Sitecore Symposium 2024 is Underway!
A conference like Sitecore Symposium is a great way to make a mini vacation out of your work travels. I arrived on Sunday and explored the city of Nashville. Did you know that Nashville is home to a full-scale replica of the Parthenon? It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Today, it’s the only remaining building from the exposition and has since been turned into a museum. The museum contains the largest indoor statue in the Western Hemisphere, the goddess Athena in full gold leaf standing at 41ft tall.
Symposium is being hosted at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. This is my first time here and the hotel is beautiful. The atrium is covered in glass and has lush green gardens and walking paths with waterfalls. You can even take a boat ride through the interior.
For me, the best part about these conferences is seeing people face-to-face! Most of us work remotely and are only able to see these people on phone calls and little boxes on our screen in a grid on a zoom call. It’s great to see people in person, face-to-face because technology can’t replicate that experience.
Exploring Nashville
The conference schedule fills up quickly, so having time beforehand to hang out with friends is great. Chet Potvin  organized a walking food tour of Nashville on Sunday night. We started out at a rooftop bar with a great view of downtown Nashville. The guide shared some great stories about Nashville history, culture, music, and food. We had four stops, which included Nashville barbecue and the famous Nashville hot chicken.
MVP Summit
Monday was the MVP Summit. This was my first time attending. While I can’t share any of the information from the sessions, I can say it was a great experience. We got a sneak peek of inside information and got to interact with the Sitecore product teams and executives. We had interactive conversations and it’s great knowing that the team at Sitecore really listens to our feedback. As MVPs, we are really able to impact the products.
MVP Party
After a full day of sessions, we were treated to an MVP party at Dave and Buster’s. Sitecore booked the entire venue just for us. We had great food and drink, unlimited gaming, and karaoke. It was a great time to hang out with old friends and make new friends.
Tiffany, Josh, and I challenged Dave O’flanagan to a race of Mario Kart! MJ is quite the instigator and isn’t afraid to let loose and encourage others to do the same. We did a great version of Ice Ice Baby. And in case you’re curious, yes, we know all the words. The night ended with 15 people singing Closing Time. But we weren’t done yet. On the walk back to the hotel, we gave our best acapella version of Sweet Caroline. It was so good so good so good! What a fun night! It’s the reward for a full year’s worth of hard work to achieve MVP status.
Looking Ahead to Symposium
I’m looking forward to seeing what more Sitecore Symposium has to offer. It promises to be full of innovation, collaboration, fresh insights, and informative sessions. If you’re attending Sitecore Symposium, stop by our Perficient booth!
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