Ryan Scanlan has been working with Gesture since May 2016, and recently transitioned from being a Gesture Pro to an On-Site Manager! Ryan started with Gesture in Chicago and was able to stay with Gesture after moving to Denver, CO. Here, Ryan tells his story about how he became involved with Gesture and why he’s still working hard to Make Hope Happen for our charity partners:
How did you get involved with Gesture?
I got involved with Gesture when I was living in Chicago. I had been working events with another company for about a year before I ever worked my first event with Gesture. At one event, a co-worker of mine explained to me what Gesture was. He mentioned something about helping people place bids at charity auctions and immediately I knew this was a company I wanted to start working with. I picked up my first shift right after our conversation and I never really looked back.
What was your first event like?
My first event was huge. I think there was something like 15 or 20 staff members and two On-Site Managers (OSM’s). To be honest, I was a little intimidated at first, but everyone on staff knew that I was in training and provided me with tips and suggestions to help me succeed. I’d like to give a shout out to Lauren Jackson (OSM) for pushing me to capture several live auction bids on my very first day! That definitely gave me a lot of confidence moving forward into future events. I specifically remember telling her at the end of the night that working Gesture events was something that I definitely wanted to do more of. I was hooked!
Why did you decide to continue working with Gesture?
I think a big part of it was the sense of reward that I felt at the end of the night. There is so much work that goes into these events, and seeing everything come together successfully was extremely gratifying. I believe it was Gesture’s Operations Manager, Patrick Clore, who told me that every Gesture event is somebody’s Super Bowl. These charity organizations work so hard all year to organize everything, and the event really is the culmination of all that hard work. You really feel like you’re a part of something important. Getting to know the different charities and what they are raising money/awareness towards and feeling like you’ve contributed to that (even in a small way) is what kept me coming back.
What was the progression like from Pro to OSM?
The progression has been a continuous learning experience for me. When I was working as a Pro, I wasn’t completely aware of the sheer amount of responsibility that the OSM has. Making the transition has given me a newfound respect for all of the OSM’s I had previously worked with that made their job look easy. There’s always so much to learn and keep up with, but so far it has been very exciting and extremely rewarding. I really want to give a huge thank you to Jordan Johnson and Shea Scott for taking me under their wing while I was in training. Their suggestions and advice on how they run their events have been invaluable for me. I really appreciate everything that Gesture’s staff has done to prepare me for the role while making me feel like a valuable part of the team.
What's your favorite part of working with Gesture?
There are so many reasons why I love working with Gesture. It’s exciting! I love the excitement in the room while people are going back and forth in a bidding war, or the joy I feel from seeing hundreds of paddles raised at once during a donation campaign. There’s just so much energy that goes into these events, it can be electrifying.
Aside from that, my favorite part of working with Gesture is the reward I feel from participating in these events. Everybody’s involvement in the event makes a huge difference, no matter how big or small your role is.
What's been your favorite event, and why?
It’s hard to pick just one event as my favorite, but as far as memorable, the first one that comes to my mind is the Chicago Cubs Bricks and Ivy Ball at Navy Pier.
It can feel a bit intimidating at times to approach a guest and ask for their cell phone number and credit card, especially when that guest is the star pitcher on a World Series Championship team! That being said, all of the players and coaches were more than friendly with our staff, and there was just so much excitement in the room. The live auction was unbelievable. I had never seen that much money raised at one time and it was just phenomenal to see how generous so many of these people were. I think the event raised over $2 million dollars which was just incredible. It’s really cool to see that Gesture can accommodate so many organizations both large and small. So yeah, that’s one that definitely sticks out in my mind.
To learn more about working with Gesture, visit gesture.com/careers or view our available positions below!
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