Steve Smith Photography spent the better part of last week in Las Vegas, Nevada documenting DaVita’s annual senior VP’s meeting held at the Red Rock Resort Casino & Spa.For those who are unfamiliar with DaVita they are a top provider of kidney care throughout the country. DaVita has been a client for Steve Smith Photography since their inception in 2000. They have been an incredibly pleasurable, generous and amicable client to work for.
Day one didn’t begin until the evening hours when the kick off party began at Club Cherry. The event was gave everyone a chance to mingle and to hear a recap of the recent happenings.
Day two started much earlier with desired head shots of particular individuals at the 7:00 am breakfast. From there, Steve went in to focus on their general session conference.
By noon we were boarding decked-out tour buses bound for St. Jude’s children’s home for a service project. DaVita’s team set out to revamp the children’s main activities center with a few coats of new paint. When the painting had subsided, we were fortunate enough to take an insiders tour of one of the foster residences. The children were extremely cordial and inviting. It was inspiring to see that this particular program was effective in their facilitation.
As the afternoon turned into the evening we were back on the buses heading back to the hotel. When the VP’s stepped off the bus, they were greeted by DaVita’s Team Spirit ready to hand out bowling shirts for the evening’s event. Bowling was an unknown plan that proved to be a pleasant surprise for everyone to look forward to. The night ensued with bowling in the Red Rock’s V.I.P. bowling lanes. High fives and strikes dominated over the occasional gutter ball. Smiles showed the high spirits from a hard but rewarding day’s worth of work.
Day three was another early morning aimed at catching the last of the camera shy VP’s. With assistance from various Team Spirit members, we were able to successfully wrap up all of the needed head shots. Once again, Steve proceeded to shoot the second series of general session conferences. The afternoon boasted a bit more excitement. Each VP had a choice of one of three activities: golfing, a jeep tour and mountain biking. Steve went out with the golfing crew, Jeane went out with the Jeep tour and I (Ray J.) went out with the mountain biking crew. My adventure opened my eyes to the scenic red rock hills a mere twenty minutes from our hotel. A few scratches, plenty of smiles and eleven miles later we were back to the buses. We arrived back in time to shower and relax before the closing dinner ceremony.
Delectable entrees of grilled chicken, salmon and filet mignon circulated throughout the vast dining area for the final team meal. Various awards followed the delicious meals consumed by all. It was a moving time to hear the dedication and emotion that everyone in the company put forth to make it successful business that DaVita is today.
It was a great trip for all of us to be apart of and we look forward to the nationwide event in Washington D.C. at the end of April.
