With the Business Technology Association (BTA) streamlining its slate of member events down to two per year, Adam Gregory knew it was important for the 2025 National Conference—slated for June 17-19 in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico—to offer a high-impact keynote speaker. Gregory, the BTA national president and top exec at Advanced Business Solutions, was looking for star power. After a little cajoling and negotiating, that’s exactly what he got.
The 2025 BTA National will be graced by football legend, Dancing With the Stars champion and successful entrepreneur Emmitt Smith. A member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame, Smith spent 13 of his 15 seasons as a running back with the Dallas Cowboys, which captured three Super Bowl titles in four years behind his rushing escapades.
Smith, both a regular-season and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, teamed with quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin to make “America’s Team” the toast of the NFL in the 1990s. It also spurred coach Jimmy Johnson’s iconic remark, “How about them Cowboys?” Smith retired following the 2004 season as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards, a record that still stands.
His second act has been nearly as impressive. Smith’s a commercial real estate developer, having ushered in numerous large-scale projects. He teamed with professional dancer Cheryl Burke to win the third season of Dancing with the Stars. And just last year, he opened Emmitt’s Vegas, a high-end restaurant on the city’s famed strip.
Smith will bring his wisdom, wit and business insights to the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa to deliver the keynote address, “Lessons From the Gridiron: Emmitt Smith on Leadership & Success.” Gregory felt such a bold stroke would resonate with fellow BTA members.
“It took a lot of negotiating, and for a while we were in a crunch and afraid it might fall through,” he admitted. “We brought the board together and decided it was time to put on a new face for the BTA. Instead of the speakers we’ve all heard before, it was time to step it up a little bit.”
While the booking was also a considerable step up from past keynote speakers in terms of cost, Gregory felt the price was justified. He also believed it sent a message to BTA members both current and prospective.
“I rallied the troops and did a bit of politicking,” Gregory said. “Although it costs more money, what if it changes the direction of what we do? We wanted to show people that the association wants to go forward and not stagnate.”
Once Gregory shared the news of Smith’s upcoming appearance at the BTA National in a LinkedIn video, he was inundated with phone calls and DMs. “This is not normal; it doesn’t usually happen,” he added of the overwhelming response.
Mike Marusic—president and CEO of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America—will have the honor of interviewing Smith in a fireside chat conversation. Sharp and Xerox are major sponsors; John Bruno, president and COO of Xerox, is also set to deliver a keynote titled “Xerox’s Reinvention: Pioneering a New Growth Chapter,” that looks at how the OEM is expanding beyond print.
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Gregory was also able to confirm that the Fall Colors Retreat, which has been held in Asheville, North Carolina, is seeing its next conference bumped to 2026 as the city continues to rebuild following Hurricane Helene last fall. Fall Colors might be held every other year moving forward, Gregory noted, as BTA looks to reduce its number of conferences.
