Lamar Engel is a nationally recognized keynote speaker and hospitality strategist known for helping leaders and teams transform the way they create connection. With more than 20 years of experience across the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley, Los Angeles, and Orange County, he has built a career centered on service excellence, emotional intelligence, and memorable guest experience.

Lamar’s approach was shaped during his time overseeing hospitality across legendary properties including the historical Inglenook Estate in Napa Valley, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, and Café Zoetrope. There, he learned a defining truth: people remember how you make them feel. That insight inspired him to challenge industry culture of pretension and create a more human, inclusive style of engagement.

He later founded The Wine Militia, a team of sommeliers and hospitality professionals dedicated to delivering interactive, down to earth learning experiences for corporate groups and events. His programs blend leadership insights, hospitality principles, and immersive storytelling to inspire audiences to communicate with clarity, lead with presence, and create stronger relationships.

Lamar has designed and led large scale corporate keynotes, executive workshops, and experiential programs for companies throughout the country. His work has contributed to major industry recognition and he is consistently rated as a top speaker at national conferences. At the core of his message is a guiding belief:“ Hospitality is not an industry. It is a human responsibility. Every guest should leave feeling seen, valued, smarter, and more connected than when they arrived. That is the revolution.”

Executives and event leaders turn to Lamar for his energy, presence, humor, and ability to engage every audience in ways that are both meaningful and unforgettable.