RGER Thank You Festival
Scaling appreciation into a global movement that boosts morale, wellbeing, and connection
💬 15K+ recognition moments | 🌍 100% global participation | 🎯 1.2M+ content impressions | 🏅 4.5/5 Culture & Values rating
🔍 The Challenge: Making Appreciation Visible, Meaningful, and Global
Employee Appreciation Day had always been marked in some way, but the impact was limited.
Celebrations were often siloed, low-visibility, or varied across regions. Recognition wasn’t always tied to company values or wellbeing, and many hybrid employees were missing out on the moments that made them feel seen.
At a time of high growth and rising employee expectations, leadership needed something more powerful:
A cultural moment that could scale across time zones, teams, and tools — and bring everyone along.
📌 Background: Turning a One-Day Event Into a Yearly Culture Moment
At Reward Gateway | Edenred, appreciation is more than a gesture — it’s part of our identity. But we knew we needed to make it bigger, bolder, and more inclusive.
I led the design and delivery of the Thank You Festival — a global, week-long celebration of appreciation tied to Employee Appreciation Day. What started as a one-off event became a cornerstone of our people strategy, built to reflect our values and bring recognition, wellbeing, and DEIB to life in meaningful, accessible ways.
RGER Thank You Festival
🛠️ My Role: Campaign Strategy, Storytelling & Cultural Activation
Over the course of three years, I scaled Thank You Festival from a simple celebration to a global campaign that reached every employee, in every region and format.
Key initiatives included:
Festival Framework
Developed annual cultural themes:
2022: The Value of Benefits
2023: Prioritizing Wellbeing
2024: Recognizing Impact
Introduced five daily pillars: Appreciating Your Mind, Body, Journey, Impact, and Growth
Recognition Activation
Themed Appreci8 eCard campaigns and boosted engagement through peer nominations
Strategic Goal eCards tied appreciation directly to business priorities
HEART Awards spotlighted employees advancing wellbeing and inclusion
Thank You Festival Branded eCards
Wellbeing & Learning Events
Hosted gratitude workshops, burnout prevention webinars, and global speaker sessions
Featured high-profile guests like Olympic medalist Kate Richardson-Walsh and footballer Anita Asante
Delivered virtual fitness challenges, reflection exercises, and resilience programming through MoveSpring
In-Office & Hybrid Celebrations
Launched social gratitude walls, appreciation postcards, and healthy snack stations
Organized cultural potlucks and food challenges in offices across Boston, London, Sydney, and Plovdiv
Enabled remote teams with digital events, Slack challenges, and shoutout templates
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partnered with DEIB leads to feature EP!C Network events for International Women’s Day
Worked with Experience Teams, People Partners, and Marketing to ensure global consistency and localized relevance
Comms & Storytelling
Produced daily boom! posts, global newsletters, and a branded Thank You Toolkit
Shared leader thank you videos aligned to HEART pillars
Amplified the campaign externally via social media, career blog stories, and employee spotlights
Thank You Festival Overview
💥 The Results: A Celebration That Became a Movement
Thank You Festival became a cultural anchor, not just a calendar event.
💬 15,000+ recognition moments shared across three annual campaigns
💸 900+ eCards and 150+ HEART Awards sent during one festival week
🌍 90% employee participation across in-person and virtual experiences
🧠 1.2 million impressions on campaign content across internal and external platforms
🏅 4.5/5 Glassdoor rating for Culture & Values
❤️ Why It Matters
Appreciation is culture in action — and this festival proved it.
The Thank You Festival became a shared moment of joy, connection, and recognition that employees looked forward to year after year. It wasn’t just about saying thank you. It was about showing people they matter — and making appreciation something we do together, every day.
