How do you book a speaker at the San Francisco-based Commonwealth Club, the nation’s leading public affairs forum?
Dr. Gloria Duffy, president and CEO of this prestigious organization, spoke on this subject at the May 27 PR Roundtable Luncheon as well as on a range of issues relevant to the Commonwealth Club’s history, operations and future plans.
Thirty PR Roundtable members and guests listened as Dr. Duffy explained how she, Club staff and a committee of volunteers identify potential speakers and topics. The Club selects speakers and moderators for some 470 events each year based on “what is important and interesting and what we think people will attend,” said Dr. Duffy. Events take place in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Lafayette and Marin County.
The Commonwealth Club attracts the highest level of speakers including world and industry leaders, powerful influencers, cultural icons and prominent academics. It brings together experts on current events and niche topics and pays no speaker fees or travel expenses. “Our speakers volunteer,” said Dr. Duffy.
Dr. Duffy stressed the Club’s role as a neutral platform for exchanging multiple, diverse viewpoints on every kind of significant issue, which is consistent with the Club’s founding mission.
She recounted how five men, led by San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer Edward F. Adams formed the Commonwealth Club in 1903 so people “could talk in a reasonable manner.” At the time, San Francisco existed as a remote outpost for news while its citizens clamored for information on current events. Well-known male leaders of the era joined the Club, lending it cachet.
Its rich tradition broadened to include women in 1971 such as former child star Shirley Temple Black, who served as Ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976 and Commonwealth Club president in 1984.
Today, anyone can join the Commonwealth Club and 21,000 people have done so. Its reach extends far beyond its membership through multi-media broadcasts across a variety of platforms including 230 radio stations and countless podcast downloads.
Dr. Duffy proudly shared the Club’s new marketing initiatives designed to attract the coveted 21- to 35-year-old demographic. During this recent recession, the Commonwealth Club began hosting Job Fairs for young people. The Job Fairs proved “wildly popular,” giving rise to the development of InForum, a series of public affairs events for young professionals, which attracted 1,500 new members.
Currently, Dr. Duffy is engaged in raising money for the Commonwealth Club’s first wholly-owned, permanent headquarters, which is scheduled to break ground on June 11 next to Boulevard restaurant on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. She promises all kinds of technology to expand the venerable institution’s capacity and invaluable public service to new audiences.
As one of the Club’s longer-serving presidents since 1996, Dr. Duffy has ushered the Commonwealth Club into the 21st century. She has preserved and enhanced the Club’s mission while significantly expanding its reach and impact on our world.
For more information about Dr. Gloria Duffy and the Commonwealth Club, please click here.