Getting creative with virtual celebrations

If 2020 had a theme, it would be "overcoming challenges."

This year at CWB National Leasing was a year like no other. Like so many other organizations, it felt like each day threw a new challenge at us. We came together to do things that we thought impossible before the pandemic, like moving roughly 300 team members from working in the office to working from home in a matter of days to helping over 10,000 customers with payment relief while their businesses were closed.

Last month, we celebrated overcoming these challenges with our annual Sales Conference and Gala. In keeping with the theme of 2020, we had to get creative and go completely virtual. Here are a couple of the highlights:

“The Ripple Effect” put things into perspective

Dr. Greg Wells was our keynote speaker this year, and the bestselling author of “The Ripple Effect,” did not disappoint. Dr. Wells is a health and performance expert and physiologist who shared three key things to help us succeed during these challenging times.

1) Sleep soundly – the power of sleep is profound. Dr. Wells recommends taking the hour before we go to bed to turn off all electronics, read, do yoga, take a bath or meditate. Anything that will help us unwind and calm our bodies for a good night’s sleep.

2) Eating smarter – the food we eat impacts the way our brains function. High protein and low carbs help narrow our focus, and cutting down on sugar can help our memory.

3) Move more – exercise improves almost every aspect of the human body, and people who walk or work out daily are 75 per cent less likely to get a cold or flu.

Virtual Gala still brought all the feels

We capped off the two-day conference with our annual Gala. Like everything else, we had to get creative. The sights and sounds of an in-person event are hard to duplicate, but everyone was encouraged to wear their best (at least the top half), grab a drink and join our emcees of the evening, two members from our Leadership Team. The comedy duo brought on the laughs as they shared the success of our company through one of the most challenging years yet.

What would a Gala be without a little music? A few of our talented team members brought the noise with a cover of Journey's, “Don't Stop Believing,” which got the crowd virtually going!

We also honoured deserving team members who went above and beyond by handing out our prestigious R.M. Chipman awards, named after our founder.

2020 taught us how to adapt and face difficult times head on, and the proof is in the planning of the Sales Conference and Gala.