Throughout this year, the rAVe team has navigated challenges and celebrated several successes. As we reflect on 2023, we asked the entire rAVe team to share their favorite memory, a feat they have accomplished and/or what they are most proud of from the last 12 months. From us to you, here’s rAVe’s 2023 wrapped:
Keri Lartz – “I am extremely proud of everything that rAVe achieved at InfoComm 2023. We had an amazing team that captured over 1,500 videos from the show floor, made our booth lively and fun throughout the event, successfully played What the Duck? more than 10 times, gave out over 10,000 prizes and most importantly, worked together seamlessly. I’m excited to see what we can achieve at InfoComm 2024!”
Abbie Ashford – “I am most proud of my work in contributing towards our 2023 trade show coverage, particularly at InfoComm. Our team was bigger than ever before, and I had the privilege of managing our talented video shooters. I couldn’t be prouder of how hard they worked and the impressive 1,500+ videos they captured. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish during our trade shows in 2024!”
Emily Beauchamp – “My favorite memory/proudest moment was being THE GAME Lead at InfoComm 2023. What the Duck? was such a cool concept, and I had a lot of fun sitting on the floor with Kirsten, passing LAVNCH Rockets and bags of ramen noodles back and forth until we nailed down the logistics. On top of this, working with THE GAME Team (Ruthie, Brooke and Anna-Wesley) and watching What the Duck? come to life on the show floor was so rewarding. I think I was most proud (of them, not me) on Friday when they ran THE GAME the entire day without me there.”
Steph Beckett – “As managing editor, this year I’m proud of the news coverage rAVe [PUBS] continues to provide to the AV community. From working hard with our BlogSquad members to publish their columns to publishing daily news and even developing a new security newsletter, I’m amazed every day at what we can do!”
Emily Dean – “I am most proud of the work and creativity the team produced at InfoComm this year. We introduced a new GAME for the show and it was a hit. We all worked together to pull off something extra creative and fun for the industry.”
Stuart Smith – “I’m proud of the work I’ve gotten to do on LAVNCH WEEK, and all of our custom event pages this past year. I’ve had opportunities to try out some new things, and our design team is always giving me great stuff to work with.”
Monica Deibel – “I’m most proud of being able to provide the leadership team with a draft of the company’s employee handbook. Moving forward, this will be the source employees can reference for work-related guidelines. Though we are still finalizing a few aspects of it, there was a lot of time, work, research and collaboration with the leadership team to get it to where it is today which is why I’m proud of it.”
Anne-Marie Barr – “This year, my standout project has been crafting the branding for our InfoComm 2023 show coverage. It involved a meticulous approach, encompassing various design mediums. From booth design and mobile cart creation for THE GAME to printed materials, giveaway items, game prizes, branded corn hole boards and digital promotions, I take pride in unifying our event coverage with a distinctive and recognizable rAVe aesthetic.”
Kelcie Frye – “This year, I was able to work with a client to rebrand their company image and revamp their social presence. This included a social media audit, training sessions with employees, and weekly meetings to keep their team up to date on trends and best practices. I was able to use my knowledge to educate and empower their team to create meaningful and exciting social campaigns. I love getting the chance to collaborate with other people in the industry and pass on my love for social media!”
Josh Gangway – “One thing I am most proud of from this year was overcoming the challenge of learning to work in a completely different field. I went from selling tangible goods to learning how to sell digital advertising. I have had to reinvent myself in a sense. However, this year, I have introduced rAVe to hundreds of potential new clients, sold multiple successful marketing campaigns and recently landed my largest client project. All of this has made me feel very accomplished in my new position.”
Anna Hunter – “I’m very pleased with our 2023 budget accomplishments. We stayed within budget on expenses and, best of all, we hit our sales goals at 100%! Working with the leadership team at rAVe is very fulfilling.”
Morgan Lawrence – “I’m most proud of rAVe [STORYTELLING] ‘s continuous growth as a PR and communications arm for many of the industry’s most dynamic companies. We’ve brought on new clients and we continue to grow into 2024. We’ve generated impressive press coverage and won monumental awards on our client’s behalf. And, we’ve had a lot of fun while doing it!”
Katie Leiser – “I really enjoy helping clients grow their brands using social media. In 2023, social media platforms went through significant changes with new platforms being added and constant updates. That’s why it’s important to stay informed. Social media is powerful, but knowing how to use it well is key for your client’s success.”
Jeff Meyer – “Since starting at rAVe in July, I have been most proud of the market research I have provided my teammates for internal and external sales and marketing purposes. Specifically, I am proud of the research I have done for one of our clients as part of a competitor analysis/market assessment project.”
Bryan Ratledge – “I would have to say that working on the new rAVePUBS.com updates (microsites, video uploader, new theme, login) was my favorite moment of this year. But I also really enjoyed building the 2 new apps though those are still in progress and we’re targeting end of year for those so they aren’t 100% yet.”
Kirsten Sharpe – “I am most proud that I was able to support all of our clients and help them meet their digital marketing goals in 2023. I am looking forward to doing more awesome work next year!”
Sara Abrons – “I watched and cataloged thousands of rAVe product and interview videos this year from the major trade shows we attended. Watching every video from a big show is like spending way more days than the show is actually open to walk the entire floor and see and hear about every product shown there, so it gives me a really good understanding of what’s going on in the industry product and technology wise. I also hope I helped make it just a bit easier for those in the industry who can’t attend shows to find and hear more about products they are interested in, and for the exhibitors to reach many more people than just those who attended in person.”
Carina McDermed – “I was lucky to work on a number of internal branding initiatives this year, as well as some fun website design projects. It was a great year!”
Brooke Watson – “I would say that my favorite thing from this past year that I accomplished was being a part of THE GAME team at InfoComm 2023 in Orlando this past June. It was my first trade show and I learned so much about the industry and gamification and had so much fun playing What the Duck? with show attendees all week!”
Dalton Powell – “One of my recurring highlights of the past year at THE rAVe Agency has been the incredible sense of camaraderie within our team. The best part of working here is undoubtedly the bright and talented people I am surrounded by every day. Our workplace is a close-knit group, fostering a unique community where we can be vulnerable and creative without fear of judgment.”
Emma Dobek – “I have accumulated a lot of really great memories with rAVe, but the standout has to be attending ISE 2023 with the team. I expected a week of working a show that large to be filled with stress, but instead I experienced the opposite. We succeeded in capturing footage at every booth at the show, and we did it together with smiles on our faces. I’ll never forget what that trip taught me about teamwork and I can’t wait to be back in Barcelona for ISE 2024!”
Tucker Adkins – “The thing I’m most proud of this year is my contribution to the variety of creative, diverse and eye-catching emails that our team has produced. The members of our team are always brainstorming ways to push each other and our creative capabilities as an agency.”
Ella Romano – “I am most proud of pushing myself this year for taking on a new role in a new environment and working through uncomfortable challenges. rAVe has given me the opportunity to become much more confident and self-disciplined with my work, as well as become a stronger writer from completing social copy every day!”
Gibson Kete – “My favorite memory from this past year has been working on columns for rAVe [PUBS] and LAVNCH [CODE]! I’ve had the opportunity to connect and speak to industry leaders for insights on my columns many times over the past year, and it’s been amazing to learn more about the ProAV industry and its future from all our rAVe contributors.”
Moving into 2024, we plan to capitalize on these accomplishments and create even more. See you in the new year, #AVtweeps!
