Events The people, performances and purpose behind Rebalance 2026

Each year, RedBlack’s software development team in India hosts an internal event for employees called REBALANCE. This event has evolved into a celebrated reflection of the past year and a rebalanced focus on the needs of the business in the coming year.

Fresh off the event’s 11^th year, RedBlack’s Marketing Manager, Grace Wessinger, caught up with RedBlack’s Chief Technology Officer, Roel Vlemmings to recap this year’s incredible event.

Grace: Roel, congratulations on another successful year hosting the Rebalance event! This event has become so well known that the U.S team at RedBlack is always hoping to land an invite. How was Rebalance 2026?

Roel: It was an amazing event as always. We held it at a new venue this year, the Crowne Plaza Resort, and they did a fabulous job hosting us. They even surprised us with little cheesecakes topped with a chocolate RedBlack logo to celebrate our rebrand and momentous year in 2025.

Grace: Those little details make all the difference, don’t they? Tell me a little more about the history of this event? How did Rebalance come to be?

Roel: Years ago, about the time we reached a headcount of 20 in India, an HR consultant recommended creating an annual event to bring the team together. I’d like to say that I immediately took to that idea, but honestly my reaction was hesitancy.

He suggested keeping it simple: talk about how the business is doing, share our goals for the next 12 months, and then run a brainstorming session focused on things we could improve. He also encouraged me to come up with a catchy name for the event—something people could identify with as it grew. I’m so glad now that I trusted the consultant and moved forward with the idea because it created an electric energy to recharge our team, reflect on all the work we’ve accomplished, and recognize individuals for their contributions.

Grace: He was right. Rebalance is a part of RedBlack’s culture now. Every year we look forward to hearing how it went and seeing the videos and pictures. Can you tell me how the content of the event has evolved over the years?

Roel: As I mentioned , the very first Rebalance was really just a presentation about the business. The following year, we invited a few more people to get on stage and talk about their accomplishments, and we also brought in motivational speakers to round out the program.

With more teams in place, we began having each team lead share their team’s achievements from the previous year, along with their roadmap for the year ahead. That’s when we really started to define Rebalance as a moment to look back, reflecting on the past year, and then rebalance our focus toward the needs of the business in the coming year.

Eventually, as we grew the number of teams, we shook things up and introduced a couple of keynotes at the start of the day and then moved into an interview–style format for the team sessions. An interviewer would bring team members on stage and ask them about what they accomplished, what they were proud of, the challenges they faced, and what they were most excited about for the year ahead.

One of the biggest advantages of the new format is that it allows different people to take the stage each year. In fact, this year we had team members who are recent joiners participating, which was terrific to hear their perspectives.

Grace: One thing I’ve noticed is how important it is for the team to highlight and incorporate cultural components into the event. Tell me more about that.

Roel: Absolutely. People in India have a deep love for music, dance, and performance. From the very first year, the team wanted to bring that cultural energy into Rebalance. We started with the women on the team performing a traditional dance from Kerala, the state we are, and it just took off from there.

Over the years, we’ve seen everything from live singing and Bollywood dance numbers to fashion shows, mimes, and skits. You name it, it’s probably made an appearance on the Rebalance stage. We have an incredibly talented software development team, but we also have an amazing group of performers. That combination is part of what makes Rebalance so special.

Grace We love seeing the pictures from the event each year and knowing that the team is taking the time to look back as well as forward. Any closing words?

Roel: Mostly gratitude. I’m incredibly privileged to work alongside this team and to share the office with them every day. They put enormous effort into making RedBlack and Rebalance what it is every year.

And, of course, a big thank you to our HR consultant at the time. It all started with his idea and I want to repeat he told me all those years ago: if you have a team, organize an annual offsite event. Do it every year, and it will become an incredibly important part of your culture. And don’t forget to give it a catchy name!