CrowdStrike was founded in 2011 and is an American cybersecurity technology company based in Sunnyvale, California. Co-founders George Kurtz and Dmitri Alperovitch realized that a brand new approach was needed — one that combines the most advanced endpoint protection with expert intelligence to pinpoint the adversaries perpetrating the attacks, not just the malware. The company provides endpoint security, threat intelligence, and incident response services to customers in more than 170 countries.
CrowdStrike is a rapidly growing company and the size of their Sales Kick Off has almost doubled every year since they started. Every year, the executive team has the challenge of motivating their existing sales force as well as onboard a large number of their new sales team, all from their General Session stage. And because the sales cycle of a rapidly growing company doesn’t slow down, CrowdStrike’s executives had the task of planning their presentations while maintaining their regular, already full, schedules. But that’s where Vision came in.
Vision took the lead on crafting many of the executives presentations. We became an extension of CrowdStrike’s team and immersed ourselves in their culture and brand narratives. We worked directly with the executives and their teams so we can have a good sense of what message they are trying to convey and in what style. While the executive is busy with their usual work load, and in CrowdStrike’s case, a recent product release, Vision gathered the resources and managed the presentation creation schedule. We sourced our writers and our designers to work on drafts that combined all the different elements of CrowdStrike’s brand personality and notes from the presenters.
Executives that work with Vision never have to stare at a blank PowerPoint page wondering how to start; we present them drafts during a few meetings so all the busy executive has to do is refine what we have and add their personal touches.
Vision understands our responsibility when we are hired to provide full-service event management. Beyond managing hotel room blocks and F&B minimums, we are also committed to the message our clients want to convey. With Vision’s help and expertise at bringing a brand story to life, every CrowdStrike executive speaking on-stage was confident and conveyed the key messages to unify and motivate their sales force. CrowdStrike successfully presented a cohesive, several-day, visual brand experience. We are confident that attendees walked away from the event with a clear path to a successful sales year.
DocuSign pioneered the development of e-signature technology, and today offers the world’s #1 e-signature solution. It’s just part of their broader cloud-based System of Agreement Platform, which allows companies of all sizes and across all industries to quickly modernize and digitize the entire agreement process—all the way from preparing agreements to signing, enacting and managing them—from almost anywhere in the world, on practically any device.
DocuSign’s annual user conference had modest beginnings; it’s first ever MOMENTUM in 2011 started with only two hundred attendees. Over the years and as the number of MOMENTUM attendees multiplied, the complexity of the event logistics and production for the event multiplied as well, and Vision has been there to assist DocuSign in making sure MOMENTUM has been successful every year.
It took three hotels and San Francisco’s Union Square to hold all the events and people associated with DocuSign MOMENTUM. The Westin St. Francis, The Hyatt Union Square, and The Marriott Union Square were all used for meeting spaces as well as lodging. Vision managed the ebb and flow of people throughout the four locations, deploying a conference app and strategically placed signage throughout MOMENTUM’s temporary territory. And because DocuSign is pioneering the future of digital transaction, Vision made sure there was no paper or pen in sight at any of the four locations.
DocuSign MOMENTUM’s main General Session stage was at The Westin St. Francis, but that ballroom only held one thousand people. Vision solved the space problem by employing a technological strategy. Vision produced a live webcast to two satellite locations in the main ballrooms of The Hyatt Union Square and the Marriott Union Square. Breakout sessions were also spread across the hotels and organized by industry so there would be no unnecessary traffic for attendees.
The heart of DocuSign MOMENTUM was in famed Union Square, where Vision installed a 22,000 square foot tent. To make this possible, Vision negotiated with the City of San Francisco as well as California State Parks to ensure DocuSign had all the proper permits and met every regulation. Vision coordinated the 3-day installation process to build and brand the tent and turn it into the DocuSign’s Partner Pavilion. The Partner Pavilion housed DocuSign MOMENTUM’s initial reception, as well as all the partner booths, and various food and refreshment options. And a DocuSign branded tent right in the middle of San Francisco’s Union Square caught the attention of not just the attendees, but of all the people who work and commute through busy downtown San Francisco.
Vision ran the logistical labyrinth of the events at three hotels and the tent in Union Square with ease, and we even dared to add one more location to the mix. One of the evenings, DocuSign threw a party at San Francisco’s Masonic, known for its mid-century modernist architecture gracing the top of Nob Hill. It took a combination of 53 passenger vans, Sprinter vans and SUVs to transport attendees to MOMENTUM’s VIP party. Vision planned a great party at the notable mid-century modern space and even booked “Pop Fiction”, a local 11-piece band to entertain guests all night long.
Planning for DocuSign MOMENTUM started 14 months in advance, and Vision knew how to use all that crucial time wisely to plan an impeccable event. DocuSign was pleased by how smoothly the event ran and was excited at all the hype MOMENTUM received. There were more than a million tweets, posts, and shares on every social media platform about DocuSign MOMENTUM 2016, exceeding DocuSign’s original engagement goal.
Imagine this scenario: You’ve partnered with Vision on your company’s Incentive Trip and you’re feeling very ahead of the game. You’re about 8 months away from taking your first breath of tropical air. You’ve already nailed down the venue, negotiated contracts, booked room blocks and you’ve approved a custom-branded video to promote the event.
You’re working with Vision’s web development team to design a custom website for the trip - an interactive Sales Incentive portal that will be a one-stop-shop for all event details. You’re excited because Vision has helped you craft an amazing vacation experience for your company’s hardest workers and their guests. And you know the 250 people attending this event deserve that once-in-a-lifetime experience. Anguilla, here we come!
And then not one, but two hurricanes hit.
This scenario is exactly what happened to our client, DocuSign, when Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria ravaged the Caribbean. We watched the development of these hurricanes very closely because our client was at the top of our minds, and we needed to be ready if plans needed to change. We had to start from scratch and create a new plan in a very small amount of time. And we had to factor in all the other groups that also had to reschedule their events, so we needed to act fast.
This could have all been very nerve-racking, but not when you’re working with Vision. Through our contacts, international connections and relationships we were quickly able to confirm Maui as the new location for DocuSign’s Incentive Program. We visited and chose a new venue, negotiated contracts and booked room blocks, all in the matter of a few days. Vision’s video team quickly produced a new promo video and our web team started developing a new custom website for the updated destination.
Vision was proactive and able to immediately provide a logistics solution to DocuSign. Everyone one quickly got back on track to work on what was really important; curating a world-class experience for the attendees. We love being creative, and DocuSign’s 2018 Incentive Trip was a great opportunity for us to have fun during the planning process.
One of our favorite parts of the trip was the offsite event we planned at an exclusive island property. Through our relationships on the island of Maui, we were able to find a gem of a venue. A lavish mansion on private land with a breathtaking view made for the perfect setting for DocuSign’s Gala. The night was full of gifts, cocktails, delicious food, a photographer, and private concert by a local band. DocuSign’s Gala definitely met the once-in-a-lifetime standard.
At Vision, we pride ourselves in our ability to handle any obstacle, even when Mother Nature throws more than one in our way. We were happy to be able to put the client at ease and we were confident that their incentive trip would still be a success.
It feels really good to hear the words, “This was the best Incentive Program yet!”. We are happy when the client is happy, and it fuels us to raise the bar every time.
As for DocuSign’s Incentive Trip future, we quickly began the work to move forward with the original plans for Anguilla the following year! We are delighted to return to the beautiful island, bringing with us some much needed economic support. So we said it again, “Anguilla here we come!”
The unmistakable trill of a drum major’s whistle sounded the opening of DocuSign Sales Kick Off 2017, with a count-off that cued the percussion, brass and woodwind sections of the University of Washington’s Husky Marching Band to proceed into the General Session ballroom at the Sheraton Seattle. With over half of DocuSign SKO 2017 attendees hailing from the local area, they truly appreciated the precise beats in the fight song of the University of Washington. And the Husky Marching Band provided the soundtrack for another grand entrance as DocuSign’s President of Worldwide Field Operations walked on stage to the classic rock hit, “Slow Ride."
The idea to open the Sales Kick Off in such a memorable way came from one of DocuSign’s own internal planners, who threw the thought out there, not really expecting a marching band to be a realistic possibility. But we pooled our resources and our efforts to make sure their great idea came to fruition. We encourage our clients to bring us their pipe dreams, because we pride ourselves in our ability to bring those dreams to life.
We were happy to help create an unforgettable start to this SKO, as well as provide excellent, non-stop service until the very last attendee walked out of the Sheraton Seattle.
FinancialForce is a cloud ERP for the new services economy. FinancialForce unifies data across the enterprise in real-time, enabling companies to rapidly evolve their business models with customers at the center. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, FinancialForce is backed by Salesforce Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures and Advent International.
When clients hire us to run their productions, they can expect to work with experts who can see the hidden potential in every event; potential that other event planners might overlook. In the case of FinancialForce Community Live 2018, our President & Executive Producer, Brendan Hayne, recognized a huge opportunity thanks to his unique point-of-view.
FinancialForce chose The Aria in Las Vegas as the venue for their Community Live 2018. During an initial site visit, Brendan noticed the General Session ballroom had a built-in theatrical stage. Brendan has extensive technical production experience and a comprehensive theatre background, and immediately identified a potential opportunity for something special, since it’s not common that ballrooms have built-in stages, let alone ones that have working line sets. He knew that by making a few key creative choices, Vision could significantly raise the production value of FinancialForce’s General Session without adding any significant additional cost, since he was taking advantage of a stage that was already included in the budget.
Your General Session programming is one of the most important aspects of your event because your attendees will be spending more time looking at that stage than anything else. Which is why we think of the GS stage as the biggest opportunity to get attendees excited and drive home the event’s theme. FinancialForce Community Live 2018’s theme was “Business Unlimited” - and the branding elements were dynamic visuals of colorful powder explosions, to signify FinancialForce users busting through any business boundaries. To maximize the potential of the theatrical stage, we worked with our graphics and visuals team to bring those elements to life. Our team created dynamic motion videos of colorful powder explosions paired with sound effects to really play up the drama. Brendan’s set design included multiple screens of different sizes flown on the stage’s motorized line sets. He then choreographed the movement of the screens to amplify the energy of the moving graphics.
Vision has the expertise to take any type of production and guide it to fulfill it’s larger-than-life potential. Whatever type of stage or venue we get to work with, we have the creative edge to identify every potential opportunity, adding more value to your stage without adding a whole bunch of dollar signs to your budget.
You may not have heard of ForgeRock yet, but they’re a global leader in the Identity Relationship Management Software industry. Being fairly young and growing at a record rate (nearly doubling their personnel in the last 12 months), ForgeRock needed the help of an expert event management team to produce their World Tour 2015 Summit. ForgeRock executives knew it was important to motivate and set their company’s vision for 2015. But, they also knew that this event was a great opportunity for the people in their rapidly growing company to meet and build relationships with each other. With Vision handling every aspect of the four day event, attendees were able to focus on team building and refining their strategies for the upcoming year.
The agenda for the four days was jam-packed with morning General Sessions that brought the whole company together, informative afternoon breakout sessions that provided essential information, and exciting evening events that allowed attendees to engage with each other. And Vision was present at every step to make sure the schedule moved smoothly, and the client and their guests experienced the very best possible service.
Since ForgeRock prides itself in being a unique company, Vision made sure to add unique details to make the experience memorable. For one evening event, Vision reserved The Stone Brewery in Escondido, CA which served as the perfect spot for new and veteran employees to mingle. ForgeRock “Stars” got exclusive tours of the brewery and were able to enjoy a fireside cocktail while listening to live music. Another evening was spent at the beach-side Pacific Coast Grill in Encinitas, where the night was en fuego with classic beach bonfires and exotic fire breathers. There were even a few brave guests that dared a moonlit dip in the ocean.
Since building strong, interpersonal relationships was a big goal for this event, Vision designed a team building activity that lasted the entire four days. The full assembly was grouped into 15 teams, each led by a ForgeRock Executive. Each team was given wild tasks to check off a list. This included paper airplane designing, “Baywatch”-style runs, slingshot challenges, and more. To ensure participation, ForgeRock employees were asked to document each activity by taking video. Vision’s production team then compiled all the clips and quickly turned around a 15-minute recap of the team building event that was played for the entire company on their last night, with the top group being crowned this year’s champions.
Oh, and for one final and incredibly memorable surprise, Vision brought a camel. Yes, a camel. When Scott McNealy, the keynote speaker shared an anecdote about past shenanigans that resulted in a camel with a pool, ForgeRock executives asked Vision if they could somehow get a camel to their party the next evening. But Vision knew that the impact would be greater if the camel showed up the same day, and they made it happen. Vision’s resourcefulness allowed that day’s poolside lunch to be graced by the presence of a camel.
ForgeRock’s World Tour 2015 is a strong example of Vision’s expertise at full event management as well as their ability to orchestrate an informative, yet fun and unforgettable experience for their client. At Vision, we always strive to exceed our clients’ expectations, and have received an invitation to work with ForgeRock on future events.
Health Catalyst specializes in technology that helps clinicians and hospital technicians across the nation to improve care and cut costs. For their second Annual Healthcare Analytics Summit, Health Catalyst not only wanted to talk about the benefits of their Real-Time Analytics, they also wanted to demonstrate it’s power to their more than one thousand attendees. Thanks to the successful partnership with Vision for their inaugural summit, Health Catalyst invited us back to be part of their team. Thanks to our successful partnership with Vision for their inaugural Summit, Health Catalsyt invited Vision to be part of their team for six consecutive years!
Attendees gathered in beautiful Salt Lake City at the Grand America Hotel, welcomed by the surrounding beauty of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountain Ranges. The overall event was segmented into two parts: the Pre-Summit and the Summit. The Summit included a Tradeshow, General and Breakout Sessions, and an evening reception, while the Pre-Summit gave attendees a chance to go deeper with featured seminars, workshops, special trainings and an invitation-only Customer Council. The Health Care Analytics Summit’s first general session kicked off with an introduction and tutorial of the Summit App, which allowed attendees to have a first-hand experience of real-time analytics. The app acted as the conference’s virtual information center and was integrated within General Sessions giving the attendees a chance to interact and be part of the program.
Because event attendance almost doubled from last years inaugural summit, Vision needed to utilize The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City to it’s fullest. To accommodate the growth while still maintaining the same quality of experience, Vision expanded their logistics plan to make full use of available space at all times. The event’s agenda required a lot of quick changes and resets to all the meeting spaces; one of the days required SIX resets to the main room. And because Vision engineered a detailed plan, every reset was done on time, every time.
This level of efficiency and precision that Vision brought to the Healthcare Analytics Summit had a real impact. It meant that Health Catalyst was able to welcome the increased attendance without needing to waste budget on off-site or temporary facilities. But managing the spaces was not the only task on Vision’s list. They also handled registration, all the publications, the entire event staff and vendors, and the food & beverage for all the meals.
The opening day of the Summit was capped off with the Analytics-Driven Networking Dinner, which provided another opportunity to drive home the theme of the power and benefit of real-time analytics. Each attendee had a customized evening-agenda, generated and delivered through the Summit App. The experience began with their dinner seating assignment, which ensured an optimal mix of guests at each table. For the after-dinner entertainment, Vision designed a four-room ‘Around The World’ networking experience. Each room had it’s own unique theme, brought to life through food/desserts, drinks, decor, and entertainment, transporting guests to France, Mexico, Italy, and New Orleans. Real-Time Analytics from the Summit App were used to create individualized schedules for each guest, ensuring a smooth flow of bodies and an evolving mix of guests across all the rooms, which maximized the overall level of enjoyment and networking opportunities.
Health Catalyst’s passion for healthcare analytics and their technology, partnered with Vision’s event management expertise resulted in their second successful Healthcare Analytics Summit.
One of the biggest challenges of any large conference is establishing a successful brand that will attract attendees. Delivering useful, current and cutting edge information is critical to an events success. But it’s even more important to create a perception of the event as being of value to those who might attend. Over the span of 12 years, Vision accomplished this with i2 Technologies by being an integral part of the i2 Planet team from the early stages and helping i2 to develop actionable goals and objectives for the event. Vision created a plan to make sure that each goal was met with a detailed list of deadlines and deliverables. Each year, as the event grew to over 7000 people, Vision would provide i2 with a comprehensive plan to make sure attendees could be completely immersed in the brand from the time they first stepped off the plane in each city, throughout the event and then right up to the moment they were back on the plane again. Over these 12 years Vision grew exponentially with staffing to support the growth of the conference. As tough economic times approached, Vision helped i2 face new challenges to make sure a smaller conference didn’t lose its appeal and perception to both attendees and analysts alike. Vision helped i2 allocate budgets appropriately to simultaneously convey the messages of conservative and responsible spending to the analysts and company strength and appreciation to the attendees. Venue and Hotel Room Block Management i2 Planet Phoenix 1100 attendees with 100,000 square feet of convention space at Arizona Biltmore Peak rooms 890 contracted and managed No attrition. Hotels: Arizona Biltmore, Ritz Carlton Phoenix, Embassy Suites and Hilton i2 Planet Dallas 3800 attendees with 270,000 square feet of convention space at Hilton Anatole Peak rooms 2300 contracted and managed No attrition Hotels: Hilton Anatole, Renaissance Dallas, Hyatt Regency Dallas, Marriott Market Center, Doubletree Market Center and Fairfield Inn. i2 Planet Las Vegas 4700 attendees with 450,000 square feet of convention space at Venetian and Sands Expo. Peak rooms 3500 contracted and managed. No attrition. Hotels: Venetian Resort, Mirage Resort, Treasure Island and Harrah's Planet San Diego. City wide attendance 7200 with 900,000 square feet of convention space at San Diego Convention Center. Peak Rooms 5200 contracted and managed. Hotels: San Diego Marriott, Manchester Grand Hyatt, SD Sheraton, Embassy Suites, Westin Marina, Horton Plaza, Wyndham, Hilton, Clarion, Holiday Inn, Winchester Hotel, US Grant and Westgate Hotel. Attrition $12,000 at Hyatt i2 Planet Las Vegas 6200 attendees with 550,000 square feet of convention space at the Venetian Resort and Sands Expo. Peak rooms 4500 contracted. Hotels: Venetian, Mirage and Treasure Island. Cancelled October event due to 9/11. Renegotiated a two year contract for 2002 and 2003. i2 Planet in Las Vegas. 5400 attendees with 450,000 square feet of convention space at the Venetian Resort and Sands Expo Center. Peak rooms 3900 contracted and managed. No attrition. Hotels: Venetian Hotel, Mirage Resort, Treasure Island and Harrah's. i2 Planet in Las Vegas 4600 attendees with 410,000 square feet of convention space at Venetian Resort and Sands Expo. Peak rooms 3100 contracted and managed. No attrition. Hotels: Venetian Hotel, Mirage Resort, Treasure Island and Harrah's. i2 Planet San Diego 3400 attendees with 200,000 square feet of convention space at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Peak rooms 2700 contracted and managed. No attrition. Hotels: Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego Marriott Hotel, Omni Hotel, Hilton GasLamp and Embassy Suites. i2 Planet Las Vegas 2900 attendees with 200,000 square feet of convention space at Wynn Las Vegas. Peak rooms 2300 contracted and managed. No Attrition. Hotels: Wynn Las Vegas, Treasure Island and Mirage. i2 Planet Phoenix 2500 attendees with 125,000 square feet of convention space at the JW Marriott Dessert Ridge. Peak rooms 1300 contracted and managed. No attrition. Hotel: JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Marriott Canyon Villas and Marriott Residence Inn. i2 Planet Orlando 2300 attendees with 120,000 square feet of convention space at the JW Marriott Orlando and Ritz Carlton. Peak Rooms 2300 contracted and managed. No attrition. Hotel: JW Marriott Orlando. i2 Planet Phoenix 2300 attendees with 125,000 square feet of convention space at the JW Marriott Dessert Ridge. Peak Rooms 1300 contracted and managed. No Attrition. Hotel: JW Marriott Desert Ridge. i2 acquired by JDA Software Vision provided full service logistics event management Site inspections, site selection, contract negotiation, contract management, space allocation Budget: Development, management, reconciliation Room Block Management: see above Production: General session, breakouts, speaker management, video, evening parties, entertainment Logistics Management: Venue space allocation, diagrams, fire marshal approval, insurance, security, event flow onsite communications. Registration pre-event and onsite. Vendor management. Food and Beverage management and BEO’s. Branding and signage design, printing, distribution and setup. Transportation to and from the airport and to off-site venues for attendees. VIP transfers. Procurement of all supplies. Staffing: Vision staff grew exponentially as the event grew. Pre-event staff high low from 5 to 8 people and onsite from 10 to 35 people.
For the fifth consecutive year, Infor tapped Vision to handle evening parties for its President’s Club. After recent trips to exotic locales and warm-weather destinations, Infor had something a bit cooler in mind. To kick off one of the most exciting incentive trips we’ve experienced, 300 lucky people were flown into Vancouver, BC. From there? A five night Alaskan cruise.
As the 13-story ship sailed toward Alaska, Vision helped guests set sail with a Bon Voyage reception, poolside on the main deck. From the flags flying high to the logo at the bottom of the pool, Vision made sure every element of the ship was rebranded with Infor graphics. As Calypso music played and Infor-red lights shone on seemingly every surface of the ship, the captain introduced his crew of 300 people, each surrounding the pool on an elevated balcony and matching Infor’s attendance 1:1.
Having settled into their new home at sea, attendees were treated to fine dining on the second night at a private gala. As guests enjoyed their meals in the ship’s dining room, a series of three Broadway performers appeared out of nowhere to entertain the crowd. Once dinner was served, the actors led the guests to the main stage, where the CEO appeared in a kick line as a Rockette. Comedian Kelly McDonald headlined the entertainment, with DJ Girl Six spinning tunes until the after party kicked off on another deck.
The ship ported along the way multiple times, once near the 600 foot tall, 4 mile wide Hubbard Glacier, the largest such structure left on earth. To close out the adventure, Vision staged a pub crawl across four different venues on the ship, each with a different theme. Hilarious gifts awaited them at each tavern and flights home awaited them in Anchorage.
For more than 25 years, Vision has been planning and managing events all over the world. With countless successes under our belt, we’re pretty sure we are masters in the discipline of planning, especially when we meet with uncontrollable forces (hint: it’s usually Mother Nature).
We partnered with Outreach to plan their sold-out sales engagement conference, Unleash ‘19. Set on an exclusive island in San Diego Bay, we helped Outreach market this “working getaway” for sales professionals. A week out from the event’s kickoff, all the plans were set to create an environment where Outreach could train their attendees the “Three Steps To Invincible:, An Exact Roadmap For Achieving The Impossible”. This conference was a dream for sales-minded professionals. Unleash ‘19 offered over 50 sessions, more than 100 speakers, and breakouts targeted to specific arenas within the sales world. We transformed the Paradise Point Resort & Spa on Vacation Island with colorful signage, banners several stories tall, and installations of custom-branded surfboards, a nod to California Cool. Second City, the venerable comedy institution that brought us the likes of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, and many more, was there to train the attendees with improv skills that could elevate their sales craft. The entire experience was meticulously engineered to make the most of this island’s bright & sunny allure.
The big finale for Unleash ‘19 was an epic 90’s party PLANNED to be held outdoors. We crafted the party to have it all; a live band and dance floor, 90’s-themed decor, video screens that played clips of favorite 90’s shows, and an assembly of locally-selected food trucks. The guests were asked to come in their best 90’s style. But, even the best plans have to change sometimes. When Vision saw the weather report, we looked up at the sky and said, “Go ahead, MAKE IT RAIN!” because we were confident we could still throw an unforgettable bash.
We worked quickly to source and install a massive tent that could hold 1100 party guests. Our crew moved EVERYTHING into the tent, and made sure there was dry access to the village of food trucks. We did all this just in time for the party doors to open, executing a seamless transition to the dry indoors. And the party we crafted to have it all - did, in fact, have it all - despite the inclement weather.
