Less Is More

Gail Davis, 17 May 2016

In 1995, while working on the other side of events as a meeting planner, I was in Maui with Rob Schneider.  He was so funny and I was looking for every opportunity to use him at EDS for our general session, awards night, recap video, anywhere he would fit.  Then he looked at me and shared something he learned on Saturday Night Live, “less is more.” He explained to me it is always better to leave the audience wanting more.

This advice has been valuable to me over the years in coaching speakers and clients for the maximum impact.  I recently found another great application for his lesson.  This month my company turned 17 years old.  In the beginning, I tracked the number of speakers in our database.  I was constantly updating the website to say GDA Speakers works with over 500, 1,000, 2,000 speakers.  Somewhere along the way that number got to 5,000.  That is when I remembered less is more.

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Six Speakers, Six Days, Three Cities….. Impressions.

Gail Davis, 03 February 2016

There is nothing like going on the road to gain a new perspective or to remind you of the basics when it comes to event planning.

I spent 20 years working on the other side of booking speakers as the Director of Corporate Incentive Events at EDS and now for almost the same length of time, I have been on the bureau side.  I walked away from my recent onsite visits with this collection of thoughts:

 

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The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Gail Davis, 15 May 2015

Nando Parrado is the inspiration and reason Gail Davis founded our company.  Recently, Gail was invited as an EO (Entrepreneur Organization) member to travel with Nando and introduce him on a three city Canadian tour.  On our 16th anniversary, we want to share Gail's introduction of Nando which takes us back to how she discovered Nando, the friendship they developed and how it lead to her entrepreneurial journey of founding GDA Speakers.  

NandoIt is my privilege and honor to introduce to you our next speaker, especially to a group of entrepreneurs. The fact Nando is here today speaking to you has a very strong tie to the entrepreneurial spirit.

When Nando shares his story with you today, I want you to notice how decisions were made, how they adapted to an unknown environment and the innovation they used to lead them out of the Andes. Just like many of us, Nando and his teammates found themselves in a situation they knew little about, but their drive to get out was stronger than their lack of knowledge. With the same spirit and determination leading Nando to safety has driven his career the last 40 year. He is unlike any other speaker I represent; mainly because he isn’t a speaker. Nando runs five businesses in Uruguay. He owns a chain of hardware stores, has an advertising agency, produces a number of television shows, is involved in real estate and more. He is a typical entrepreneur who loves being involved in a variety of things.

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Top “Plan B” Questions When Bad Weather Strikes

Gail Davis, 29 January 2015

With temperatures in the mid 70’s, I walked to work enjoying the clear skies and sunshine streaming on my face. But the great weather in Dallas did not distract me from keeping close tabs on the Northeast storm and news updates on flight cancelations.

Our clients expect us to know what is happening in the world that could possibly impact a booked speaking engagement. Inclement weather is at the top of the list, and our office was tuned in and ready to make some tough calls on behalf of our business clients and the speakers we represent. Last week we had to make a decision and hope you can benefit from the questions we asked to decide our course of action.

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Business Advice From a Veteran

Gail Davis, 21 November 2014

The contributions our veterans have made to protect and serve this country are immeasurable, but I also know that many of these men and women serve as valuable resources to corporate America.

I have the privilege of knowing Eric Maddox, the Army Interrogator behind Saddam Hussein's capture. While serving in Iraq, Eric’s breakthrough interrogation techniques revealed information from the dictator's inner circle that pinpointed the precise location of Saddam's Tikrit spider hole.

One day when talking with Eric I asked, “How did you accomplish this assignment when so many other attempts to find Hussein had failed?”

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Top A-Team Traits That Deliver Successful Results

Gail Davis, 03 November 2014

by Gail Davis

After 15 years matching top professional speakers with some of the world's most respected companies and organizations, I am often asked by other business leaders, “What's the secret of your success?”

Well, the secret is, it's not my success, it's the success of the whole team.

Recently after being asked this question, I decided to stop and think about the traits that make the team successful. It was a great personal and professional exercise to watch the team in action and fully appreciate each team member and how they work together as a cohesive group. 

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