Customer Conference Story
SaaS company, Optimizely came to KCI to help them build and launch a new flagship program, Opticon—an annual multi-day customer conference to be hosted in San Diego. This conference needed to deliver on many goals, including presenting a unified brand with several newly acquired companies, building relationships with their customers, nurturing their partner ecosystem, and positioning themselves as a thought leader.
With high expectations for this program, Optimizely enlisted KCI to provide the experience and project management expertise to make this new large-scale conference a success in its inaugural year—and set them up for success for years to come. With KCI’s guidance and execution, the inaugural customer conference was a great success, receiving fantastic feedback from guests, partners, and sponsors. Optimizely was so pleased with our work that they secured KCI’s services to continue to support their future annual flagship programs as well as their annual regional European programs.
Using our extensive experience in project management for large-scale executive programs, KCI worked with the Optimizely team and partners to establish a model for the conference that would bring the different groups together and deliver on all the goals of the program.
In order to ensure program success, it was crucial to allocate physical spaces and time in the agenda for general sessions, breakout groups, food and beverage areas, ample opportunities for networking, and exciting off-site activities. There was also the requirement for a partner showcase and demo area that was very important to the goals of the conference—to nurture their partner ecosystem and encourage customers to discover the newly acquired companies under their brand.
To deliver this, KCI worked closely with our production partner to oversee the development of a multi-purpose keynote space, dubbed the “Optiplex”. The flow of the space encouraged attendees to naturally explore brands’ interactive displays during meal and refreshment breaks, instead of forcing them into a hall to walk through a trade show style showcase. This strategy was unique and modern and proved very successful, receiving great feedback from partners.
Highlights:
Optiplex - A new and refreshing take on the tradeshow experience
Celebrity guest speakers, including Magic Johnson
Exclusive, private-access block party in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter
Building a community with local and regional programs:
Building a community within their customer base and with partners was a huge goal of this conference. Many factors needed to be considered to create this community and it hinged on audience experience. From the moment guests arrive and up until their departure, KCI considers and carefully designs the guest experience and journey. For example, the “Optiplex” partner and sponsor showcase being located all in one space with the general sessions facilitated guest engagement with the partner displays while still delivering a pleasant guest experience. Guests were incentivized to engage with the brand displays and view product demos to receive exclusive swag offerings, encouraging these interactions happen in a fun, natural way. We also aimed to surprise and delight guests at every turn, securing celebrity guest speakers, including Magic Johnson, and hosting unique off-site experiences not open to the public, including an exclusive block party in the historic Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego where the whole block was closed granting conference guests' special access to shops and restaurants.
The outcome
90% attendance rate
95% of attendees rated Opticon as “excellent” or “very good” when rating their overall experience
Attendees described Opticon as an excellent networking opportunity with clear messaging, engaging format, and “lots to go home with”
“Opticon exceeded my wildest dreams. What an epic week! I cannot thank you enough for the incredible job you did. This was a massive effort each one of you played a critical role in ensuring that everything surrounding the event went seamlessly. Thank you for handling this momentous milestone for our company with the utmost dedication and proficiency.
From the day-to-day planning to securing Magic Johnson to our amazing visuals around the Optiplex, you made Opticon an unforgettable experience for all our attendees. I am ready to do it all over again in London and Stockholm! ”
*Due to the competitive nature of our clients’ industries, we have withheld identifying characteristics and details on certain case studies. Should you like to speak with our clients about their programs, please contact us.