Experience premier networking at its finest in our VIP-only lounge. Indulge in the breakfast spread while mingling with like-minded peers and executives deep in the weeds of digital experience initiatives in their organizations. Don't miss out on this exclusive chance to elevate your career and expand your network. 

Access to the VIP Lounge is exclusive to VIP registrants, speakers and select sponsor guests. If you’re looking to run into a keynote, masterclass or breakout speaker, VIP is the place to be. Take advantage of the opportunity for 1:1 or small group conversations on the fly. 

Talk about a VIP water cooler experience! Secure your spot now, as VIP passes are limited.

Join us for a comprehensive workshop on designing customer-centric teams. This hands-on workshop will provide valuable insights into the Voice of Customer programs and platforms, help you understand personas, and delve into the customer journey. You will have the opportunity to analyze a real-life case study, participate in a simulated customer research session, and engage in rich discussions with your peers. Our goal is to equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to create a customer-focused team that drives business success.

Did you come to CMSWire CONNECT to identify and evaluate suitable technology suppliers for your digital and customer experience initiatives? If so, this workshop is for you!

Join your host Tony Byrne – founder of Real Story Group, a fiercely-independent, pro-customer analyst firm – for the inside scoop on how to match your unique needs with the right technology marketplaces and vendors, ranging from CMS and DAM to Email Marketing and more. Tony will teach you how to replace outdated, waterfall methods with a modern approach to technology selection.

You’ll also come away with a firm understanding of the major pros and cons of the key cloud/suite players.

This workshop will teach you to:

• Distinguish among features, architectures, cost, and ecosystems to assess how you can underpin your digital strategy with the best-fitting tools for your needs

• Drive an agile, test-based selection process that engages your peers as advocates for the right solution

• Understand how to adopt this methodology for selecting digital agencies and other consulting firms

• Benefit from case studies and learning from those who have gone before you

In this master class session, join Tom DeWitt, Ph.D., Director of Customer Experience Management at Michigan State University, as he shares insights on the importance of customer-centricity in driving organizational success. Through engaging discussions, assessments, and case studies, attendees will learn about the critical drivers of customer-centricity, including leadership, collaboration, and implementation. Participants will also gain practical skills and tools to help create a customer-centric culture in their organization.

By the end of the session, the audience will understand:

• The importance of customer-centricity in driving organizational success
• The key drivers of customer-centricity, including leadership, collaboration, and implementation
• Practical skills and tools for creating a customer-centric culture in your organization

In this master class session, Catherine Brinkman, VP of Client Experience, and Merle Heckman, global trainer at Dale Carnegie, will explore the impact of emotional routing in creating personalized customer experiences. They will discuss how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to identify a customer's emotional state and direct them to the most appropriate representative. The session will optimize emotional routing using sentiment analysis to determine the customer's emotional state and ensure they are connected with the right representative. The speakers will also provide practical advice on how to train employees to effectively respond to customers based on their emotional needs, resulting in higher customer satisfaction scores. Attendees will leave with a comprehensive understanding of using AI to create personalized customer experiences that drive business growth.

In this master class session, participants will gain knowledge about the following three topics:

• The importance of emotional routing in creating personalized customer experiences and driving business growth
• How to effectively leverage AI-generated sentiment analysis to determine the customer's emotional state and direct them to the appropriate representative
• Strategies for training employees to effectively respond to customers based on their emotional needs, resulting in higher customer satisfaction scores

Did you come to CMSWire CONNECT to identify and evaluate suitable technology suppliers for your digital and customer experience initiatives? If so, this workshop is for you!

Join your host Tony Byrne – founder of Real Story Group, a fiercely-independent, pro-customer analyst firm – for the inside scoop on how to match your unique needs with the right technology marketplaces and vendors, ranging from CMS and DAM to Email Marketing and more. Tony will teach you how to replace outdated, waterfall methods with a modern approach to technology selection.

You’ll also come away with a firm understanding of the major pros and cons of the key cloud/suite players.

This workshop will teach you to:

• Distinguish among features, architectures, cost, and ecosystems to assess how you can underpin your digital strategy with the best-fitting tools for your needs

• Drive an agile, test-based selection process that engages your peers as advocates for the right solution

• Understand how to adopt this methodology for selecting digital agencies and other consulting firms

• Benefit from case studies and learning from those who have gone before you

In this masterclass, Tom DeWitt, Ph.D., Director of Customer Experience Management at Michigan State University will present a comprehensive employee engagement approach incorporating a 15-measurement scoring system. Through practical implementations and strategies, Dr. DeWitt will guide leaders on how to structure their internal systems and communicate for optimal employee engagement. The session will be hands-on, with real-time examples and best practices from years of research.

By the end of this session, attendees will:

• Understand the three dimensions of employee engagement and how to leverage each one for maximum impact
• Learn practical strategies for implementing an effective employee engagement program within their organization
• Discover how to address common challenges and obstacles to employee engagement and how to measure and track progress over time

As customer demands continue to rise, companies are exploring new ways to improve their customer journey. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool to help companies enhance their customer experience. In this interactive 90-minute master class, Shawn Goodin, a renowned AI expert, will share his insights and best practices for designing a modern MarTech + CX stack powered by AI. Shawn will explore the role of AI in marketing, technology, data, and analytics and provide real-world examples of how businesses can incorporate AI to transform their customer journey.

By the end of the master class, attendees will have a deep understanding of how AI can transform their customer journey. They will leave with three key strategies to implement that will enable them to deliver a superior customer experience, including:

• How to use AI to personalize customer interactions and anticipate their needs
• How to leverage AI to streamline customer service and support processes
• How to integrate AI-powered analytics to gain insights and improve the customer journey

Transform your organization into a customer-centric powerhouse with this interactive workshop on building customer journeys. You will learn how to design customer-centric teams, leverage personas to create journey maps and conduct touchpoint audits, and drive customer centricity throughout your organization. Our experienced facilitator will guide you through hands-on exercises and discussions, providing you with the tools and insights needed to drive meaningful change in your organization. Don't miss this opportunity to take your customer focus to the next level.

In this master class session, Catherine Brinkman, VP of Client Experience, and Merle Heckman, global trainer at Dale Carnegie, will explore how artificial intelligence can optimize human expertise in customer service. They will discuss how AI can be leveraged to automate routine tasks, allowing human representatives to focus on tasks that require critical thinking and emotional intelligence. The session will focus on effectively training employees to work alongside AI tools to improve customer satisfaction scores. The speakers will provide practical advice on how to quickly react to the information handed off by the AI software and ensure that the customer receives a seamless experience. Attendees will leave with a comprehensive understanding of how to optimize human expertise in customer service with the help of AI tools.

In this master class session, participants will gain knowledge about the following three topics:

• The benefits of leveraging AI tools to automate routine tasks and optimize human expertise in customer service
• How to effectively train employees to work alongside AI tools to improve customer satisfaction scores
• Strategies for quickly reacting to the information provided by the AI software to ensure a seamless customer experience

Experience premiere networking at its finest in our VIP-only lounge. Indulge in the lunch spread while mingling with like-minded peers and executives deep in the weeds of digital experience initiatives in their organizations. Don't miss out on this exclusive chance to elevate your career and expand your network.

Access to the VIP Lounge is exclusive to VIP registrants, speakers and select sponsor guests. If you’re looking to run into a keynote, masterclass or breakout speaker, VIP is the place to be. Take advantage of the opportunity for 1:1 or small group conversations on the fly. 

Talk about a VIP water cooler experience! Secure your spot now, as VIP passes are limited.

Join Vernon Tirey, Principal at CDPi Advisors, in this comprehensive master class on Customer Data Management Strategies and Best Practices. This CDP readiness workshop will provide a deep dive into the four key parts of CDP implementation and success:

1. Understanding what a Customer Data Platform (CDP) is, how it supports best practices, and why you need a CDP to stay ahead of the competition.
2. Determining if your company is ready for a CDP and identifying the gaps between current and ideal practices to achieve significant business impact quickly.
3. Defining the CDP tools, technologies, and techniques requirements to optimize your MarTech stack and deliver ideal data management capabilities.
4. Organizing for maximum impact, including selecting the best CDP for your company, avoiding common pitfalls, and creating leverage to deliver significant business outcomes.

By the end of this master class, you will have a practical understanding of CDPs and the strategies required to leverage and manage data assets that deliver bottom-line business success.

Key takeaways:

• A clear understanding of CDP enabled best practices and the ability to articulate why your company needs a CDP to be competitive today.
• A vocabulary to review a broad range of CDP options, explain where the CDP fits in your MarTech stack, and discuss the key considerations when choosing a CDP.
• A simple method for turning use cases into robust and impactful CDP requirements.
• A check list of dos & don’ts to assure CDP success!

Understanding the customer experience has both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Things like customer journey maps provide a representation of what customers think, feel and do throughout their experience. These qualitative measures need to be augmented by data – the metrics for determining whether prospects and customers are achieving their objectives or abandoning the journey due to friction in the process. Metrics can be used to surface the things that slow down access to information and get in the way of a customer experience adding friction to the process. KPI’s can also determine whether investments are yielding results that justify further investment or validate assumptions or theories about how to improve the experience. In this session we will walk through how each stage of the journey can be instrumented to use feedback from course corrections to further improve the process.

In today's digital world, data plays a vital role in understanding customer behavior and driving business decisions. With the recent launch of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), businesses are now faced with the challenge of migrating their analytics strategy from Universal Analytics to GA4. Join Pierre Debois, CEO of Zimana, in this master class session, where he will guide you through the process of migrating your analytics strategy from Universal Analytics to GA4.

Takeaways:

• A clear understanding of the key differences between Universal Analytics and GA4 and the benefits of migrating to GA4
• Knowledge of the steps involved in migrating your analytics strategy to GA4, along with best practices for ensuring a successful migration
• Tips for optimizing your analytics strategy in GA4 to help you get the most out of your data.

Join Sean Albertson, Head of Client Experience Measurement & Analytics at Charles Schwab, as he shares his expertise in identifying and addressing customer pain points. In this session, Sean will discuss practical strategies for enhancing customer experience, including the 4ROCKS Analytic Program. This program is designed to help organizations pinpoint customer struggles and improve their overall experience, ultimately increasing customer loyalty. Attendees will gain valuable insights and leave with actionable steps to implement in their organizations. Additionally, Sean will focus on the technology and architecture required to build out the program, including data needs and vendor selection.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn practical strategies for identifying customer pain points and areas for improvement.
• Discover the benefits of the 4ROCKS Analytic Program and how it can help organizations reduce customer effort and increase loyalty.
• Gain valuable insights on developing the building blocks of their organization's CX strategy and preparing their technology.

Join Vernon Tirey, Principal at CDPi Advisors, in this comprehensive master class on Customer Data Management Strategies and Best Practices. This CDP readiness workshop will provide a deep dive into the four key parts of CDP implementation and success:

1. Understanding what a Customer Data Platform (CDP) is, how it supports best practices, and why you need a CDP to stay ahead of the competition.
2. Determining if your company is ready for a CDP and identifying the gaps between current and ideal practices to achieve significant business impact quickly.
3. Defining the CDP tools, technologies, and techniques requirements to optimize your MarTech stack and deliver ideal data management capabilities.
4. Organizing for maximum impact, including selecting the best CDP for your company, avoiding common pitfalls, and creating leverage to deliver significant business outcomes.

By the end of this master class, you will have a practical understanding of CDPs and the strategies required to leverage and manage data assets that deliver bottom-line business success.

Key takeaways:

• A clear understanding of CDP enabled best practices and the ability to articulate why your company needs a CDP to be competitive today.
• A vocabulary to review a broad range of CDP options, explain where the CDP fits in your MarTech stack, and discuss the key considerations when choosing a CDP.
• Simple method for turning use cases into robust and impactful CDP requirements.
• A check list of dos & don’ts to assure CDP success!

VIP attendees will have access to our exclusive opening night reception to experience the city skyline of Austin, Texas like never before. Attendees can mix and mingle with other VIP attendees, speakers and select sponsor guests on the rooftop pool deck. Enjoy the amenities of a private bar and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres while making connections in a chic, relaxed atmosphere to kick off the VIP conference experience!

Wake up and start the day in in the sun!  Join your peers for one of several group fitness options, including outdoor yoga, or our walking and running groups.  Explore downtown Austin and talk shop while you sweat.

What better way to kickstart your day than with a delicious breakfast spread and Expo Hall all under one roof? CONNECT is the only large event in North America that gathers the top echelon of customer experience and employee experience practitioners. Whether you are a CMSWire CONNECT or Reworked CONNECT attendee, you will have full access to the combined expo hall.

Discover new technologies, learn from industry leaders, and network with your peers. The expo will feature interactive exhibits, informative sessions and hands-on demonstrations, giving you the chance to see the latest advancements in your field and get a firsthand look at how they can benefit your business.

Make sure to check back into the Expo throughout the day.  There will be plenty of opportunities to learn and explore. Enjoy games, charging stations, music, and entertainment, as well as demos and thought-leadership pop-up presentations.

CEO and Founder Brice Dunwoodie opens CONNECT 2023 with a look at how we got here... and what you can expect from 2 days of incredible content, networking and fun. 

Stay tuned as we share exciting news on our keynote case study presented by Firstup!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speakers!

Scott Galloway, New York Times Best Selling author, serial entrepreneur, and Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business will deliver a captivating keynote session on the trends and technologies shaping the next decade of digital experiences for both customers and employees. Galloway will explore the overhyped and underhyped trends and share his perspective on how companies can create a competitive advantage in this rapidly evolving landscape. Galloway will delve into the impact of AI and automation, the rise of fintech and remote work, and the future of transportation. 

Q&A facilitated by Reworked Editorial.

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speakers!

With so much to take in, we know you’ll need a quick break. Grab a freshly roasted cup of coffee and take in one of our four thought leadership sessions on our two, Innovation Stages.  Lounge in our recharging stations and mingle as you recap the day’s sessions and demos ... all without leaving the Expo Hall.

Grab a freshly roasted cup of coffee and take in some bite-sized learning while on break, with this thought leadership session presented by NICE on the CMSWire Innovation Stage.

In today’s competitive market, customer expectations are at an all-time high. Customers are not only comparing your brand to others in your industry but also to the best service they have ever received across all industries. To stand out from the competition and build customer loyalty, investing in the customer experience is essential. Join this session to learn how to differentiate your brand through exceptional customer experience.

Freshworks’ Colin Crowley will share valuable insights and industry best practices concerning:

• Techniques for converting support interactions into revenue-generating opportunities
• Strategies for transitioning to a proactive customer service approach
• Best practices for delivering seamless, conversational customer experiences across all channels

Join us for an electrifying and informative executive panel discussion featuring industry titans shaping the enterprise landscape. Gain invaluable insights into these organizations' customer and employee experience initiatives, and discover how they scale their operations to achieve massive success.

Our esteemed panelists include Sean Albertson, the Head of Client Experience at Charles Schwab, expertly moderated by Tiffany Miller, who has worked with Fidelity Investments for over 16 years. Get ready to be inspired by these enterprise leaders' visionary leadership and cutting-edge strategies!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

Join us for an electrifying and informative executive panel discussion featuring industry titans shaping the enterprise landscape. Gain invaluable insights into these organizations' customer and employee experience initiatives, and discover how they scale their operations to achieve massive success.

Our discussion will be expertly moderated by Siobhan Fagan, Editor-in-Chief at Reworked, ensuring that you won't want to miss this captivating panel session. Get ready to be inspired by these enterprise leaders' visionary leadership and cutting-edge strategies!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

As the July 1, 2023 deadline for Google Analytics Universal's data collection approaches, migrating to GA4 is becoming increasingly crucial for businesses. In this breakout session, Stephanie Petrusha, Director of Technology from Cylogy, will guide the audience through a successful migration process to GA4, focusing on customer journey optimization and success metrics. Stephanie will provide insights into the customer experience analytics and success metrics necessary for a smooth migration. Attendees will learn about critical takeaways, including how to:

• Create a seamless migration process from Universal Analytics to GA4
• Optimize customer journeys and analytics for improved user experience
• Identify success metrics that help to measure the effectiveness of your GA4 migration

Join this session to learn how to leverage GA4's capabilities for customer journey optimization and how to measure your success with data-driven insights. The session will conclude with 10 minutes for Q&A, allowing attendees to ask specific questions about their business needs.

Are you struggling to navigate the increasingly complex world of martech and customer experience? Are you seeking a solution to unify your zero and first-party data and overcome today's privacy and personalization challenges? Enter the CDP - the touted silver bullet for marketers and CX leaders. But is it living up to its promise?

Join us for a breakout session that explores the CDP landscape and its role in today's fast-paced digital environment. Learn about the challenges around privacy and personalization and how zero and first-party data can help overcome them. We'll delve into the capabilities and limitations of the CDP and explore what the future holds as we move "beyond CDP."

Key Takeaways:

• The role of zero and first-party data in addressing privacy and personalization challenges
• The strengths and weaknesses of the CDP in today's complex martech landscape
• What the future might look like “beyond CDP”

There are many ways to optimize your content for your users and for search engines. Where do you find the most impactful insights in your data and how do you use those to provide measurable changes to content performance and user experience? This presentation will provide specific things to look for in your analytics and show you how to improve your content performance based on your findings.

Key takeaways include:

• Where to find insights in different platform analytics tools 
• How to make effective changes in your content to improve performance 
• How to measure and track in order to prove the impact

Many companies have been here before. Researching a new content management system hoping to arrive at the “perfect” solution for their unique use case. The reality of this journey is that often the hype around a certain architecture shouts louder than the "right" solution for your business. You don’t take your neighbors medicine simply because they feel better. In this session you will learn to diagnose your company’s unique content problems in order to find a solution that aligns people, processes, and technologies to meet evolving customer expectations.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn the most important questions to ask when defining your digital strategy
• Learn about the different available architectures to accommodate that strategy
• Defining the stakeholders in the CMS selection journey.

What do you get when you explore an Expo Hall with over 60 providers, plenty of demos, pop-up presentations, games and entertainment? Hungry! With our continued lunch service, you’ll have everything you need to get re-energized and back to making valuable CONNECTions.  Make sure to swing by one of the four Innovation Stage sessions for the latest thought leadership, in bite-size format!

Grab a freshly roasted cup of coffee and take in some bite-sized learning while on break, with this thought leadership session presented by InMoment on the CMSWire Innovation Stage.

Grab a freshly roasted cup of coffee and take in some bite-sized learning while on break, with this thought leadership session presented by Umbraco on the CMSWire Innovation Stage.

Grab a freshly roasted cup of coffee and take in some bite-sized learning while on break, with this thought leadership session presented by Dunn Solutions on the CMSWire Innovation Stage.

Omnichannel customer experiences are essential for success in any industry. Providing seamless, consistent experiences across all channels is critical to any effective digital customer experience strategy. Join Katrina Taylor, Principal UX Designer at lululemon, as she shares insights into the best practices, technologies, and systems for creating exceptional omnichannel experiences. 

The Audience Will Learn:

• How to optimize your digital touchpoints
• Way to leverage emerging technologies
• How to build design experiences that meet the needs of today's digitally savvy consumers

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our speaker!

In this session, Matthew Schaeffer, Senior Manager of Data & Content Operations Programs at REI, will share his expertise on leveraging platforms, tech, and strategy to optimize your customer experience (CX). Schaeffer will provide practical insights into implementing CX strategies and processes through data, case studies, and real-world stories. Attendees will learn to implement innovative technology and techniques to improve their CX and increase customer engagement across multiple touchpoints. Join us to gain valuable knowledge on empowering your CX with cutting-edge platforms, tech, and teams.

Takeaways:

• Learn how to leverage platforms, tech, and strategy to optimize your CX
• Discover how to implement CX strategies and processes to improve customer engagement
• Gain insights on how to incorporate technology to create an omnichannel experience for customers

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our speaker!

As the July 1, 2023 deadline for Google Analytics Universal's data collection approaches, migrating to GA4 is becoming increasingly crucial for businesses. In this breakout session, Stephanie Petrusha, Director of Technology from Cylogy, will guide the audience through a successful migration process to GA4, focusing on customer journey optimization and success metrics. Stephanie will provide insights into the customer experience analytics and success metrics necessary for a smooth migration. Attendees will learn about critical takeaways, including how to:

• Create a seamless migration process from Universal Analytics to GA4
• Optimize customer journeys and analytics for improved user experience
• Identify success metrics that help to measure the effectiveness of your GA4 migration

Join this session to learn how to leverage GA4's capabilities for customer journey optimization and how to measure your success with data-driven insights. The session will conclude with 10 minutes for Q&A, allowing attendees to ask specific questions about their business needs.

AI runs on knowledge – expertise and content structured and organized for retrieval using virtual assistants, chatbots, and conversational commerce applications. But how do organizations build this capability cost-effectively and sustainably? The answer is a “knowledge factory,” an approach that solves information problems today while providing a foundation for the future methodology for analyzing business problems, breaking problems into specific information requirements, developing and structuring knowledge components, and building out models for continuous learning and knowledge curation using automated and human in the loop approaches along with process metrics to quantify business impact. Organizations not building these capabilities will be caught flat-footed as the industry progresses. Competitors build sophisticated capabilities that enable higher levels of customer service at lower costs. In this session, we will walk through examples of how organizations have developed and applied a knowledge architecture for high-functionality chatbots and virtual assistants. 

Personalization is no longer a nice-to-have in retail; it's a must-have. Join Director of Technology-Personalization at Lowe's, Tarunam Verma, for an in-depth exploration of hyper-personalization in CX. Learn how AI and machine learning can help deliver a customer experience that truly resonates. With insights into model-driven content tagging, journey evolution, and platform capabilities, this session is a must-attend for anyone looking to stay ahead of the personalization curve.

In this session you will:

• Explore where your organization is on the path and how to advance to the next level
• Discuss how to achieve personalization at scale by enabling machine learning foundation capabilities
• Gain practical tips on how to evolve your content and journey to optimize personalization
• Look at the future of personalization in 2025, including emerging trends and technologies that will continue to shape the customer experience.

It is universally known that communication impacts business success. To create effective communication for customers and internal teams, people use “best practices.” However, many such practices rely on anecdotal information and unexamined folklore. Best practices are not really best practices; they are best guesses. And worse yet, people use yesterday’s best guesses because few organizations apply rigorous science to communicate in a way the modern brain works. In this breakout, Carmen Simon, Cognitive Neuroscientist, Stanford Instructor, and Chief Science Officer at Corporate Visions, will debunk myths related to business communication using evidence from her neuroscience research. Specifically, you will learn practical and new approaches to question old techniques, such as:

• Is less always more in helping your audiences remember and act on your content?
• Are pictures and videos more effective than text?
• Is there still merit to the adage, “tell them what you’re going to tell them, then tell them what you told them”?
• Should you always simplify complexity?

Participants will leave with practical strategies and techniques for communicating more effectively with their customers. Join us for this interactive session and learn how to apply the science of communication to create better customer experiences.

Privacy and compliance might sound like a real snooze-fest, but we're here to prove that it doesn't have to be. Join us for a Privacy Party and learn how to keep the good times rollin' while staying on the right side of the law in 2023. In this breakout session, Digital Policy Consultant at XRSI, Kristina Podnar, will share the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in privacy and compliance. But don't worry; we'll be keeping it fun and upbeat with real-world examples and practical tips that you can use to stay compliant without sacrificing the party vibe.

Takeaways:

• Understand the latest privacy regulations and trends.
• Learn how to implement privacy-by-design principles to avoid compliance risks.
• Discover strategies for addressing compliance risks in your supply chain.

Learn how to successfully advocate for and implement a composable tech stack, including a headless CMS. Discover the best time to make a case for this approach, what data you need to support your argument, and how to evolve your approach over time. With insights from a seasoned expert who has walked the talk, you'll also learn the art and science of building a composable DXP. By the end of the session, you'll know how to win hearts and minds through effective communication, turn business and tech stakeholders into advocates, and prove the value of the composable DXP approach through real-world examples. Don't miss this opportunity to drive success with a composable tech stack!

Key Takeaways:

• Strategies for effective communication to win hearts and minds
• Techniques for turning business and tech stakeholders into advocates
• Methods for proving the value of a composable DXP approach through real-world examples.

Customer Data Platform (CDP) technology has become all the rage in recent years, and always a hot topic on CMSWire! Yet much confusion reigns about the scope and purpose of these platforms, amid a highly diversified vendor marketplace.

Join MarTech expert Tony Byrne — founder of independent analyst firm Real Story Group — for the real scoop on CDP technology. Tony will walk you through the business case, architectural models, and pitfalls in this emerging market, with a glimpse of where it’s going in the future. If you’re exploring CDPs, or in the market now, or even thinking of replacing your first-gen CDP (it happens!), this session is perfect for you.

CMSWire's Managing Editor, Dom Nicastro, highlights the key happenings from day 1 of CONNECT 2023 with humor and expert insights.

Stay tuned as we share exciting news on our keynote case study!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speakers!

In this keynote address, MIT research scientist Kristine Dery shares the findings from her years of research - including the latest data and case studies captured pre-, during and post- pandemic, on the dynamic between technology and the way that people work, including the design and management of the workplace to understand how organizations use digital capabilities internally to create more effective ways of working, and the impact of new ways of engaging with talent in the digital era.

Q&A facilitated by Reworked / CMSWire Editorial.

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

Get inspired to get the most out of your evening networking reception -- and make the most of your new CONNECTions -- with this powerful keynote by 2-time Olympian Lina Taylor. 

You’ve committed to CONNECT.  Now, let’s make it happen!  In this quick preface to the Networking Reception, get inspired by Lina's story of serendipity and how she took advantage of opportunities to persist - and succeed.  

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

The combination of the Expo Hall and our CONNECT 2023 Networking Reception is one you don’t want to miss. The evening reception will feature plenty of games, a hosted bar and delicious hors d’oeuvres. Plus, enjoy some entertainment in the city known for being the Live Music Capital of the World! Bring your boots and your best moves.

Wake up and shine on day 2 of CONNECT!  Join your peers for one of several group fitness options, including outdoor yoga, or our walking and running groups. Explore downtown Austin and share fun anecdotes from day 1's programming and party.

Kickstart day 2 with sustenance and exploration in our CONNECT Expo!  Discover new technologies, learn from industry leaders, network and enjoy some fresh breakfast bites. The expo will feature interactive exhibits, informative sessions and hands-on demonstrations, giving you the chance to see the latest advancements in your field and get a firsthand look at how they can benefit your business.

Make sure to check back into the Expo throughout the rest of day 2 . There will be plenty of new opportunities to learn and explore -- earn more game points, charge those devices, and enjoy demos, pop up entertainment and thought leadership throughout.

Join us for an exciting set of speakers on the rapidly developing world of AI!  This keynote & panel combo brings together top AI experts to explore the critical questions facing society as AI increasingly shapes our lives. Join us for a lively discussion that will delve into the implications of AI on absolutely everything — from customer-facing synthetic humans and intelligent agents to learning & development through augmented and virtual reality. Leave with a deep understanding of AI’s criticality to building a robust customer and employee experience, and building a better future for your organization’s key stakeholders.

Stay tuned as we release our additional AI speakers!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

Time to meander! Grab a freshly roasted cup of coffee and take in one of four thought leadership sessions on our two, Innovation Stages.  Lounge in our recharging stations, pick up swag at sponsor booths,  play and mingle as you recap the day’s sessions and demos ... all without leaving the Expo Hall.

Join us as we explore how you can empower your customers and internal teams to be efficient by doing more with a single, unified portal.

Have some fun on break with this rapid-fire session on the CMSWire Innovation Stage. You will have an opportunity to watch and review high-impact demos from some of the most innovative products in the market.  Vote live for the winner!

Demo #1: Brightspot

Demo #2: Contentstack

Demo #3: SAS

Join Reworked & CMSWire’s editorial and research experts as they present emerging trends and key takeaways from our annual State of the Digital Customer Experience & Digital Workplace Reports.  With data compiled from our annual studies of more than 2,400 executives, enjoy this unique opportunity to engage with the team as they offer a compelling snapshot of where we are and how DX leaders approach differentiate their approaches to digital experience with customers and employees.

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

What do you get when you explore an Expo Hall with over 60 providers, plenty of demos, pop-up presentations, games and entertainment? Hungry! With our grab & go lunch service throughout the Expo Hall, you’ll have everything you need to get re-energized and back to making valuable CONNECTions. Make sure to swing by one of the four Innovation Stage sessions for the latest thought leadership, in bite-size format!

Grab lunch and take in some bite-sized learning while on break, with this thought leadership session presented on the CMSWire Innovation Stage.

Grab lunch and take in some bite-sized learning while on break, with this thought leadership session presented on the CMSWire Innovation Stage.

Dive into this solution-oriented thought leadership session, learn from an expert in the field, and participate in small group interactions and Q&A, in this breakout session.

Our CONNECT breakouts are designed to help you take your skills to the next level and give your company a competitive edge by exploring innovative solutions to customer experience challenges. Expert speakers will give you the tools and knowledge to excel in your field. From hands-on exercises to interactive discussions, these sessions are designed to be both informative and engaging.

Personalization is no longer a nice-to-have in retail; it's a must-have. Join Director of Technology-Personalization at Lowe's, Tarunam Verma, for an in-depth exploration of hyper-personalization in CX. Learn how AI and machine learning can help deliver a customer experience that truly resonates. With insights into model-driven content tagging, journey evolution, and platform capabilities, this session is a must-attend for anyone looking to stay ahead of the personalization curve.

In this session you will:

• Explore where your organization is on the path and how to advance to the next level

• Discuss how to achieve personalization at scale by enabling machine learning foundation capabilities

• Gain practical tips on how to evolve your content and journey to optimize personalization

• Look at the future of personalization in 2025, including emerging trends and technologies that will continue to shape the customer experience.

Our editors highlight the key happenings from day 2 of CONNECT 2023 with humor and expert insights, as we head into our closing keynotes of the conference.

Stay tuned as we share exciting news on our keynote case study!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speakers!

Motivation is a complex process deeply rooted in the brain. The good news is that the brain is constantly active and always motivated to do something. But the question is: how do you motivate it toward something with positive consequences and peak performance? In this keynote, Dr. Simon, Cognitive Neuroscientist, Stanford Instructor, and Chief Science Officer at Corporate Visions, will share her cutting-edge neuroscience research and provide three powerful techniques to supercharge motivation. By the end of this keynote, you'll leave with a clear integrated model of motivation, based on how your brain works. Specifically, in this session, you will learn how to:

• Explain the core science behind motivating yourself and others
• Discover the most important neurobiological factors that influence healthy motivational drive and motivation deficits
• Use science-based, practical techniques to turn yourself and others into go-getters and peak performers

The creator of a huge music genre, gangsta rap, star actor and inspiration to millions of fans, Ice-T joins CONNECT to close out the event with words of wisdom that cross all industries, all people, all lives.  In the face of constant adversity, keep it real with words from the original hustler, who overcame enormous odds in the streets of L.A. to succeed, and thrive.

About our keynote speaker:

Ice’s life has often been defined by overcoming adversity. As a child he lost both of his parents and at 17 started living on his own in south-central LA, while the violent and infamous gang culture exploded, and faced being a teen father. In the face of those challenges, Ice-T joined the army, where he learned the power of discipline.

Ice-T is known for becoming a master criminal but it was during this time that a horrific accident led him to debut a new rap musical form and realize a talent for street poetry in the form of gangsta rap. He overcame the record labels who denied his talent and called the genre a fad, to become one of the most well-known rap stars ever.

Time and time again Ice was thrown into adversity. The tune of his life was the repetitive obstacle, opportunity, obstacle, opportunity. His mindset at every juncture brought him success.

Meet Ice-T in person and snap a selfie after his talk concludes. Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!

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VIP attendees will receive priority, reserved seating. Get up close and personal with our keynote speaker!

Join us as we toast the close of an amazing CONNECT conference with our CMSWire and Reworked speakers, attendees, sponsors, editorial and research teams!  Meet Ice-T in person and snap a selfie after his talk concludes. Mingle with members of Austin's underserved youth community to provide some onsite mentoring while you meet. Celebrate all of your outstanding new CONNECTions and, if you're staying the weekend to enjoy the city, sun and pool, make sure to grab a team member for a discount code at one of the hotel's five gorgeous indoor/outdoor eateries.