Celebrating 25 Years Part 6: The Three-Legged Stool

Gail Davis, 19 September 2024

As I reflect on the past 25 years in business, there are three groups of people I want to take the time to recognize as the pillars of GDA’s success.

The three-legged stool analogy is the perfect way to describe these groups. Without loyal CLIENTS who book our speakers, we would not be a thriving business. Without SPEAKERS who stand and deliver, we have nothing to offer our clients. And without a talented TEAM, we could not serve either our clients or our speakers.

CLIENTS

In our 25 year history we have booked over 5,123 speaking engagements. We have loyal clients that have been with us since the very early years, including:

• Crystal Cruise Lines - GDA client since 1999
• HR Houston - GDA client since 2002
• Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation - GDA client since 2008
• Equinix - GDA client since 2010
• AT&T Learning & Development - GDA client since 2015

We are forever grateful for a quarter of a century of partnerships. A special shout out to the Young Presidents' Organization and Entrepreneurs' Organization - these two groups represent 25% of our total bookings!

We think of our clients as an organization or a specific contact - but in the end, the client is the audience who listens to each speaker take the stage.

SPEAKERS

Next I want to acknowledge all of the speakers we work with. They represent GDA as much as we represent them. In most instances we work directly with the speaker or their office. Sometimes we partner with other agencies in our industry, while other times we work with management companies. No matter which manner we work together, thank you to each and every speaker we’ve booked for being our partners. Thank you for being responsive, showing up, delivering valuable insights and content, making us look good on site, and always aiming to achieve the ultimate client experience - we couldn’t do it without you.

TEAM

I realized a long time ago that I could have the best clients and the best speakers, but I could not do it alone. There are many former GDA employees that I must acknowledge - too many to call out in the space of this blog - but know that I’m grateful for you and the mark you made on GDA. Many of you were there in the early days when I was learning and trying to figure things out. You believed in me and GDA’s mission and have continued to cheer us on. Thank you for your continued friendship and support.

Finally, we come to the current GDA team who represent the talent and future of our organization. Each team member brings so much joy, passion, expertise, and dedication to their role every day.

Dallas-based GDA team members

Denver-based team member Debbie Barela & Gail Davis

In humble gratitude, thank you all. Here’s to another amazing 25 years!