A Look Back at 2025

Team Accent’s 2025 was full of memorable events and unexpected bonding moments. We asked the team to share their standout memories from this year, and here’s what they had to say.

John

Hosting our first event at Wheelhouse Social Club during Indy 500 weekend. Everyone showed up in a big way, from our internal team to our vendor partners, and it truly felt like a shared win. The collaboration and hard work paid off, creating a memorable event that we will be talking about for years to come.

Madelyn

Managing my biggest program to date: a dine-around with 16 restaurants, 21 groups, and 400 guests, including transportation to and from each restaurant. Kimberly and Miro were the best program buddies, and I learned so much from them and this experience. It was even more rewarding when we received a shoutout from the client!

Shawn

"Learning" to line dance in Nashville. Cowboy Kyle tried his best, but I was a lost cause could keep in line when to step, when to slide, or which way to turn.  I may not have learned how to line dance, but I did enjoy making a fool of myself, while learning something new with the team. 

Miro

I have always kept my drag persona and professional lives very separate. Getting to perform for Accent's biggest night was an amazing honor and being given a platform to showcase that side of me and be so supported and well-received will be a core memory.

Kimberly

I was proud that our team was invited to be a part of Indiana Sports Corp’s local organizing committee for the first-ever TEDSports event. An incredible amount of collaboration went into making this happen, and it’s a huge win for Indy. It’s moments like this that remind me how special and tight-knit our sports and events community really is.

Dustin

During this year’s Indy 500 I was fortunate enough to work with great clients that brought new opportunities. I never expected to face, for example, helicopters being our primary mode of transportation?! It was a reminder that no two events are ever the same, and adaptability is everything. Definitely one for the memory bank.

Kim

Spending quality time during our team retreat in Nashville. My highlights were making bracelets, listening to good music, and drinking margaritas with good people! It was the kind of reset we all needed, away from inboxes and timelines. Grateful for a team that knows how to work hard and enjoy being together.

Marissa

It’s very rare that we get to be a part of planning public events with Downtown Indy Alliance, but this summer we got to do exactly that for a major nonprofit. In under six weeks we planned a brand activation on the circle with everything from AV, engaging activations for all ages, and fully branded tents, banners, stickers, signage, promo items, and handouts. I’m still shocked that we were able to pull this off!

Megan

I love when the whole team gets to be together, especially at the ILEA Indiana PACE Awards. It’s a chance to celebrate each other and our industry, and this year made it even sweeter as we took home seven awards (plus Rachel received the President’s Award!).

Honorable mention: Post-Indy 500 Oscar Mayer Wienermobile encounter!

Sarah

You won't be surprised to know I started out as a theatre major, so getting to dust off my acting skills (and be blonde again) on the ADMEI mainstage was a dream way to kick off the year. Picture me as DMC Barbie studying for my DMCP exam with the new Best Practices in Destination Management book. Part commercial, part comedy, all love for an industry I adore.

Shannon

Seeing the audience’s reaction as they realized it was our team performing the Lady Marmalade routine, and then the surprise when they recognized Miro as Neon. It was a very proud moment for me that everyone got to witness how talented our team is...both on and off the stage. It’s not every day you get to showcase creativity, confidence, and teamwork in such a fun, unexpected way.

Rachel

One of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments was waking up at 2:00 AM after the Indy 500 to a call from Marissa and Dustin asking me to come to the JW Event Center Drive to jump his car. Marissa tried coming to the rescue, but it turns out none of us know how to jump using a hybrid car. Lessons were learned, and delirious-from-no-sleep laughs were definitely had.

Jeremy

For me, it’s always race day morning when the city wakes up to the sound of police escorts. This year alone, we coordinated six escort slots on race day, moving 54 vehicles and more than 1,000 people. Add in 119 total staff shifts over race weekend, and it’s a powerful reminder of the scale, precision, and teamwork it takes to pull it all off.

Jessica

Overall, 2025 has been a massive year, but the support and resilience we've shared as a team has been my absolute favorite. Watching us all rally when someone needs a little extra shows that we work with people who genuinely have your best interest at the forefront.

Cheers to 2026!