With just one week to go, we're gearing up for Sitecore Experience 2019 in a big way. We consider ourselves one of Sitecore's closest partners in Australia (with the gold certification, multiple award wins and MVPs to back us up), so we don't do Sitecore conferences by halves.
This year, not only will Switch feature as a sponsor, but we're thrilled to be joined by one of our clients, Coates Hire, who will be presenting their hugely successful digital transformation project live on stage!
My favourite aspect of Sitecore conferences has always been the attention to detail when it comes to content - and this year's agenda definitely doesn't disappoint. But with 18 different sessions throughout the day, the biggest challenge will be choosing which sessions you can afford to miss.
To help you to plan your day at the conference, here are our top picks of this year's must-see sessions:
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Innovation at Sitecore - 9:00-9:30am
As per tradition, the opening keynote comes from Mark Frost - Sitecore's CEO (and a pretty big deal). Make sure you're at the conference bright and early and don't miss a second of what has typically been, in previous years, one of the most revealing sessions of the event. With a title that tantalisingly hints at potential product roadmap reveals and a session description that gives absolutely nothing away, this opening keynote is almost guaranteed to be filled with 'Easter eggs' hinting at what we're likely to see from Sitecore in the next 12 months.
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The Experience Economy - 10:15-11:00am
Who would want to miss the big celebrity keynote of the day? While celebrity speakers have become a standard conference tactic in recent years, simply putting a famous person on stage to discuss a very tenuously linked or superficial topic, can often do more harm than good for brand integrity. This is where Sitecore has, once again, chosen wisely. Naomi Simson is very much a serious entrepreneur who also happens to make TV appearances (Shark Tank, Network 10). With a track record of successful experience-based businesses, Naomi is a veritable experience expert - to say we're looking forward to this one is an understatement.
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Retention and Experiences: The Drivers of New Commerce - 1:45-2:25pm
We love hearing about Sitecore from the people who know it best - the product specialists and developers. As Sitecor's Commerce Solution Specialist, John Menagh knows his stuff and will be discussing one of our favourite topics, commerce experience, in his track session. This presentation will take attendees back to the basics of how to define and create a successful commerce experience - and hopefully showcase some exciting case studies too.
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Making a Difference with Content and Technology - 2:25-3:05pm
Content Hub (formerly Stylelabs) was the big announcement of 2019 for Sitecore - and rightly so! Content Hub is the single content management platform that marketers have been waiting for; with the ability to house all digital assets, personalise, leverage AI, integrate with Sitecore CMS and commerce, AND plan, schedule and organise content (phew!). In this hotly anticipated session, product specialists Dan Daly and Roger Connolly will give us an under-the-hood look at what Content Hub is capable of, as well as a major global customer case study to showcase what it can do in action.
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Modern B2B, It's Not What You Think! - 3:40-4:15pm
Our friends at Coates Hire will be sharing the stage with Sitecore to share the end-to-end development of our most recent project, the Hire Now web app. For Coates Hire's trade customers, hiring equipment used to involve phoning a customer representative between 9am-5pm and awaiting a confirmation email. With more than 160 hire locations and 1 million pieces of equipment, we worked with Coates Hire to create a beautifully simple 24/7 instant booking service. The Hire Now app enables customers to identify, book and pay for equipment hire online within a few minutes - bringing instant, tangible benefits for both customers and the business.
To check out the full agenda and start planning your day at Sitecore Experience 2019, click here.
— Steve Nelson
