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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.
GDA Industry Insights
The Future of Event Planning: Trends and Tips for a Seamless Experience
Planning events is always a dynamic process, and staying ahead of trends can make all the difference. In this month's blog, Gail Davis shares insights on key trends event planners can anticipate as we move into the new year.
Trending Speakers
The Husband & Wife Duo That Every Event Needs: Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer
Every organization needs to book Sandra Joseph and Ron Bohmer. It is that simple. Whether you are a non-profit raising money for a great cause, an organization celebrating a milestone anniversary, or an association looking for an experience of a lifetime - Gail Davis shares her experience working with Sandra and Ron and how they will leave your audience entertained, uplifted, and inspired.
GDA History
Celebrating 25 Years of Setting Stages Worldwide
Have you noticed GDA Speakers' new logo? You guessed it - 2024 marks our 25th anniversary! In the coming months, we will be reflecting on the last quarter of a century through a series of blogs that offer insight into our journey, who we are as a business, and the impact we have had the privilege of bringing to stages worldwide. Read Gail's first blog of the new series.
Latest Blogs
GDA History
Celebrating 20 Years - Part 1
Have you noticed that GDA Speakers has a new logo? If you guessed that the “20” that's incorporated means that we're celebrating a 20th anniversary, you guessed correctly. Right now we're finalizing plans to commemorate this exciting milestone at a celebration we'll host later this year. In the meanwhile, as we lead up to the big day, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the last 20 years through a series of blogs and photos that offer insight into who we are and our journey through the last two decades.
GDA History
18th Anniversary Celebration - Founder's Talk
Eighteen years ago I walked away from a very rewarding career at EDS. I learned so much about business, problem solving and customer service from the Dallas-based IT company. As I started my company it was a bit of a hobby. I had one speaker, Nando Parrado, and an office in my home.
GDA History
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
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. It 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.
GDA History
Celebrating 15 Years With HR Houston
I spent yesterday at the 2014 Gulf Coast Symposium on HR Issues. It was a perfect place to be as I reflect on the past 15 years of business. HR Houston became a client in 2002 and I have booked their speakers every year since then. It has been so rewarding to have a client for 12 years and watch their conference grow from 200 to over 1800 human resource professionals.This year was really amazing. I loved their theme, Infinite Possibilities. I knew I was not missing this year's event once I saw this clever video promoting the conference. The video is worth the watch… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAWZ5SobY-w.
GDA History
DON'T HIRE MOVERS!
I am a big fan of outsourcing. I believe in letting experts do their thing. However, I just had the most incredible team bonding experience because we did it ourselves! This would not work for everyone. However, with the right team and the right circumstances, it was a fantastic experienceAfter 11 years in the same building, we moved our offices to the Uptown area of Dallas. The distance is 24 miles. We had a moving company come out and give us an estimate. And for the fun of it we made a wish list for the new office. All new furniture and a new VOIP phone system. As our wish list grew and we evaluated the cost of moving, we decided as a group to sell all our old stuff on Craig's list and move ourselves.December 1st was full court press on planning the move. I borrowed a tool from my event planning days, the detailed timeline. I completed the first draft, got the team involved and moved out of the way. Theresa and Ashley took ownership of the timeline and ran with it.
GDA History
Designing Women
Christmas is one week away. Where did the year go? What an amazing, exciting year it was … but man, what a whirlwind!Whirlwind is exactly what I'm looking at right now.After 16 years in my suburban home, I decided to buy a high rise condominium in Dallas. I was very fortunate to sell my home quickly with the buyers even purchasing everything in it! Literally, every piece of furniture, fixtures, decorations. Everything.In some ways, moving free from all the trappings of two decades was liberating. Moving from a larger home to a smaller urban space presented a great opportunity to get a new look.
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