Four Winds Plans Forward Digital Experience Conference For Fall 2015

June 8, 2015 by Dave Haynes

ForwardFINAL1-1440x641Denver-based Four Winds Interactive sent me an invite and details on something called Forward, The Digital Experience Conference – a new event it is putting together for this fall in the mile-high city.

I’ve been to conferences organized or structured around vendors, and they can tend to be very long days hearing more and more and more about the product and applications.

This is intended to be quite different, so I asked Four Winds’ CMO Janet Eden-Harris for more detail on what Forward was all about.

Q – What’s the story behind this conference, which seems quite a bit different from typical software company user conferences?

In previous years, we’ve hosted the SuperUser Conference, which was designed for FWI customers only.  It lasted one-day and was focused solely on FWI’s software.  With the dramatic changes in digital business, we wanted to create an industry event that would bring together thought leaders from across the industry to share best practices and the latest trends. 

Forward, The Digital Experience Conference, is an Industry Conference that focuses on digital business as a whole.  Speakers from some of the worlds top organizations, such as Google, Ernst and Young, and Microsoft will discuss their approach to this transformation, what works best, the return they’ve seen and several other tips and tricks.  

Forward will also let people meet up with peers—in their industry, as well as their job function – from HR, Ops and Marketing, to Hospitality, Education and Gaming. We’ll have something for everyone.  The afternoon breakout sessions will allow attendees to take a deeper dive into topics that specifically pertain to their industry (Education, Gaming, Hospitality, Healthcare, Employee Comm and External Comm) and job title (Execs, IT/Facilities, Marketing and HR).

Last, but not least – we’ll kick this conference off at FWI’s new Corporate Headquarters, which will be the “Office of the Future.”  It will have the latest and greatest in technology, hardware and software.  Of course, we’ll have plenty of entertainment, networking and the cocktails will be flowing! 

Q – What’s the profile you’re going for as a targeted attendee?

We will have tracks for executives in multiple disciplines … from senior executives to the teams responsible for managing the digital networks in their organizations.  In fact, we’re offering a training package for those users who might want to go to a FWI training and get certified in the two days prior to the conference.  We are opening it to customers as well as any organizations that just want to come to learn about the latest trends.

Q – If I went, what am I going to hear, see and learn? 

You are going to hear from some of the top companies in the world, speakers in each and every industry, Digital Business use cases, what works and what doesn’t, how to approach this transformation and what you can expect when transitioning your organization into a Digital Business.  

You will see some of the worlds best implementations and meet attendees from around the country who are thinking about making this transition or have already begun.  You will see FWI’s “Workplace of the Future” and the latest and greatest hardware.

You will learn about the future of digital business, how it has already made an impact and what you can expect to see down the line.  You will learn how to best approach social media, networking, content and hardware.  You will learn industry tech trends from product managers in your industry.

Q – Events that are run by vendors tend – not always – but definitely TEND to be a little bit of general knowledge and a lot of targeted product knowledge that might otherwise be called sales presentations and product updates. I take it Forward is not going to be like that, and it won’t be a cavalcade of Four Winds execs getting microphone time?

Forward is an industry conference, not an FWI conference.  FWI is a leader in the industry, but we want to educate attendees on best practices, how people are approaching this transformation and why the visual layer is so critical to an organizations success.  

FWI’s CEO, David Levin, will open the general session, but then we’ll dive into speakers from Google, Microsoft, MGM Resorts International and many more!  Breakout sessions will be led by customers, industry experts and FWI industry product managers. 

Q – Do you have to be a Four Winds client to attend? 

Nope.  We love our clients, but this is open to all.  Clients, prospects, industry experts, sponsors and so forth.  Digital Business is transforming organizations at such a fast pace. Whether you’ve considered this transformation, you’ve started it or your company is well ahead of the curve, Forward will share best practices, how to approach this transformation, what works, how to measure results and how to approach this change for your specific industry and job role.

Q – How do you register? Any deals for registering early?

You can register and learn more by clicking here.  Register by June 30 and save up to $300.  The registration fee includes all general sessions, breakouts, parties and F&B.  We’ve also secured a discounted room rate at The Hyatt (directly across from the Colorado Convention Center).  You can find accommodation information on the link above.

The conference is Oct. 21-23 at the Denver Convention Center.

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