The pandemic has changed the way we think about our time and how we use it. We have become more selective in our commitments and are more likely to attend events that offer a clear benefit or return on investment. In this blog post, we will explore how attitudes towards time and event attendance have changed, and provide tips for improving event registrations.

The pandemic changed our culture, in business and personal life, leading to time becoming more valuable.

The pandemic has changed things for us in more ways than one. In business, it has forced companies and organizations to redefine their operations and adapt quickly to the new normal. On a personal level, it has made people realize that time is a finite resource and should be spent wisely. People are no longer willing to attend events or activities that don’t offer clear benefits or returns on their investment.

This shift in attitude is seen in how businesses operate now compared to before the pandemic. Companies were forced to adapt in creative ways such as investing in video conferencing tools for virtual meetings and hiring freelancers instead of full-time employees. Now that many of their employees successfully work remotely, they are shedding office space and realizing cost savings.

At the same time, people have become more conscious about how they spend their time outside work as well. Instead of attending events that may not benefit them, they are investing time into projects or activities that help them grow professionally or personally.

Commuting has also seen a sharp decrease due to many people now working from home. This change not only reduces on their travel costs, but also gives people more time to pursue hobbies or to spend time with their loved ones – reducing stress and improving overall wellbeing.

Around half of Americans report that they are currently reevaluating their lives and work/life balance. People are prioritizing quality time on activities like working out, meditating or learning something new that would previously have taken up too much valuable space on their overflowing agendas.

People are less likely to commit to events, especially if there’s no clear benefit or ROI for them.

Time is now seen as a precious commodity, something that should be used efficiently and with purpose. People are less likely to commit to events that interfere with their personal lives and/or don’t clearly demonstrate a benefit or return on time investment (ROI).

People want to make sure they get something tangible from attending an event, whether it’s knowledge, new contacts, or skills. Before committing to an event, people look for clear advantages and opportunities for growth. They want to ensure that their investment will pay off in some way.

Gathering information before attending an event helps people decide whether it’s worth their while. They often research potential speakers and topics covered beforehand, looking out for points of interest that could enhance their future prospects. Many people also read reviews from previous attendees in order to assess if the event is right for them.

It’s no wonder that many events have had lower post-pandemic attendance rates as people become increasingly wary about where and how they invest their time. The uncertain economy has also caused organizations to cut back on travel budgets – making webinars more attractive.

In today’s world time really is money – if you can’t guarantee a worthwhile ROI then people may choose not to attend. It’s essential for organizers to be transparent about what attendees can expect from any given event so their audience knows exactly what they’re getting into before committing their time.

Tips for how to improve event registrations.

As events become increasingly competitive, organizers must ensure their offerings stand out among the crowd. Here are some tips to help improve registrations:

1. Clearly communicate the event’s value proposition. People need to know why they should invest their time in attending, so be sure to clearly outline what attendees can expect from it. This could include keynote speakers, networking opportunities or exclusive discounts and offers.

2. Build a presence on social media platforms. Creating an active presence on social media is a great way to spread awareness of your events and engage with potential attendees. Make use of targeted advertising campaigns to reach people who are likely to be interested in your topics and create posts that are visually engaging, informative and relevant to the topic being discussed at the event.

3. Offer incentives for early registrations or group bookings. Offering discounts or other incentives can be a great way to encourage people to register as early birds or as part of a larger group booking – which helps boost overall attendance numbers too! Consider rewards such as free e-books, special access codes for virtual events or even discounted tickets for future events – anything that adds value for those who sign up quickly or bring more people along.

4. Promote content related to the event ahead of time. Releasing teaser videos, sharing blogs about topics that will be discussed at the event, or even conducting polls can all help build anticipation and excitement.

5. Collect feedback from past attendees and use it to improve future events. Feedback from past attendees gives organizers insights into what worked well and what didn’t work so well, allowing them to make improvements where necessary and ultimately increase registrations over time!

Sometimes, folks overlook Detroit as a cosmopolitan city. I am originally from Connecticut and spent a lot of time in New York City, Washington DC, and Boston, so I understand the sentiment.  However, I think Detroit can hold its own. I’ve never felt more Detroit pride than when I attended an amazing event for the Friends Of The Children in Detroit at the Shinola Hotel last Thursday.

The mission of the Friends Of The Children is to provide mentors for at-risk kids from the Detroit area. That mission alone would have been enough to make the event special, but this group takes it to the next level. The mentors are full-time staff of this organization, in charge of eight children each, and they stay engaged with these kids and their families throughout high school. Their impact on these families is huge – it literally changes the lives of young people for generations.

I believe the impact of this event will stick with me forever. Both my colleague and I had a great time speaking to mentors and hearing success stories. It was delightful and inspiring to mingle with other guests who were leaders across industries, including automotive, advertising, commerce, consulting, law, and banking, who all had one important thing in common: a passion for helping young people and making an impact on the community.

Challenges and Reflection

What touches me most about the experience is that this event made me reflect on my own upbringing. I grew up in a loving home, but my dad worked very hard managing a small grocery store to support the family. He gave me a great work ethic, but academics were not a priority – he had quit school in eighth grade to help support his family. My mother was a homemaker with no formal education after high school. Getting guidance about education and what I needed to do to succeed was difficult at best. At an early age, I knew that I needed more guidance but did not know where to turn for advice.

As you can imagine, being a nerd by nature made my struggle that much more challenging. I channeled my needs towards my imaginary mentor Vince Lombardi. Although the great coach and I never met, I pretended that he was holding my hand through life. Because of his example, I gave everything I had to my studies, sports, and every other interest and effort. I also had a great love for my teammates and a strong desire to care for all those who surround me. I still carry that attitude with me today. But even with imaginary Vince Lombardi by my side, I would have been even better off if I had one of these mentors as a young person.

Lessons Learned

Lessons like these really come full circle, too. At the event, I was reminded of a conference I attended years ago in Boston, where I ran into one of the young folks I once mentored at Washington Post Newsweek Interactive. He introduced me to his current boss as “the person who had the largest impact on his career.” That statement was a huge surprise, and worth about a billion stock options. This confirmed that investing in the people around you creates a ripple effect of good that never ends. When someone gets mentored, they often become a mentor later in life.

Building a Community

Perficient has been recognized as one of the top companies to work for in Detroit for four consecutive years, and one of the reasons is our commitment to community involvement. My colleagues have dedicated themselves to so many great programs, including the Bright Paths Program and our “Electrifying the Future of Automotive” program, to improve the lives of those around us. I was proud to represent Perficient at yet another impressive organization’s event near my home and office.

The event closed with the students giving us an outstanding choral performance. These young people are so talented, and with the proper mentoring and infrastructure, there is simply nothing they can’t accomplish. Making an impact doesn’t have to start big. Even a small thing is magnified and makes a difference. One team, one mission!

This week, I had the great honor of speaking during the Automotive and Manufacturing Networking Lunch at Adobe Summit 2023. Before I say anything else, I want to acknowledge what our partners at Adobe have built as industry leaders in technology solutions that enable companies to become experience makers. Not only is Adobe a leader amongst its peers, but it’s also a leader that brings folks together from other industries worldwide. The result is a melting pot of innovation and excellence. Also: shout out to Lynn Brading, Perficient’s Adobe Global Alliance Director and the architect of our awesome relationship with Adobe. Lynn has provided endless guidance to me and our automotive practice and has become a dear friend.

My task was simple: travel to Las Vegas and give the automotive keynote. Of course, the trip wasn’t all that simple – I would have to navigate the Venetian Hotel, which is roughly the size of a small state.

My preparation, though, was a bit more complicated. My goal as a speaker was to offer value to the attendees, so I reflected on my experiences at similar events. Having attended thousands of events, I know which presentation techniques have affected me the most. Generally, the best talks I’ve heard were only accompanied by a few slides. Instead of using a loaded presentation on screen, the speakers related to the audience and facilitated a conversation. To emulate these experiences, I kept things relevant by engaging my audience in a great discussion about the exciting opportunities in our industry today.

Consumer Expectations are Driving the Industry

In my presentation, we acknowledged some of the challenges in navigating large organizations and aligning digital transformation goals with business outcomes. We also spoke about the importance of customer experiences and how most of the change coming in the automotive industry is driven by consumer expectations. And there it was: the automotive industry must evolve according to changing customer needs.

In response to a need for a consumer-first experience, dealers are wrestling with the need to evolve from being a sales-driven place to a showroom-like venue. To this end, many dealers have redesigned their showrooms to include family play areas and sandwich shops so that consumers can be more comfortable and grab a meal while they wait.

When it comes to OEMs, they must understand the table stakes, such as having a seamless mobile experience and an enjoyable and user-friendly virtual showroom. To OEMs who are innovating, autonomous vehicles and virtual journey assistants are being worked on right now but have not yet hit the mainstream.

All of these advancements demonstrate the new era of the automotive and mobility industry, where technology drives change faster than ever before. Consumers expect the same frictionless shopping experiences they’ve had with other industries, such as online shopping and subscription services.

The Great EV Push

I greatly enjoyed the conversation I had with OEM leaders who are challenged with solving dynamic industry problems like the multi-faceted demand for electric vehicles (EV) to become mainstream. Specifically, OEMs are all trying to grow their EV business and educate consumers on EVs. This education spans everything from insurance costs to the logistics of home chargers. They also discussed and acknowledged the strategic and, at times, tense relationship with their dealers who need to get up to speed on electrification.

In response to this major shift, the automotive industry is redefining itself, starting with its name. EV-only manufacturers call themselves technology companies, and traditional OEMs are now mobility companies. This name change acknowledges that the automotive industry is no longer only centered around selling vehicles to consumers. It is a new time in the industry where transportation is the very essence of its core. Those that can’t or refuse to change and adjust will be left behind.

Direct to Consumer

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when OEMs competed largely on their engineering capabilities: superior driving performance and vehicle reliability. These qualities still matter to today’s consumers, but they are now table stakes. The new battleground is increasingly one where tech-enabled, data-rich EV companies currently have the upper hand: excellent customer experience. Today, a consumer can purchase a Tesla online with 10 clicks, and that is an experience with which many younger consumers are comfortable, and it’s one that needs to be addressed by OEMs.

Over the years, visiting showrooms has lost its appeal, and most online shoppers in other industries expect real-time customer service. Consumers will quickly switch brands if they don’t get a consistent experience across channels, abandoning their online carts if the checkout process proves too taxing. There is no reason to believe expectations will be any lower among vehicle buyers. This increased demand for flawless and easy buyer journeys is ultimately what drives our future in the automotive industry. This customer-centric approach for OEMs must start at the top of their organization and work its way through the entire organization to the ground floor.

Customer 360°

One part of the discussion that I found particularly interesting was about data and the OEMs’ desire for a 360° view of their consumers. This perspective would include data from branding, regional marketing, and retail – however, it quickly became a legal conversation as ownership of data and privacy became critical topics.

Ultimately, all this data needs to have a place in helping both consumers and OEMs achieve their goals. In a world of increasing competition and more demanding consumer expectations, brands need to play a more significant role with the consumer. Regardless of the details to be sorted out, the OEMs now want a closer relationship with their consumers when, in the past, they ceded that relationship to their dealers.

I left the automotive summit feeling grateful to be with such smart and important colleagues and friends. Their commitment to extending the success of their OEMs is impressive. It also left me feeling honored to be a small part of the automotive industry and excited to be engaged in a dynamic and changing model – one that so values consumer expectations. It is a privilege to work with OEMs and dealers and help both drive solutions for their customers.

I have some excellent news, so please make sure you read to the end. But to start with, let me share a story of mine with you.

It was 2016 when I made my first trip to SUGCON which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time I met the global Sitecore community and here is why I was so much impressed.

SUGCON

Working with the platform involved lots of collaboration with other folks as Sitecore is exceptionally flexible to customization and back in those days documentation was not as good as it became in the past years. So to stay effective with day-to-day tasks, platform enthusiasts collaborated on sharing their knowledge and findings, use cases and best practices, etc. Sitecore itself gave this movement huge support by introducing and cultivating Sitecore MVP Program, awarding the most valuable of those professionals.

Sitecore MVP 2016 awards winners from the UK

SUGCON Europe is traditionally the first big event of a calendar year used to celebrate and award these individuals and hand them trophies. On that day I did not receive an award, maybe because the jury considered I did not have enough contributions, so was only watching other guys from my country (United Kingdom) being awarded.

But that did not make my day sad: I was amazed by the other opportunity – I met all those legendary people who created materials I learned from. I could approach each of them by asking any questions in person, and they would be so eager to help me with it. The whole event kept an atmosphere of a technology drive, full of discoveries, and lined up a series of really high-quality presentations carefully chosen by the organizers. What a blast of knowledge!

On that day I got a new dream – becoming a speaker at this event. However, it appeared to be not that easy at all. It was easier becoming a Sitecore MVP rather than getting a speech at this event. Even statistically – there are ~170 MVPs in my category (Technology) but only about 25-30 speech opportunities are given, many of them taken out by Sitecore employees from the product teams.

The Mastery of Sitecore Upgrades

Since then I attended each oncoming SUCGON event and was also applying as a speaker to all of them, never been chosen. Until the last year, when my topic “The Mastery of Sitecore Upgrades” was chosen and eventually led me to the stage.

This topic is crucial to the community – Sitecore is a mature ecosystem and the majority of clients are running out of their licensing or support lifecycles. Even besides of that – keeping platform up to date with modern standards brings more benefits, such as new shiny features introduced with recent versions. With performing platform upgrades with time, I identified the gap in the community knowledge and the documentation related to this cumbersome and complex procedure. The goal was to create unify all the experience I faced when dealing with al types of isses and consolidate it into a single guide following which professionals working on platform upgrades could save 2-3 times of total effort and that was exactly it!

Knowing your topic and presenting it to the audience, however, are two different things. I am very thankful to the organizers for letting me pre-playing my topic just prior to the event in an empty room so that I could experience the actual stage with no stress and learn from some immediate mistakes. That gave me so needed confidence and it all went good.

SUGCON Europe 2022 was a very special event – it was the first in-person event after 2 years of the pandemic, and most of the attendees missed that opportunity so much! In my opinion, that was the best Sitecore event I ever attended.

This year I submitted my speech papers again, and guess what? I got chosen again with:

My topic: Accelerate Headless SXA Builds with XM Cloud

So, why XM Cloud? First and most, it is the flagship SaaS composable product of Sitecore for this year. The second reason is in my opinion XM Cloud is vastly underestimated, even with all that buzz surrounding it over the past 12 months. It has still a development in progress, but already features lots of benefits for improving your routine:

• being a SaaS product it fully provides you all the required infrastructure
• that results build and deployment process more standardized and that is also part of the offering
• build and deploy pipelines make safety checks to prevent from deploying breaking changes
• headless development makes time to market faster and eliminates niche skills shortage
• it comes with Headless SXA which already includes many crucial Next.js features OOB

I am not the only one who thinks so – taking a look at the agenda you can notice that event organizers set up a dedicated XM Cloud track.

Here at Perficient we are currently building our expertise around composable products, especially Content Hub and XM Cloud, and collecting best practices about operations and integrations. After having hands-on XM Cloud, I am now really confident that XM Cloud indeed accelerates time to market, and that becomes the exact agenda of my presentation at the oncoming SUGCON. Time is the most important factor for business and I am also going to highlight the effort-saving aspects of working with a new SaaS platform.

Finally, the great news:

SUGCON is Coming to North America

After the success of SUGCON Europe in 2022, I felt sorry for us in North America not having anything like that. Of course, Symposium brings another great experience, but it is more sales and marketers oriented, while SUGCON is more-less centered around sharing technical expertise. I raised a call in social media and shortly got a team of like-minded Sitecore MVPs who established the Organization Committee.

Today is still too early to give any official announcement as the organizing committee is yet to work on it, but we provisionally got an agreement in principle from Sitecore so things are likely to happen in fall 2023 on the US East Coast. Considering Symposium does not take place in 2023 this event becomes even more valuable and will feature a marketing and strategy track as well for those who miss it.

Stay tuned!

The previous two years have been full of chaos and mystery, divulging our world into uncharted territory. Our society was forced to shift online and away from in-person events. The feeling of connectedness could be found over Zoom meetings and was the new closest thing to face-to-face interaction.  

COVID-19 impacted every aspect of life: personal, social, work, and the list continues. 2022 began much the same as the previous years, with much left to question. Luckily, as 2022 has progressed, we have slowly begun to shift back to in-person activities. Businesses have employees reporting back to the office, concerts and sporting events are at full capacity, and restaurants have waitlists again. 

Opticon 2022

It’s been almost three years since Perficient has hosted or attended national conferences, but thankfully 2022 brought the return. Specifically, we were able to sponsor and attend Optimizely’s first in-person user conference, Opticon 2022, in San Diego.  

Our team members traveled from across the US and joined nearly 900 attendees from customers, partners, media, analysts, and more. For our Perficient team members and Optimizely, this was a reunion after many years apart, and for others, it was a first-time meeting that was long overdue.  

The three-day conference celebrated the theme of Boundless Digital Invention. Days consisted of well-deserved awards and recognition, informative product sessions, and great networking opportunities. Our Perficient team was fortunate enough to leave bearing the award for Optimizely’s 2022 Solution Partner of the Year. We were also awarded for our work with International Fresh Produce Association.

Boundless Digital Invention  

Alex Atzberger, Chief Executive Officer at Optimizely, introduced Boundless Digital Invention, which addresses how to break through business complexities to achieve higher outcomes. This new era of marketing combines experimentation, collaboration, and content creation and will seamlessly come together to enhance the customer experience.  

While there were endless sessions to attend and knowledge to be gained, attendees were surrounded by plenty of fun and sweet treats. Bright and early, attendees were treated to breakfast and a coffee bar. Once the day was underway, even a midafternoon lull could be cured by a donut wall and appetizers.  

Attendees heard closing remarks from NBA Hall-of-Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson to cap off the conference. Magic shared how his experiences in basketball and business led him to the top.  

Before goodbyes were said, Optimizely hosted an Opticon Block Party. The party was filled with pizza, drinks, music, and great laughs before everyone returned home.

Optimizing Happiness

The mood of Opticon was energetic, inspiring, and thrilling. Being surrounded by others who are zestful and creative in their work life is encouraging. We all have a stake in Optimizely and are excited to see the growth of their products and company in the coming years. 

We thoroughly enjoyed Opticon22 and thank the people of Optimizely for their incredible hospitality and well-organized event. We’ll see you again next year in San Diego and can’t wait to see where the next year takes our partnership.  

Perficient colleagues have a truly unique, global working experience. Stretching across four continents and ten countries, with over 6,000 colleagues, collaboration is consistently top of mind throughout our everyday interactions. For our colleagues and organization to continue growing alongside one another, collaboration remains a core asset within our overall success.

We want to tell the stories of our people who make our growing organization what it is today. Based out of Bozeman, Montana, Brenda O’Connor, a programs manager within corporate marketing, is a leading example of how collaboration aids individual and professional growth, while sparking genuine, global connections.

Describe your job and what you do in your everyday work.  
I recently transitioned into a new role within the marketing department, but prior to this, I was a lead consultant in the Adobe business unit. I helped with Adobe Operations and Alliances as well as managed our culture events. Our people are our biggest assets, and I value the opportunity I had to host a wide range of culture events to help us stay connected. I’ve learned a lot this past year working with Lynn Brading and seeing the wonderful work she does. I’ve enjoyed getting to meet and talk with colleagues in several different BUs as well as many employees at Adobe.

What are some activities you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love to travel and experience new places. I also really enjoy seeing live music. Living in Montana offers great seasonal recreation. In the summer, you’ll find our family camping or floating down a river, and in the winter my husband and I head for the mountains to cross-country ski with our dog. I love cheering on our kids at sporting events and in life. I also like playing games with family and friends.

Who is someone you admire and why?
I’ve been married to my husband for 25 years. I admire that he is always on my team, he’s such a great dad, he makes me laugh, he works hard, he’s honest, he’s just an all-around great guy! I wouldn’t want to be on this journey of life with anyone else.

What’s your favorite podcast?
I find I gravitate to “WTF with Marc Maron” when I take my dog on walks. Marc is a great interviewer, and I like the casual conversation and variety of guests he interviews. I generally skip through the intro and go right to the interview.

What is your favorite Perficient Value and why?
Collaboration. We work with such talented people and there’s always something to learn from working with others.

SEE MORE PEOPLE OF PERFICIENT

It’s no secret our success is because of our people. No matter the technology or time zone, our colleagues are committed to delivering innovative, end-to-end digital solutions for the world’s biggest brands, and we bring a collaborative spirit to every interaction. We’re always seeking the best and brightest to work with us. Join our team and experience a culture that challenges, champions, and celebrates our people.

Visit our Careers page to see career opportunities and more!

Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

In this context, we will show how to send an event using custom rule and retrieve an event by adding target. Here I have added two targets which is simple pub/sub implementation as Amazon SNS as our publishing service, Amazon SQS as a subscriber and monitor the success event logs using AWS CloudWatch in EVENTBRIDGE.

What is EventBridge?

Amazon EventBridge is a serverless event bus that makes it easier to connect applications with data from a variety of sources. These event sources can be custom applications, AWS services and partner SaaS applications.

It provides a flexible way of filtering to allow events to be published to the event bus, and then, based on the target routing rules, sends the eligible events to the configured target applications or services.

Step 1: Create Event:

Create a new event bus in the EventBridge console and name it as test-event-bus.

Step 2: Create Custom Rule:

On the EventBridge homepage, Select Rules.

• From the Event bus dropdown, select the test-event-bus.
• Click Create rule and name it as sample-eventBridge-rule.

Step 3: Under Define pattern

• Choose Event pattern
• Under Event matching pattern, select Custom pattern and add your custom pattern.

Basically, rule will check our event data. The source, detail-type, detail as the three parameters in event pattern and these would be constant. If it matched, then only the rule will pass.

Here I have filtered the event based on “Jack and Jim” in detail (our event message) params. If I gave the input with Jack/Jim the message will pass. If we gave any new value instead of our custom pattern, then the request event will be created. But we are not able to monitor that failure event in SNS, SQS and CloudWatch log.

Step 4: Create Target:

For Select targets, choose the AWS service that you want to act when EventBridge detects an event of the selected type.

We can create 25 targets for a single rule. Here I have used two targets:

• Choose target as CloudWatch log group and create a log group as sample-eventBridge-log.
• Choose target as SNS topic and select the SNS topic name as test-eventBridge-topic.

Target for CloudWatch:

Target for SNS:

In SNS target I have transformed the input message based on my logic for input path and template. As shown below, the first part as Input path  where the required data values are extracted from the event payload. The second part is the Input template where the outgoing event data is created by incorporating the previously extracted values. One thing to note here is that the outgoing event data doesn’t need to be a JSON!

Step 5: Send events:

I have created a simple EventBridge application using spring boot with gradle project.

Dependencies:

implementation group: ‘software.amazon.awssdk’, name: ‘eventbridge’, version: ‘2.16.101’

In EventBridgeController we have two api calls, one is for send an event to eventbridge and second one is for retrieving rules from an event. Finally added a SQS Listener, this is used to consume the message from a triggered event which from SNS target in rule. I have subscribed this queue from SNS topic. When an event successfully passed the rule the pub/sub messaging will occur.

In service class, PutEventsRequest action sends multiple events to EventBridge in a single request.

Step 6: Testing the event:

From local:

From AWS console:

Triggered event output from both the AWS console and Postman. AWS SQS will be consumed only for the success message as highlighted. If it did not satisfy the rule, the event could be created with id but not consumed from SQS as second log in below screenshot.

CloudWatch monitor the success log:

Conclusion:

This is a brief write up on EventBridge focusing mainly on the event routing rule configurations. If used wisely, it certainly can bring more versatility to the entire event ingestion and the delivery mechanism that we benefit from Amazon EventBridge. Please look into my GitHub repo for the full implementation of the applications and feel free to contribute to the repo.

I hope you found the details I shared here useful. Until then, happy eventing!

C-Level @ A Mile High is an annual event, hosted by the Colorado Technology Association (CTA), where C-levels from many of Colorado’s largest technology companies donate their time to support charities and advocacy groups aimed at including more female and under-represented minority students for computer science-related studies and careers.

Usually hosted at the Denver Broncos Mile-High Stadium, executives come together, along with several thousand attendees, to network and share and their company challenges, disruptors, and upcoming initiatives. In addition to providing networking and business development opportunities, attendees also have the option to “bid” for a day with an executive, and any money raised goes to the aforementioned charities.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CTA took this year’s event virtual.

This year Perficient was a proud sponsor, and we found it to be an excellent, and extremely well-organized event, especially considering it was such a huge undertaking. It provided an excellent framework for the Perficient team to meet with C-Levels 1:1, as well as listen to the executives discuss their projects and initiatives with a broader audience.

The event was hosted on a platform called Grip, which provided Perficient the ability to request specific times to connect 1:1 with executives as well as other attendees. The platform also suggested networking opportunities based on the information provided in attendee profiles.

The pandemic has certainly pushed everyone to adapt to working remotely as quickly as possible, and this event proved that this virtual-collaboration approach can sometimes be even more beneficial and successful than in-person events. Kudos is due to the organizers of the event for sure!

We all are having to continue to adapt and adopt new ways of working remotely and increase our digital capabilities. “Business as usual” is no longer a straightforward statement; we all continue to navigate and lead teams through challenging times, while still being expected to get things done. This event proved that business can continue moving forward successfully and that adaption to the “new normal” can happen quickly with exceptional results!

To learn more about how Perficient is innovating and thriving in these unprecedented times, check out our remote-ready approach.

READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?

At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page. 

Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

Experience cloud at its best during Google Cloud Next ’20: OnAir, July 14 – September 8, 2020. During this 9-week event, a new topic will be covered each week, complete with virtual breakout sessions and solution keynotes. Sign in every Tuesday at 9AM PT to discover new on-demand content, demos, success stories, consult with experts, and more. Join Cloud Study Jams for certification preparation, technical insights, and games. Join us for a re-imagined virtual experience that explores the full capabilities of cloud.

Register today to view more details and to sign up for your choice of topics (or for all 9 weeks) – registration is free!

Weekly topics include:

1. Industry Insights – July 14
2. Productivity & Collaboration – July 21
3. Infrastructure – July 28
4. Security – August 4
5. Data Analytics – August 11
6. Data Management & Databases – August 18
7. Application Modernization – August 25
8. Cloud AI – September 1
9. Business Application Platform – September 8

MuleSoft CONNECT is the premier global integration conference to discover how to unlock data and unleash innovation with API-led connectivity. In response to COVID-19, the event has been reimagined as a series of three free, real-time, virtual experiences.

The Americas event is May 20 and features sessions, demos, breakout sessions, and a keynote you won’t want to miss. There are even opportunities to get certified in MuleSoft technology for free.

Each breakout session aligns with a conference channel, enabling attendees to choose the right sessions for them. The channels are:

• Get started: Get a tour of MuleSoft Anypoint Platform and hear from customers
• Take a deep dive: Maximize the value of Anypoint Platform with tips from experts
• Expand your knowledge: Get an in-depth view of the latest product capabilities
• Achieve business outcomes: Digitally transform and quantify the impact of tech investments
• Implement industry solutions: Address industry challenges in banking, healthcare, and retail
• Drive public sector innovation: Advance tech innovation and digitize government services
• Unleash the power of Salesforce: Integrate any data, system, or device with Salesforce
• Accelerate value with partners: Work with our partners to maximize business success

Click here to view the complete Mulesoft CONNECT agenda.

Just like at in-person conferences and tradeshows, you’ll learn new skills, consult with experts, and network with your peers.

Plus, for every person who joins the keynote, MuleSoft will donate to the WHO COVID-19 response fund.

Register today to gain access to a half-day of curated content, streamed online for free.

READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?

Perficient continually looks for ways to champion and challenge our workforce, encourage personal and professional growth, and celebrating our people-oriented culture. Work on interesting projects for some of the world’s most recognizable clients and enjoy life while doing so.

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What are microservices?

It is an approach to application development in which a large application is built as a suite of modular components or services. The microservice architecture enables the rapid, frequent, and reliable delivery of large, complex applications. It also enables an organization to evolve its technology stack.

Microservices are:

• Highly maintainable and testable
• Loosely coupled
• Independently deployable
• Organized around business capabilities
• Owned by a small team

Technology patterns, practices, and tools are constantly changing. To help better understand microservices and how they can play a part in development, Red Hat is hosting its Microservices Day in Dallas on February 6.

The event will feature thought leaders from Perficient and Red Hat who will highlight the latest toolsets and practices needed to successfully deliver applications with microservices. A full list of speakers and the event agenda can be found here.

Topics include:

• Navigating cloud adoption and modernizing application development
• Cloud and Kubernetes native development
• Serverless applications, integration, and workflows
• Understanding microservices applications with Istio Server Mesh
• Contract-first design and APIs

Register today!

What: Microservices Day Dallas

Who Should Attend: Developers, software engineers, VPs, IT directors and managers, architects, system administrators

Where: Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel, 6007 Legacy Dr., Plano, TX, 75024

When: February 6, 2020

Time: 9:00 am-4:45 pm

This week, technology leaders from our Customer Care practice attended Amazon’s annual re:Invent conference in Las Vegas. This conference always promises powerful developments and 2019 certainly did not disappoint. AWS announced several plans to release new tools and implement upgrades to existing products to inspire innovation and transform customer experience in 2020.

Liz Stuart, Alliances Director for Emerging Solutions, shared her experience and some of the exciting announcements from the AWS event:

Amazon’s yearly re:Invent conference offers something for everyone. As I navigated the vast campus of workshops, events, speakers and keynotes, I couldn’t help but think about all the innovators and builders that I was surrounded by and how this cross-section of people and technology is the key to expanding what is possible for companies and their customers.

The technology announcements are sure to spark innovations and more ways to bring customers new services and experiences. A new technology AWS announced is WaveLength, a service to deliver ultra-low latency at the edge of 5G networks. We predict new business models will be built on WaveLength.

We also heard a lot about containers, machine learning and Connect. Let’s dig into some of these announcements:

The last few years have seen substantial growth in container adoption, with 81% of all containers in the cloud run in AWS. During re:Invent, AWS announced its fourth container service with Fargate for EKS. Now, AWS Kubernetes customers can realize the benefits of serverless for Kubernetes. This means the only limitation for developers is their imagination.

We learned many AWS customers use Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service to deploy and manage containerized applications. With the announcement of Amazon SageMaker Operators for Kubernetes, data scientists and developers will be able to set up repeatable ML pipelines, maintain greater control and easily integrate SageMaker and Kubernetes workflows.

AWS announced several plans to enhance SageMaker this week, including SageMaker Studio. This is the first IDE (integrated development environment) for machine learning. SageMaker studio facilitates easy building, training, debugging, deploying and monitoring of your machine learning models.

As Amazon Connect continues to resonate with customers worldwide, Amazon’s technology partners are taking notice.  Salesforce is offering a pre-integrated version of ServiceCloud with Amazon Connect, which will allow deployment of a voice integrated ServiceCloud solution. AWS also announced ContactLens. ContactLens is a set of integrated ML analytics capabilities for Amazon Connect that gives contact centers the ability to understand the sentiment, trends and compliance of customer conversations to improve customer experience and identify crucial customer feedback. ServiceCloud and ContactLens are just two examples of changes coming to Connect that are bound to transform customer experience.

We had the honor of attending Amazon’s re:Connect party. This customer appreciation event hosted customers and partners from all over the globe, where we showcased Amazon’s new integrated Chat capabilities with Amazon Connect. The new Chat is an artificial intelligence assisted agent experience that captures customer sentiment and results in more immediate customer assistance.

The announcements keep coming, so stay tuned for more from re:Invent 2019!