I've been working with Avalara for over 7 years, helping executives deliver keynote presentations that set the tone for their most important gatherings. These include internal meetings like CONNECT and RevKO, customer-facing events such as CRUSH, Analyst Day for investors, and NEXT for developers.
Recently, I teamed up with Avalara’s content and production partners on the 2025 CONNECT and RevKO events. These are major events in the company’s calendar, moments where employees and sales teams from around the world come together to align strategy, vision, and goals. My role was to make sure the mainstage presentations weren’t just informative, but also inspiring and memorable.
Deliverables: Keynote decks, sessnion and breakout presentations, templates, motion graphics, marking assets and event branding.
Duration: 1-2 months
Attendees: From 500+ in-person and 4,000+ virtual (CONNECT/RevKO 2025), to 700+ in-person (CRUSH 2024), and 10,000+ virtual (CRUSH 2022).
Our planning process was structured enough to handle the demands of high-profile executive presentations but flexible enough to scale for large customer events. We usually kick off two to three months in advance to align on budget, scope, and timelines. Then came an intensive four-week sprint leading up to the event, balancing executive reviews with design production.
The bread and butter of the work was visual storytelling – taking dense scripts and strategic talking points and turning them into presentations that people could follow, remember, and connect with.
Key responsibilities during planning:
Once on site (or supporting virtually) my focus shifted to precision and adaptability. I worked with more than 15 executives to refine their delivery, making sure every story landed as intended. Along with production partners, I oversaw the end-to-end design process for keynote presentations, ensuring visuals, messaging, and delivery were fully aligned.
Delivery highlights:
This work is high-stakes, but also deeply rewarding. The events were a true team effort, with design, content, and production all moving in sync and being invited on-site for CONNECT & RevKO in 2025 was a chance to meet with executives I've partnered with for years. Over the years, our collaboration has grown from project-based engagements into long-term annual retainers, supported by consistently strong feedback from executives, event managers, and production partners alike.
One of the most memorable moments came during Analyst Day 2021, when I partnered directly with Avalara’s then-CFO (now, CEO)—a leader known for his “function-over-form” approach who had been skeptical about investing in design. Through iterative collaboration, I was able to help visualize his concept for Avalara’s global compliance platform—something he’d struggled to articulate verbally. Seeing his reaction in the review call—literally jumping out of his seat with excitement—was a turning point that reshaped his perception of design’s strategic value. From that point forward, he became one of our strongest advocates.
Beyond the creative wins, the work has delivered measurable business impact. Depending on the scope and format, projects have achieved profit margins ranging from 20% to 55%, proof that thoughtful design and storytelling can drive both organizational alignment and healthy returns. Seeing everything come together on stage, knowing how much thought and teamwork went into it, is what makes the long hours and tight deadlines worth it.
