The agenda.
Keynotes.
The digital experience is now officially the human experience for every generation. WP Engine CEO, Heather Brunner, will discuss current market trends as the world leans into digital, and the unprecedented breakthrough opportunity for digital experience creators to serve the masses and help businesses of all sizes to press ahead.
Like never before, businesses of all sizes must quickly adapt to simply get online, or to innovate faster to engage in new ways while confronting the added economic pressure to do so at less cost. Jason Cohen, WP Engine’s founder and CTO together with senior leaders from our Product organization, to discuss how WordPress and WP Engine are uniquely poised to deliver on this demand in 2020.
Join Mariya Moeva, Product Manager at Google, to discuss the future of the web and the important roles privacy, speed, and fostering quality user experiences have to play in it. Learn about tools like AMP, Site Kit and Web Stories for WordPress that you can use to assess and advance the performance of your WordPress site.
make|SHIFT Panel: How Brands & Agencies Are Using Creative Technology to Adapt To A New Reality and Protect the Brand Experience Expand
Over the last year, WP Engine created a feature-length documentary, make|SHIFT, including some of the top marketing and tech minds in the industry. This film is about adaptability in the face of a constantly changing digital landscape, daring to say “yes” before something is completely ready, and stretching ideas to new experimental applications. Today, this film is more relevant than ever. Join Mary Ellen Dugan, CMO at WP Engine, who will moderate a panel discussion with select cast members of the film.
As long as you are willing to take chances, take control of your future, and stay true to your vision, you can succeed—even when starting over. Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec reveals the secrets and sales tips that took him from waiting tables as a new immigrant to the U.S., escaping from communist Eastern Europe, to growing his nascent technology company into a world-class conglomerate. In this presentation, he shares life principles that are as valuable in the living room as they are in the boardroom. Prepare to be inspired!
Breakouts.
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM CDT
Powering Agency Growth with WordPress - From a light user of WordPress to the creation of a highly sophisticated WordPress practice, Americaneagle.com has driven enormous agency growth over the last two years. Hear from Jerry Boduch, VP of Strategic Alliances, on how they did it.
2:20 PM – 2:50 PM CDT
How to Sell Enterprise Clients on WordPress - What’s your angle? Is it scalability, security, administrative capabilities, all of the above? In this session, CrowdFavorite (CEO, Karim Marucchi) and Maark (Founder & CEO, Michael Colombo) will be giving us winning strategies for selling their enterprise clients on WordPress.
2:55 PM – 3:25 PM CDT
How to manage a move from another CMS to WordPress with confidence - The flexibility, extendability, and scale of WordPress makes it a very attractive option for businesses considering a CMS migration. However, a CMS migration can present a number of unique challenges for project teams, particularly for sites with complex implementations. In this breakout session, Leo Postovoit, Head of Partnerships and Product Strategy from XWP will take a look at a number of tools and strategies implemented by migration specialist agencies that massively streamline the process, ultimately minimizing the risks of change and equipping your business to unlock the potential of WordPress sooner.
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM CDT
Building Your Brand Online with SEO - Building a great online experience is more important than ever to succeed at digital marketing. For many companies, building this experience and their online brand to effectively compete, is beyond their budget. Tomorrow's marketing stack relies on the power of WordPress and its ecosystem to do just that at a fraction of what this would have cost a decade ago. Joost will explain what this marketing stack is, why it's so great for SEO, and how everyone, from Disney to the local baker, can use these tools.
2:20 PM – 2:50 PM CDT
Generation Influence: Results from the 2020 Gen Z Report - For Gen Z, the most Internet-dependent generation in history, the physical and digital worlds have begun to blend in a way few ever envisioned. This presents opportunities and challenges for today’s brands, but to reach Gen Z you must first understand their needs. In this presentation, WP Engine’s VP of Communications, Eric Jones, will reveal the results of our brand new study on Gen Z and explain Gen Z differs from previous generations through their identity, influence, and inspiration.
2:55 PM – 3:25 PM CDT
Press Ahead: How Modern Tribe Helped Stanford Go Virtual - What if you spent months planning a huge event, only for it to be impossible? In the highly competitive world of college recruiting, admit weekends have taken on an outsized role due to COVID-19, and universities have had to cancel or postpone annual, sought-after events. Learn how Reid Peifer, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Modern Tribe helped Stanford University find their breakthrough moment to create a virtual admitted-students weekend and a commencement celebration using WP Engine and WordPress.
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM CDT
Make Local WordPress Development Simple - Keep it simple, but make it advanced. Local is a fuss-free, cost-free way to spin up local WordPress sites, test your latest site updates, and speed up your development workflow. Leave this session with a renewed confidence in your development!
2:20 PM – 2:50 PM CDT
The Future of Headless - Thanks to an innovative and fiercely open community, WordPress users are constantly finding new ways to build breakthrough digital experiences. “Headless WordPress,” which uses modern development frameworks like Javascript to create experiences that push the envelope of what’s possible with WordPress, it's a technology here to stay, are you up to speed?
In this session, hear from Matt Landers, Technical Architect at FlyWheel, about why WordPress is a great choice for a headless CMS, and how WP Engine helping create the future of headless WordPress.
2:55 PM – 3:25 PM CDT
Rock Your Blocks! Web Design Acceleration with Genesis Pro - Need professional, secure, SEO-ready sites spun up faster than ever before? Learn how to use Genesis Pro's page builder to create compelling content faster while keeping the content on brand. Bonus: get an exclusive preview of block building capabilities coming in Q3 2020!
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM CDT
A Managed Platform Will Change Your Business - Building, configuring, maintaining, and securing your own servers: cost-saving and lets you be in control. But, can you ensure you're managing the WordPress lifecycle adequately without putting your clients' business at risk? Are you able to clearly articulate the benefits of a fully-managed solution to your stakeholders ? In this session, Sarah Wells, Product Marketing Manager, WP Engine, reveals the benefits of using a managed platform and how it can make a difference in your, and your clients’ business.
2:20 PM – 2:50 PM CDT
The Future is Now! Using Machine Learning To Automate Plugin Updates + Secure Your Site - Did you know plugin vulnerabilities represent 60% of the known entry points for website attacks? Learn how Smart Plugin Manager uses machine learning & visual regression testing to automate plugin updates and keep your site secure. Bonus: get a preview of exciting platform enhancements launching in the next coming months.
2:55 PM – 3:25 PM CDT
Experience Driven eCommerce - Rise To The Occasion - Stephan Millies, Principal Product Manager of eCommerce, WP Engine will discuss recent market shifts, which segments are thriving, and how WP Engine eCommerce clients are successfully navigating these uncharted times by adopting a data-driven strategy to activate new channels, promotions and products. What’s worked, what hasn’t and how to apply the insights.
Discussion.
Use this time to chat directly with speakers from today's sessions to get clarity, ask more questions, get deeper understandings of their presentations and enjoy the end of event quiz!
Register for Summit/2020
Join brand trailblazers, agency innovators, and industry visionaries virtually at WP Engine Summit/2020. Registration is free for this online event!