[RECAP] 5 moments we loved from the Start 2023 with Community party

Alison Clancy · 01/26/23

We're still buzzing from all the energy you brought to the Start 2023 with Community party earlier this week! Excuse me as I do The Sprinkler dance while sharing our top 5 moments from the event.

1. Seeing Community's global presence.

We kicked things off with a round of introductions in the chat from all attendees, and it was amazing to see how many places were represented by Members. From Italy to Sweden to Seattle, US, you all showed up with sky-high energy (no matter the timezone). It was also great to see so many Overachievers and Smartsheet teammates in the building!

2. A surprise New Years message from Mark Mader, Smartsheet President & CEO.

The party had a number of special guests, but the surprise New Years toast from our President & CEO @Mark Mader got us really excited for the year to come! Mark told partygoers how much Member suggestions have changed the Community platform and the product itself. "I'm convinced we are a better company because of your contributions, your ideas, your suggestions, and more importantly, the drive and passion you show." His message was summed up in three words: "KEEP. THEM. COMING."

He also gave shoutouts to the ENGAGE Template Contest Winners @Aaron Manley, @TWO21, @MCorbin, @kowal, @Sparkle, and @juliesilverio, as well as to our ENGAGE Sticker Design Winner, @Cherise Reguero. Way to go all!

3. Introducing our new advocacy program, Smartsheet Community Champions!

This is near and dear to my heart, but I showed a sneak preview of the first class of Community Champions! These folks are Members who demonstrate product expertise and generosity in sharing best practices and support with others on the platform.

You will hear much more about the Champs in the next week or so. I was also thrilled that Champions @Paul Newcome, @Julie Fortney, and @Andrée Starå could all join live as Panelists and share their best platform tips. Am I still starstruck? Yes, yes I am. 🤩

4. Hosting a live feedback session on upcoming Community projects.

Community is all about collaboration, working as a team to continually learn and improve. We were so pumped to get real-time feedback from attendees on projects we've been working on, like the upcoming quarterly Community newsletter and a brand new Community Badge Dashboard.

Thank you to every one who participated - we now have a list of ideas we can't wait to execute on. If you have more feedback on what we presented, leave your thoughts in the comments below. ⬇️

5. The return of SMARpardy!

If you were at ENGAGE last year or played virtually, you remember our infamous SMARpardy game! To wrap-up the party, @Maxwell Griffith led a mini version of this with 5 questions. Winners received Starbuck gift cards! Congratulations @David Tutwiler, @Kelly Drake, @Chris Mondeau, @Lekshmi Unnithan, and @Samuel Mueller.

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What was your favorite moment from the party? We hope you're having a wonderful start to your New Year, and we can't wait to host another one of these soon. Cheers to you, Smartsheet Community. 🥂

Alison, Arsineh, Max, Genevieve, and the whole Community team

Julie Fortney · 01/26/23

It was really cool to interact with people who have influenced some of my favorite Smartsheet builds without them even knowing it! Smartsheet Community is the best place to get ideas and have those "aha!" moments.

Arsineh · 01/26/23

Getting to chat with our Community members and hearing from our Champions was a blast. Thanks for being part of the panel and sharing your tips @Andrée Starå @Paul Newcome @Julie Fortney.