My first Sitecore Symposium: A journey into the future of digital experience
After over a decade of managing Sitecore CMS applications, I finally had the opportunity to attend my first Sitecore Symposium. The experience was everything I had imagined and more, offering a perfect blend of technical insights, networking opportunities and Nashville's vibrant energy!
As you can expect with any tech conference, the 3+ day event was chock full of sessions covering everything from new product offering announcements, customer success stories showcasing Sitecore products in action, in-depth discussions led by Sitecore partners and unforgettable fireside chats from one of if not the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time, Katie Ledecky, and the Diamond Dog himself, Coach Beard from Ted Lasso (aka Brendan Hunt).
Personally, the icing on the symposium cake was the chance to reconnect with old colleagues and partners-turned-friends, as well as network with like-minded industry professionals, all while soaking in the Nashville energy at client events, specifically ones hosted by our very own Horizontal Digital.
"Power to Build": The symposium's theme
Sitecore CEO Dave O'Flanagan, CPO Roger Connolly and CMO Kathie Johnson set the tone with an electrifying keynote highlighting the incredible experiences customers and partners are building with Sitecore and outlining the company's ambitious plans for the future.
The symposium reinforced my long-standing motto of "work smarter, not harder." There is a critical need for collaboration across teams and business units, and coupled with the right technology, companies can achieve a seamless digital strategy that drives business growth.
All companies have one thing in common: Digital is foundational in customer success and they all need to continually evolve and transform to meet the needs of their customers in this fast-moving digital world.– Dave O’Flanagan, Sitecore CEO
Sitecore's focus: Customer-centric innovation
Sitecore's commitment to its partners and customers was evident throughout the event, specifically their dedication to:
- Continue to put the customer first
- Continue to offer customers the choice to invest in the level of transformation they need, when they need it
- Continue to innovate ahead of the market
At their core, Sitecore remains committed to being the vendor of choice for content, experience and DXP (digital experience) for marketers and technologists to work together to manage and deliver the full content life cycle for their business.
Introducing Sitecore Stream: The intelligent DXP
Over his career, Dave shared how he consistently heard the same feedback from business leaders throughout the marketing technology industry, from the difficulty delivering a cohesive experience due to the number of interconnected applications within a tech stack, the need to deliver campaigns faster to respond to emerging trends or frankly the ROI and time to value was never quite as expected.
Therefore, Sitecore is introducing Sitecore Stream, a groundbreaking addition to the Sitecore family aimed to boost productivity and drive growth for marketers facing increasing demands.
It’s not about creating AI, it’s about creating intelligence… from ideation and campaign creation through experience and optimization.– Dave O’Flanagan, Sitecore CEO
Sitecore's product and marketing teams have worked together to reimagine the content life cycle from an AI-first perspective.
This effort resulted in a smarter, strategic and secure offering that is the first of its kind. Standout features are:
- Brand-aware AI: Ensures alignment with company brand identity and values
- Generative copilots: AI-powered tools supporting various marketing functions
- AI-enhanced workflows: Facilitates seamless team collaboration and accelerated outcomes
I believe that what we’re delivering with Sitecore Stream today will be as transformative for marketers, across content and experience, as the internet was way back then.– Kathie Johnson, Sitecore CMO
Sitecore CMO Kathie Johnson emphasized the transformative potential of Sitecore Stream, comparing its impact to the advent of internet marketing. The platform addresses major pain points for marketers, including the need to do more with less, manage complexity, and balance strategic and tactical work.
Sitecore Stream's capabilities:
Sitecore Stream will unify the workflow for marketers across content and experience – and amplify their productivity.– Roger Connolly, Sitecore CPO
Finally, it was time to geek out as CPO Roger Connolly provided an in-depth look at how Sitecore Stream supports marketers throughout the content experience lifecycle:
- Strategize – AI-assisted ideation, research and brainstorming that truly understands your brand
- Brief – Automated generation of project requirements to effectively utilize time and money
- Create – Leverage existing assets for content that works smarter, not harder
- Build – AI-suggested layouts optimized for SEO and personalization
- Optimize – Performance insights with actionable recommendations
The power to build intelligently
The Sitecore Symposium was an eye-opening experience that showcased the company's commitment to innovation and customer success. With the introduction of Sitecore Stream as an add-on to existing products, Sitecore is poised to revolutionize the digital experience landscape, empowering marketers to work smarter and more efficiently.
As we look to the future, the possibilities seem endless. The power to build intelligently is now in our hands, and I'm excited to see how Sitecore will continue to transform the way we create and manage digital experiences.
Horizontal is a proud partner of Sitecore. From utilizing Sitecore to optimize our efforts internally, to supporting our client's digital transformation and strategy needs, we are dedicated to delivering innovative solutions day in and day out. Contact us to learn more about how our talent, team and project solutions can help drive your business forward.