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Inside the Ultimate WOW Experience
What turns an event into a true WOW experience? Gail Davis shares her experience being onsite at an unforgettable event in Amarillo, TX, where powerful performances, meaningful community impact, and unexpected moments came together in a way attendees will never forget.
GDA Industry Insights
The Secret to Long-Term Client Relationships
The strongest client relationships aren't built when everything goes perfectly. They're built through trust, honest conversations, and how you work together when things don't go according to plan. Gail Davis shares lessons from decades of client partnerships and why trust is one of the most valuable things a business can earn.
GDA Industry Insights
How We Stack Up in the Age of AI
Gail Davis shares how GDA Speakers is embracing AI while staying true to what has always set us apart: relationships, experience, and personalized service that helps event planners make confident decisions.
GDA Technology
Your GDA Advantage: Our Client Portal & Polling Feature
At GDA Speakers, we believe event planning should be empowering—not exhausting. Over the years, we've embraced technology not just to keep up with change, but to stay ahead of your needs. Gail Davis dives into how our exclusive GDA Client Portal and polling feature were built to support you with transparency, efficiency, and heart.
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In Remembrance of Randy Snow
Randy Snow was a great person, a special friend and professional speaker. He passed away suddenly on Thursday, Nov 19 while volunteering at a wheelchair tennis camp in El Salvador, doing something he loved.Since 2003, we booked Randy 46 times for our clients. He always got great reviews. He was a dream to work with from our perspective as well as our clients'. He loved meeting people and sharing his message.I am writing this blog to record my special memories of Randy Snow. Randy reached out to us back in 2003 and said he was getting into the speaking business and he knew we were a locally based bureau so he wanted to stop by and bring us lunch. At the time, we were an all female staff with typical female concerns regarding food…..all health conscious and watching our weight. We agreed for Randy to bring us lunch. I will never forget him wheeling up the sidewalk with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, gravy and two liters of Mountain Dew! I laughed so hard and teased him about not knowing women at all!Randy was so accessible and reasonable that he became our “go to” speaker for folks with limited budgets. We crafted some great deals. We really hit the jackpot back in 2005 when Randy spoke to Nestle Waters and created a talk on safety. The word spread and we booked him eight times for various plants across the country.I knew Randy as a speaker and a friend. Since his death I have learned so much more. A harsh reminder of how we often do not really know those in our own midst. This past year, I have been taking my car to a dealership in Arlington and always turn on Randy Snow Road. I always thought it was funny and kept intending to mention it to Randy. I learned after his death that the street was named after him. He had transferred to UTA from UT and joined the fledgling Mavericks wheelchair basketball team. The street was named after Randy in 1984 when he attracted world-wide attention at the 1984 Summer Olympics when he finished second in the 1,500 meter wheelchair race immediately after Carl Lewis won a gold medal in a race. The publicity gave wheelchair athletes an unprecedented platform to show the world what they could do. A few weeks later, the city of Arlington renamed Midway Road as Randy Snow Road for his silver medal performance.
Trending Speakers
Domestic Violence
You would have to be living under a rock to not know about the recent Chris Brown and Rihanna incident. Larry King, Oprah and everything in between is covering this topic.Domestic violence is a sad and complicated issue. It's an issue that never goes away, that people need to keep hearing about.That's why we're proud to represent Leslie Morgan Steiner. Leslie is the author of “Crazy Love” – a new book released on March 28.Leslie is someone I have truly enjoyed getting to know. From the first moment you meet her, you're drawn to her warm and open personality. She is attractive and confident. It does not take long to realize how smart she is. Her degrees from Harvard and Wharton come as no surprise.I first got to know Leslie when her husband was a client. I remember thinking it was so neat that he was so very proud of her. He told me about her shortly after she published her first book, “Mommy Wars.”
Trending Speakers
It Was No Coincidence
I believe there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason.I had a big birthday last year. I planned my own party and had friends flying in from all over the world to celebrate. Two days before the big event, I was asked to attend a presentation at my church. The timing was not good as I had my focus on other things. The person issuing the invite said, “Gail, you don't want to miss this.”In my experience, especially when I look at amazing discoveries like Nando Parrado and Cathleen Lewis and Rex Lewis-Clack, those are the calls that peak my interest.The speakers that evening were Kristina Wandzilak and her mother, Constance Curry.I went to hear them speak and I was completely blown away.Kristina and Connie wrote The Lost Years - a book they coauthored in 2006.The Lost Years is a heartfelt story about the struggles, dangers and disappointments of drug and alcohol abuse. It's a beautiful reminder that you should never lose hope … that it's never too late for a happy ending.The story is powerful and engaging. Although the message is “tough stuff,” it provides so much hope. Unfortunately, I think it is one of those stories too many of us can relate to, which is exactly why their story needs to be told.
Trending Speakers
Let's Get Healthy with Todd Whitthorne and Gail's Tips for Healthy Meetings
It is overdone and cliché and yet I continue to be drawn to all the news articles giving tips on how to achieve better health in 2009.I noticed that Oprah is doing five (yes, five) special programs this week focusing on how 2009 will be her year to finally achieve true health.Of course, I grabbed the latest People magazine with one inspiring story after another on how regular folks lost half their weight.It isn't often you see a sensible real life example in front of your own eyes – which is exactly the reason we are featuring Todd Whitthorne on our home page this month.Todd is President and CEO of Cooper Concepts, a division of the famed Cooper Aerobics Center. He also happens to be one of our most sought after speakers.Every time we book Todd, we get rave reviews. He has several different presentation topics, but most of my clients love the presentation called “Fit to Lead.” In this presentation Todd explains how employees and employers can (and must) work together to impact not only the waistline, but the bottom-line as well. From reduced medical costs, increased productivity and lower absenteeism, this information can ultimately save your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Trending Speakers
Nando, Sonia, Tim and 2008
Just yesterday, Nando Parrado addressed one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. And he did it in Portuguese.I'm constantly amazed at the talents of our speakers, but more than that, the opportunity they have (and we by way of working with them) to tell their stories and touch lives around the world.When I look at it that way, 2008 was a banner year for touching lives. And I was privileged to be in the audience for many of those moments.For example, a complex issue like immigration can be polarizing, but Sonia Nazario puts a human face on the topic. I was lucky to work with her earlier this year.As a Pulitzer Prize winning author and former Los Angeles Times columnist, she knows about immigration. She made the trek from South America to the U.S. on top of a train in order to understand the odyssey of young children trying to get to their mothers. Her presentation is full of facts, awesome photography of griping images, and the complete backstory to go with it.Of course, the client made a lot of great decisions that were perfect for her presentation. The venue was an old rail station and the typical floral arrangements were replaced with cars from an antique train set.
Trending Speakers
Timing is Everything ... and Steve Forbes, too.
I received word on Friday afternoon that Rex Lewis-Clack and his mother, Cathleen Lewis, would not be appearing on 60 Minutes. Rather, this week's program would feature President-Elect Obama. Disappointing, but completely appropriate.As a 60 Minutes junkie, I tuned in to watch. It was a great conversation between Steve Kroft and the Obamas. An excerpt below gives you the flavor:STEVE KROFT: Have there been moments when you've said, ‘What did I get myself into?' BARACK OBAMA: I will say that the challenges that we're confronting are enormous. And they're multiple. And so there are times during the course of a given a day where you think, "Where do I start in terms of moving-- moving things forward?" And I think that part of this next two months is to really get a clear set of priorities, understanding we're not going be able to do everything at once, making sure the team is in place, and moving forward in a very deliberate way and sending a clear signal to the American people that we're going to be thinking about them and what they're going through.No matter what business you're in - running a country or running a corporation - everyone is setting priorities for 2009.I give a presentation to industry groups and clients on the strategies and tactics for selecting a keynote speaker. One of the top priorities: trying to anticipate what will be the current event when your event occurs.
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