EVENTS

Oprah will visit Naples to speak at global conference

Dave Osborn
Naples

Oprah Winfrey is coming to Collier.

She will speak at The Ritz-Carlton beach resort in North Naples during the CME Group Global Financial Leadership Conference, scheduled for Nov. 18-19.

Other big names scheduled to speak are Gen. John Kelly, who was White House chief of staff for President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019; Lloyd Blankfein, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2018; TV journalist Katie Couric; Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico from 2006 to 2018; Andrew Card, White House chief of staff under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006; Stephen Attenborough, director of Virgin Atlantic; Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport; Denis McDonough, White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017; and Roger McNamee, a Silicon Valley investor and author.

In case you missed it:Oprah opens 2020 tour in South Florida, see Amy Grant this month

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2016 file photo, Oprah Winfrey attends the world premiere of "BOO! A Madea Halloween" in Los Angeles. Weight Watchers stock is gaining Thursday, Dec. 22, after another weight loss announcement by Winfrey. The former talk show host, who owns a stake in Weight Watchers, said in a new ad that she lost more than 40 pounds on the plan while still being able to eat pasta and tacos. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)

The gathering is expected to draw as many as 350 of the Chicago-based CME Group's top clients from around the world. The cost to attend is $2,995. 

Terry Duffy, CME Group executive chairman and president, began the conference in Naples a dozen years ago.

Chicago-based CME Group is an American futures company, one of the largest of its kind in the world. CME Group owns the Dow Jones stock and financial indexes and other financial exchanges.

Duffy, who has a part-time home in Naples, once said bringing the conference to Southwest Florida was a no-brainer.

Terry Duffy, left, CME Group executive chairman and president, discusses business with Gary Cohn, chief operating officer and president of Goldman Sachs, on Tuesday at The Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort in North Naples at the ninth annual Global Financial Leadership Conference.

"When we talked about bringing it to Naples, there was no question to have it here," Duffy told the Daily News in 2014. "People can feel relaxed."

Past speakers have included former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush; secretaries of state Hillary Rodham Clinton and Condoleezza Rice; former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker; former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown; and actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

"It's a unique conference because no one is being hassled to buy anything," Duffy told the Daily News a few years ago. "And they get a chance to talk to a very diverse group of speakers, on top of it."

More:Bill Clinton, George W. Bush to speak at business conference in North Naples

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