Before I started at Zoom, sales kickoff events were electric - including, in one instance, the type of car that was given away on the first day. The last in-person event took place in 2019, before the company went on a meteoric run, rising to a valuation of over $100bn - yet, every sales kickoff for the next five years was virtual or hybrid. In 2025, over 1800 Zoomies and 35 partners returned to Las Vegas for three days of energizing, accelerating, and connecting in the MGM Grand Conference Center.

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I have been growing my role in planning the sales kickoffs (which Zoom calls Growth Summits) over my tenure at the company. In my first two years, I produced pre-recorded segments, edited videos, and put together slide shows. In my third year, I themed the event 'Level Up,' created the visual language for the event, and flew to San Jose to film it around the Zoom campus. This year, though, I was given the reins over nearly everything that would include a Zoom logo.

Ideation on theme started many months before the event, but well after the ink had dried on a contract with the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Scoped were the attendees, but not the curriculum. Myself, enablement team members, directors, and the Chief Sales Officer hunkered down and brainstormed our 'Power Phrases,' which could drive the event. After taking the top few and generating visual treatments for them, we settled on [UNLOCK] - to allow for an open-ended interpretation of the content being presented.

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Unlock growth, potential, storytelling, channel, scale, AI, connections, your mind, our future... The list goes on.

With the theme set, it was time to get to work. Virtually everything that would bear a Zoom logo was under my purview. Being in person meant the standard practice of creating deck templates and assorted visuals were far from the minimum requirements. Over the course of roughly two quarters and two site visits, I created:

• Lanyards and badges, for attendees and sponsors, along with the security plan and indicators
• The event's website, its attendee-specific track logic, and accompanying mobile app
• Every blessed piece of physical and digital signage, which spanned wayfinding to video walls at a dance club
• Keynote presentations for the Chief Sales Officer, the Global Head of Channel, and the Chief Financial Officer
• Content and deck templates for print and digital curriculum that would be utilized in enablement sessions
• Sponsor/partner maps, ballroom layouts, event stage backdrops, window clings, and even catering menus

Likely, I'm forgetting some things, but you get the picture.

When the day finally came and I arrived in Vegas, it was off to the races with quality-checking signage, getting items placed in their assigned locations, and, of course, making last-minute updates and changes to the keynotes. Oh, and I also volunteered to photograph the entire event, so every picture here on this page was also taken by me. A little extra responsibility couldn't hurt anyone, right?

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180,000 steps later, after hearing keynotes from not only Zoom's executive staff but also Lisa Bodell (Why Simple Wins), Amy Posey (SUPERMEGABOSS), and Erik Wahl (UNthink), the event came to a close. I was exhausted, but I knew that we had succeeded. The energy was off the charts. The people felt connected. The main stage had energized the attendees a million times more than any All Hands, and I felt like I, too, had been able to UNLOCK something through this journey.

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