Sitecore Symposium is always one of the highlights of my year. My very first two Symposiums were at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin back in 2018 and 2019, so I was genuinely excited to be headed back to Orlando for a third round now 6 years later.
Now, a post like this is pretty atypical since I usually stick to technical recaps, but this experience and all these pictures had to go somewhere. What better home to share with you all than here? 😉
Day 1: Monday
I was out the door early in Chicago with a carry-on and the Sitecore-tagged suitcase rolling behind me.
Before boarding, I made sure to snap a classic Sitecore selfie (as is tradition).
I also spotted a few friendly Sitecore faces also headed to Symposium on the same flight, which made the cabin feel like a mid-air meetup for a sec. Naturally, I didn't have the mental morning clarity or social inclination to snap a selfie (hey, Casey S!), but I did snap one of our plane 😅
Before long, we were seated and ready to go.
Got a great morning view of the city on the way up.
A few hours later, we touched down in Florida, where I found more familiar faces from the community by baggage claim (again, no pics, but hi Rob A!, hi Ahmed O!)
After sharing an Uber with one of my favorite people ever (hi again, Rob A!) to the Dolphin, I checked in before turning the corner to head up the escalator to pick up my badge.
Also, I didn't realize it at first, having simply booked a 'run of the mill' selection, that my room had been upgraded!
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| A king suite?? For me?! |
I spent a few minutes settling in, unpacking some clothes on the hangers, and getting ready for Partner Connect (which I was already a little late to).
But it worked in my favor, as I was directed by a door attendant to take an open seat in the front row.
Shortly after, I made my way over to the Sitecore MVP Executive Briefing, where I obtained this dope MVP-branded Stanley mug:
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| These aint cheap...! |
As well as more familiar faces in the MVP community. It's kinda like homecoming or family reunion, honestly. 😄
Following the brief, I headed down to check out the Rightpoint booth (my primary residence for the next couple days lol) during the Welcome Reception.🦩
Before long, it was time to head to the bus for the first party of the week!
SEA WORLD with MVPs!
Aside from the fantastic spread of sliders and desserts, we also had access to the Glacier Bar.
An attraction called Expedition Odyssey that flies you over the Arctic from a drone POV, which exits through a series of live animal exhibits:
Live karaoke performances (with Rodrigo, Megan absolutely killing it, as always)
And a dizzying rollercoaster called Ice Breaker (jumped right on, no wait!)
Day one was a blast!
Day 2: Tuesday
Followed by walking toward the main stage for the first time.
And taking a seat in the front row (MVP privileges and all that)
The big announcement - Sitecore XM Cloud is now SitecoreAI!
Sitecore Chief Product Officer Roger Connolly introducing Agentic Studio!
Sitecore Chief Operating Officer Dave Tilbury introducing SitecoreAI Pathway!
Sitecore Chief Marketing Officer, Michelle BB hyping up Sitecore before unleashing banana madness on the audience🍌
Getting a high-five from Savana Bananas owner Jesse Cole as he takes the stage
Super entertaining dude with great stories!
And audience participation was hilarious 😂
Even got me participating 🤣🤣
The General Sessions and keynotes were overall FANTASTIC this year. What a great way to kick off the event! Followed it up with a solid lunch with friends, before heading back up to attend a couple of sessions.
I'm extremely grateful they were able to experience their first Symposium this year.
Wrapped up the second half of the day at the Rightpoint booth to chat with swag-seeking attendees for the remainder of the day.
Excellent dishes, well-crafted drinks, and engaging conversations were followed by a serene lakeside dessert experience and a superb fireworks display!
Day 3: Wednesday
After an incredible night out, I found myself back at the main stage for more General Sessions following a quick breakfast.
Hearing more from Sitecore Chief Operating Officer Dave Tilbury on what Sitecore Studio can offer.
Spoiler: Sitecore Studio gives you the tools to customize your SaaS investment.
This was followed by a few Marketing-oriented panels before the Agentic AI Partner Challenge Showcase.
Really impressive submissions and winners all around! Proud that Rightpoint threw their hat in the ring and made it in the top 10!
My favorite General Session of the day was Founder and CEO of SmarterX, Paul Roetzer's presentation on the State of AI for Marketing and Business.
It was a super insightful session on LLM tech, AI today, and where we are headed.
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| I'm not at all concerned about the Robotics Explosion...🤖 |
Wrapping up, we received a demo on SitecoreAI Pathways, along with the announcement of the 2026 Symposium returning to the Dolphin!
I had to run out a bit early to scarf down lunch so I could make it to the booth on time for the rest of the day.
Although, it was still pretty quiet in the Partner Pavilion since most everyone was still downstairs eating or heading to their first breakout sessions of the day.
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| Only 4 flamingos remained to give away!
🫨🦩 Did you get one?! |
I was able to sneak away for a few minutes to spend some time with these sweet pups 🐶
Not before snagging a Gradial demo on the pavilion floor:
Then it was onto the Hackerspace! Although I don't have any pictures during this session, it's worth mentioning since it was an excellent opportunity to explore how easy it is to work with the Marketplace and Sitecore's new MCP tools. I had a lot of fun and picked up a couple of new tricks!
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| The welcome sign |
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| Red carpet treatment |
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| Making our way through |
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| Butterbeer @ the Wizarding World of Harry Potter ⚡ |
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| Fire-breathing roof dragon |
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| And one of the best FAMILY attractions 🤣 (Fast & Furious) |
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| family. |
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| Race
Through New York Starring Jimmy
Fallon |
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| The 2025 Rightpoint crew! |
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| Jay's first Symposium! |
Day 4: Thursday
With the main event over, it was time for a day among Sitecore celebrities at MVP Summit! |
| Tamas 🥲⛵ |
I can't show you much from the event here (NDA and all)...this is about all I can post:
After a heartfelt goodbye to everyone (especially to our fearless champion Tamas Varga - who is retiring after 2 decades of Sitecore community dedication), it was time for the 2025 Sitecore Symposium to come to a close.
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| Our happy place. |
After a few hours working up an appetite, I took a solo stroll to the BoardWalk for a small meal to myself, spending some time reflecting on the previous 96 hours while taking in some final views.
Day 5: Friday
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| Sweet home, Chicago |
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| dat foliage |
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