Voices from the Episerver Community: Why Attend Ascend 2018

What will you be doing March 11-14 this year?  We hope that we will see you at the Episerver Ascend conference.  

As a sponsor of this show, we, of course, see the value in attending. Here are three of our reasons why to attend.

• There will be great keynotes! Kristen Newbold-Knipp from Gartner, Troy Hunt, Microsoft Regional Director & Author at Pluralsight, and Shawn Achor, New York Times bestselling author of the Happiness Advantage and positive psychology researcher will all be guest speaking this year. 
• You can interact with hundreds of other Ektron/Episerver users that can share their experiences and help you find solutions to any issues you are having with the platform.
• You'll get the inside scoop and better understand the Episerver roadmap and new enhancements to the product.

We asked other members of the Episerver community to share why they value attending Ascend.  

"I attend the Episerver Ascend conference for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it is the premier opportunity to learn firsthand about what is new with the platform. There is no other way to learn from the people that are actually using, designing and developing the product all in one place. Second, it is an opportunity to tell our story. For two years, I was a speaker and it allowed me to get honest feedback, great advice and critical reviews of what we are doing to make our deliverable better for my customers. Lastly, it is a wonderful networking opportunity. I get to reconnect with great people that I have established relationships with over the 15 years that I don’t get to see on a regular basis."

Dave Kragenbrink
Solutions Administrator, Waukesha County

"Why attend Ascend as an Ektron customer? Episerver is committed to the Ektron platform, and exemplified that with a dedicated stream of Ektron related sessions last year. Attendees could clearly focus on Ektron alone if they chose to. Collaboration at every level is key for attending – I have been so fortunate to develop relationships with people and companies I have met because of Ascend – including our development and support partner Diagram, functional peers, and expert developers. Meeting face to face at Ascend is a definite asset in developing a network I engage throughout the year."

Krista MacDonald
PMP, Manager, IT Business Services, Jazz Aviation LP

"I attend the Episerver Ascend conference because I love connecting with all of the customers and partners, seeing the latest implementations of Episerver, learning about upcoming features and the opportunity to stay on the cutting edge in the Episerver universe. The parties aren't bad, either."

Brian Browning
V.P., Rightpoint

"I will be a first-time time Ascend attendee this year. I’m looking forward to the in-person” opportunity to be a part of the Episerver community. I’m particularly excited about the strong Marketing content track. Sessions that focus on content personalization, data driven marketing, measuring the customer experience ROI and the value of user generated content are all key areas to learn more about and to bring home actionable items to my team."

Tammy Brunskill
Marketing Director, EisnerAmper

"I attend the Episerver Ascend conference because of the connections and reconnections I get to make while there. The conversations over breakfast, lunch, and drinks are always enlightening as well as the sessions and keynotes. In the end, I walk away with more people in my contacts list that I've shared something with, be it problems, solutions, or just a drink. All are good. Go. Meet new people. Make the most of it. You won't be disappointed."

James Stout
Solutions Consultant, Episerver

"I attend the Episerver Ascend conference because these are my people. I come back excited by what others are doing and by what I didn't even realize was possible."

Kenny Gutierrez
Sr. Developer, Rightpoint