Once a year, Red Ventures hosts one giant event designed to celebrate and inspire the people behind our success – our employees. We call it: Culture FEST.
This year, dozens of RVers took the main stage to present our biggest achievements of the year; four teams went head-to-head-to-head-to-head in the first-ever “RV World Cup” soccer competition; one employee juggled knives over the CEO’s head (really), we all hung out with an astronaut, and we closed things out with a fireworks grand finale over the office.
Here are 10 things we learned:
1. Apparently, Red Ventures started as a “paper-based search engine” ….whatever that was supposed to mean.
Co-founder Dan Feldstein dug deep into his vault to share the story of how we started, how we became the global giant we are today, and important lessons we’ve learned along the way. The big one? Focus first on people. You can get everything else right along the way.
2. Tiny changes can make a big difference.
Amy Cuddy explained the impact your body language has on your mindset and your perception of others. The takeaway? Don’t just THINK big. Take up space in the real, physical world to feel – and be – more powerful.
3. Our Chief Privacy Officer plays a killer trombone AND he’s secretly an award-winning salsa dancer.
Who knew?!
This salsa is hotter than RV’s firewalls.
ENHANCE.
4. A lot has changed in RV Sales, but some things never change.
Two of our best and most experienced sales pros, Andre Santana and Chris Chen, walked us through the evolution of our sales culture through the years…. and then they pied their boss in the face in front of nearly 2,000 of their coworkers.
5. 2018 was a championship year.
VP of Corporate Development Ryan Ratcliffe outlined how we proved our investment thesis correct this year (and then some) with acquisitions and growth of our brands like Bankrate and Allconnect.
6. We. Are. Global.
Nearly 2,000 RVers from 3 different continents joined us for this event. And in true RV competitive fashion, teams from the UK, Brazil, and the US faced off in an indoor soccer tournament – which escalated quickly.
7. ENERGY.
We started a new tradition of giving every single presenter a standing ovation, and our own Taylor Goddard kicked off each morning with an opening number.
8. Impossible things happen.
Colonel Chris Hadfield (astronaut, former commander of the International Space Station, an all-around genius), made us feel like kids again with amazing stories from space and a powerful message about chasing big ideas.
9. One hour with Leymah Gbowee is enough to change your life.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner blew us away with her charm, her courage, and her message about seeing humanity in all things first.
10. Always end the party with fireworks.
Bonus: A guest appearance by DJ Whethan doesn’t hurt.
Want more #RVCultureFEST? Check out highlights on social media, watch the highlights reel, and see how we grew since last year’s Culture FEST right here.
