4 exciting themes to expect at Pendomonium 2023

Our team has been hard at work curating an incredible lineup of breakout sessions, keynote speakers, activations, and activities to make Pendomonium 2023 our best product festival yet. From emerging trends and technologies, to digital transformation and change management best practices, to navigating a challenging economic climate—we’ve been paying close attention to what’s going on in the world and building content to help you adapt and thrive. 

Here are four of the key themes you can expect to see throughout Pendomonium this year.

1. Leveraging AI to drive product innovation

No need for introductions here: AI has arrived! And in case you missed it, we recently announced our own AI vision. At Pendomonium 2023, we’ll deep-dive into all these exciting new offerings. 

You’ll hear about our new AI-powered features, learn about our long-term AI vision from our leaders (including CEO and Co-founder, Todd Olson; and Senior Director of Machine Learning, Inbal Budowski-Tal), see our new AI functionality in action, and even have the chance to interact with Pendo AI yourself. Coming to Pendomonium is the best way to experience all these exciting new innovations first-hand and find out how you can leverage them in your organization. 

We’ve also invited some amazing friends and thought leaders in the AI space to join us at Pendomonium, including:

• Fraser Kelton (VC at Spark Capital and Former Head of Product at OpenAI):
  In his fireside chat, Kelton will talk about the potential for AI to reimagine products, and share valuable lessons from his own journey of breaking away and building world-changing products at OpenAI.
• Dr. Ali Arsanjani (Director of Cloud Partner Engineering at Google Gloud):
  In his breakout session, Dr. Arsanjani will explore the unique intersection of in-app product analytics and AI, highlighting potential ways generative AI will likely influence and transform the product development lifecycle.
• More to be announced soon!

2. Accelerating digital transformation, from “traditional” to tech

As more “traditional” companies focus on digital transformation—and evolve their business models to meet the needs of digitally native customers—they’re turning to strategies typically seen in tech. This year, we’ve created a breakout track specifically for teams and companies that find themselves at this exciting crossroads: “Build for a digital-first world.”

This breakout track is designed to help “traditional” organizations transform their digital experiences through the products they use and sell. But it’s also packed with sessions that will appeal to tech and SaaS audiences, too. You’ll see how to use your product to drive operational efficiency, learn new product-led tactics to improve your customers’ experience, and get inspiration from leading organizations who have successfully navigated big changes like these themselves. For example, you’ll hear from:

• Jesse Erdal (Director of Product Management, Merchandising Solutions at The Home Depot):
  Learn how The Home Depot is driving transformation at scale by developing a product-led culture across the business.
• Nichole Mace (VP, Product Growth at Pendo) and Tyson Brown (Senior Product Leader of Growth and Activation at Calendly):
  See how product-led strategies help drive virality and growth—and how you can, too.
• Robert Sprogis (SVP, Head of Online Banking Digital Experience) and Sara Bochino (VP, Customer Success) at U.S. Bank:
  Discover the ways in which two very different teams within one of the country’s largest financial institutions both use Pendo to accelerate their digital transformation and build better customer experiences, at scale.

3. Making bold choices and learning to break away

Pendomonium has always been a big, bold, festival of product. This year, we’re really leaning in and taking a closer look at what it means to build breakaway experiences that can change how we all live and work.

You’ll deepen your knowledge of product-led strategies to help you rethink your product journey. You’ll gain inspiration from organizations big and small who have found unique ways of using Pendo to help their customers do amazing things. And you’ll hear stories from pioneers who have reshaped their industries—and paved the way for future innovators—by daring to do things differently, including:

• Christina Tosi (Chef and Founder of Milk Bar):
  Christina’s keynote will shed light on the art and science of inspiration, share her story about breaking away from convention, and explore how even the tiniest tweaks can create an outsized impact on the experiences you create. 
• Suki Singh (Product Manager at Wiley):
  Suki’s breakout session will take a closer look at the skills he honed during his tenure as a teacher, and how anyone can use them in product roles. His story will inspire you to shift your perspective and seek new ways of applying your knowledge throughout your career.
• Jay Brewer (Senior Vice President, Digital Product Design) and Zhuldyz Alimbek (UX Designer) from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:
  Jay and Zhuldyz’s breakout session will explore the full potential of Pendo to transform customer feedback into cutting-edge feature innovation. You’ll learn how this “traditional” organization now leverages data to power breakaway digital experiences that make them stand apart from the competition—and how you can, too. 

4. Doing more with less (and building buy-in along the way)

There’s no ignoring the economic climate we’re all operating in. More than ever, product teams need to prove the value of their efforts and show how their work is contributing to the business’ bottom line. We’ve also heard from our customers and community that securing buy-in for product experience software has become even more challenging—and yet those tools have never been more critical for driving customer outcomes.

This year, Pendomonium will feature an entire breakout track dedicated to overcoming these obstacles—designed to help teams of all sizes maximize their existing investments; make better, more efficient decisions using the data already at their disposal; and build buy-in by telling clear value stories. In the “Prove product value track,” you’ll hear from speakers including: 

• A customer panel featuring Relias, SS&C Advent, and WEX:
  Hear how three leaders are shifting their product teams’ cultures away from shipping features, towards delivering complete customer experiences. You’ll learn why this change is so important—especially when budgets are tight—and learn strategies for successfully doing this in your own organization.
• Jared Howell (Product Line Manager at VMware Aria Cost Powered by CloudHealth):
  Jared will explain how his team uses team product analytics data to determine where to invest—and divest—time and resources, resulting in a staggering seven-figures’ worth of feature optimization and rightsizing improvements to date.
• Howie Bienstock (Director, Value Engineering at Pendo):
  Howie will share value frameworks, tips, and strategies to help you secure the buy-in you need for product experience investments, even in a tough economic climate. You’ll learn how to craft a compelling value story—plus which metrics to use to back it up—that your leadership team can’t ignore.

There’s still time to snag discounted Pendomonium 2023 tickets—but not for long. Early Bird pricing ends on July 31, so get registered today!

Still need help convincing your boss to send you and your team to Pendomonium? Check out this handy justification letter template.