Acquia Announces Speakers and Headline Entertainment for Acquia Engage Conference [Sept. 4, 2014]

Simon Mainwaring, James McQuivey, Kristina Halvorson, and Ethan Marcotte to Keynote Event

BURLINGTON, MA -- September 4, 2014 -- Acquia, the digital business company, today announced the featured speakers and entertainment lineup for its inaugural customer conference -- Acquia Engage, taking place November 3-5, 2014, in Boston. The list of confirmed speakers include prominent CIOs, leaders in digital strategy, acclaimed authors, and a leading analyst who will provide diverse insight on how to thrive in a world transformed by the forces of digital disruption.

Organizations are being pushed by their audiences and by their competition to radically change how they operate in a digital-first world. Businesses have to find ways to provide better customer service, faster, and with fewer resources. This is the reality of the wave of digital disruption sweeping over nearly every sector of the economy. When harnessed, this transformation can drive new revenue streams, lower costs, improve margins, and deliver amazing customer experiences.

Acquia Engage is being launched to provide a dynamic forum for thought leaders and business executives to come together to discuss ideas, share experiences, and collaborate on new solutions. The three-day agenda will be catalyzed by an impressive lineup of speakers, including four keynote speakers with deep experience advising clients on how to overcoming these challenges and unleash business innovation through the power of digital experiences:

  • Simon Mainwaring, founder of the leading social branding firm We First and author of “We First.”
  • James McQuivey, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research and author of “Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation.” McQuivey is one of the most prominent analysts tracking and defining the power and impact of digital disruption on traditional businesses.
  • Kristina Halvorson, founder of the content strategy consultancy Brain Traffic and co-author of “Content Strategy for the Web.” Halvorson is one of the industry’s leading advocates for content strategy.
  • Ethan Marcotte, the innovating web designer who coined the term “responsive web design” and authored a widely-praised book on the topic.

In addition to these keynote speakers, senior leaders from Acquia’s customer base will take the stage to share their expertise across three conference tracks.

  • Digital Business will explore how Acquia is helping power agile digital businesses through solutions for content, community and commerce.
  • Technical Innovation will demonstrate how enterprises are building scalable infrastructure to power the largest Drupal-powered sites in the world and using continuous delivery processes to deliver higher quality Drupal sites at a faster pace.
  • Digital Marketing will guide executives on the techniques and processes needed to to gain a competitive advantage and drive business outcomes through digital engagement.

Additional event speakers will include business and technology leaders from Box, Emmis Communications, GE Energy, PAC-12.com, The Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences, Rotary International, Six Flags Entertainment, Tesla Motors, and Whole Foods Markets. In addition, Acquia executives CEO Tom Erickson, CTO Dries Buytaert and others will share their vision for the future of Acquia, including the announcement of some exciting new products.

“Acquia Engage will bring together the business leaders who are spearheading innovative strategies for content, community and commerce in their organizations,” said Tom Wentworth, Acquia CMO. “Attendees will learn from the world’s foremost authorities in digital transformation and gain the perspective of how they're driving business impact.”

Acquia Engage will also feature a musical performance by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at the Customer Appreciation Event on Tuesday, November 4, 2014.

The conference will take place at the Westin Copley Place in Boston. For more information about the conference, and to register or sponsor, please visit http://engage.acquia.com. Early-bird pricing ends September 12, and the conference is expected to sell out.

About Acquia
Acquia is the digital business company. Pinterest, Mercedes Benz, Warner Music Group, and Stanford University are among the more than 4,000 organizations that are transforming their digital businesses with Acquia. Global 2000 enterprises, government agencies and NGOs rely on Acquia to create new revenue streams, lower costs, and engage audiences more deeply through content, community, commerce and context.

For more information visit www.acquia.com or call +1 781 238 8600.

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