Why attend Adobe Summit? A perspective for our clients

As we approach Adobe Summit 2020, I am reminded of how much this event has grown. This will be my seventh consecutive year attending the show. I remember fondly that back in 2014 there were only a few thousand attendees at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City yet, even then, Adobe Summit was one of the best digital-marketing conferences of the year.

After many years’ experience, I offer my unique perspective on why attending this digital-marketing conference exceeds expectations. There are always valuable sessions and interesting learnings from walking the expo floor, yet the clients who make the most of Adobe Summit also consider:

• Recruiting talent
• Learning from other Adobe customers
• Connecting with Adobe product management.

Seek talent

With 25,000 marketers at one conference, there is no better place to interview potential talent. Plan to promote your current job openings ahead of the show and send your recruitment talent to meet with prospective candidates. Many third-party recruiters are onsite who can help support these connections.

Don’t forget that consultants are often seeking a move into full-time corporate roles. Make sure your team knows they may not recruit from their own Adobe partners, as there are often legal restrictions in place; however, Adobe’s ecosystem is vast, and most players have a presence at this show.

Learn from your peers

Scheduling site visits with customers around the country can be challenging and exhausting. Instead, schedule meetings with clients during Adobe Summit to save time and money. If you would like to meet a client for the first time, ask your partner or an industry ally to make an introduction.

As the show approaches, some questions to consider asking your fellow attendees. What was successful for other companies using Adobe? How did they pivot to agile marketing? How do they staff their teams and when do they leverage consultants? How did they recover from a failure? Some of these questions can be answered in sessions, but the best learnings will come from networking and personal connections.

Speak to people in your industry and also those companies you admire from other sectors. For example, financial-services companies often learn from retailers, especially when it comes to personalization. Retailers were the first to build customer profiles and leverage advanced segmentation to support digital personalization.

Speak with Adobe product management

This is a chance to interact directly and share thoughts about what you wish was in the software and to understand their roadmap. Schedule meetings in advance and expect to share a few details, so everyone is prepared.

Adobe product managers also host their own sessions. These are typically well planned and leveraged case studies. I highly recommend attending a session with an Adobe product manager for products you own, want to learn more about, or may purchase in the future.

To make the most out of your Summit experience, work with your Adobe account team and Adobe partner to facilitate introductions, meetings, and learning opportunities. That and my tips here will make your Adobe Summit experience a highlight for 2020.

Cara Caruso

Expert in Digital Transformation and Innovation

I’m a sales and marketing consultant with an extensive background in digital technology. My personal mission is to drive profitable revenue growth for clients. Through a nearly 20 year career that weaved between technology and financial services, I offer a unique perspective with experience in B2B and B2C.
When provided with goals, I’m known for exceeding expectations – it’s about more than delivering numbers. I pride myself on complete customer experience. Whether it’s building a financial services business from nothing, or rapidly growing a product line, my success stems from creating repeatable business processes.