • Official Wedding Planner, Queenslake Horse Farm
“Every milestone deserves a grand introduction. Whether it’s a wedding, a corporate conference, or a community celebration — every detail matters.”
— Deb Nells Porter, President & CEO, Debutante Inc.
Her Story
20+ Years of Grand Introductions
Deborah Nells-Porter is the President and CEO of Debutante, Inc. — a premium special event planning and small business growth consulting firm based in Georgetown, Kentucky. With 20+ years of experience and 100s of events planned, Deb has become one of the Bluegrass State's most trusted names in life celebrations and business strategy.
A Hiram College alumna and current member of the Hiram College Board of Trustees, Deb brings rare dual expertise to every engagement: the meticulous eye of a Certified Wedding & Event Planner and the strategic mind of a senior-level management professional with a background at Kroger Technology. She is the official wedding planner for Queenslake Horse Farm — a 140-acre estate in Georgetown, KY — and a preferred vendor at the Hilton Garden Inn for three consecutive years.
Deb's event portfolio spans intimate family gatherings to large corporate events with thousands of attendees, including the Bluegrass Bridal Festival (featured on WKYT-TV), the Bluegrass Tea Party & Fashion Show at Queenslake, and executive retreats for regional and national organizations. She is also a food truck community organizer and a connector of people, businesses, and causes across Central Kentucky.
Her philosophy is simple: every milestone deserves a grand introduction. Whether planning a wedding, a corporate conference, or a community celebration, Deb brings decades of experience and an unwavering commitment to excellence to every detail.
Featured on WKYT-TV — Bluegrass Bridal Festival
Media & Recognition
The Bluegrass Bridal Festival
Deb’s Bluegrass Bridal Festival was featured on WKYT-TV as “A Bridal Experience Like No Other” — a testament to her ability to create signature events that capture regional attention and establish lasting community traditions.
From the Bluegrass Tea Party & Fashion Show at Queenslake Horse Farm to large corporate conferences and executive retreats, Deb’s events are known for one thing: every detail is executed to perfection.
The Tandem Keynote
The AI-Powerup for High-Touch Businesses
Deb Nells Porter's story is a masterclass in what AI calls 'high-touch at scale' — the art of delivering deeply personal, detail-obsessed experiences across hundreds of events and thousands of guests simultaneously. In her tandem keynote with John Chmela, Deb's world of event planning and small business consulting becomes the perfect canvas for demonstrating how AI transforms the way entrepreneurs and event professionals operate.
John's AI-Jacking framework deconstructs Deb's 20+ year blueprint — the vendor relationships, the client communication systems, the design workflows, the business development strategies — and re-engineers each one with AI tools that any small business owner can use immediately. From AI-generated event proposals and automated client follow-up sequences to AI-powered vendor sourcing and budget optimization, the keynote gives audiences a practical, immediately actionable AI upgrade for their own businesses.
The result is a keynote that resonates deeply with entrepreneurs, event professionals, hospitality leaders, and anyone running a service-based business who wants to grow without sacrificing the personal touch that makes them irreplaceable.
Keynote Topics
What Deb & John Speak About
The Grand Introduction: How to Launch Any Business, Event, or Idea with Unforgettable Impact
High-Touch at Scale: Using AI to Deliver Personalized Experiences to Hundreds of Clients
From Milestone to Movement: Building a Brand Around Life's Most Meaningful Moments
The Small Business AI Upgrade: Practical Tools for Event Planners and Service Entrepreneurs
Vendor Ecosystems and Strategic Partnerships: How to Build a Network That Sells for You
Details That Matter: The Art and Science of Flawless Event Execution
Audience Fit
Who Benefits Most
Event planning and hospitality professionals; small business owners and entrepreneurs; wedding industry associations; women in business conferences; corporate event teams; Kentucky and regional business associations; anyone who runs a service-based business and wants to grow with AI while preserving the human touch.