The Top “Pi” Flavors of Marketo Summit 2016

This year’s Marketo Summit 2016 stood out from the rest. While many missed the usual San Francisco location, the Vegas backdrop provided the attendees and sponsors the opportunity to really enjoy a new setting from Keynotes to Sessions to Parties. There may be only one place on earth that can combine work along with pleasure and Vegas gave us exactly that.

We will be heading back to The Bay for next year’s Summit, however, we will try not to forgot some great moments. Here are Digital Pi’s Top Moments from Summit 2016.

#1 OMEGA Revealed

The Marketo Summit 2016 partner theater on the expo floor provided the stage for select vendors to pitch their marketing applications. Digital Pi CEO, Ryan Vong, was eager to show the crowd what we have been working on for the past 2 years—the OMEGA project.

Omega is a cloud-based app for your Marketo platform that produces insightful information you can’t easily get out of Marketo such as performance bottlenecks, scoring trends, buying journeys, and ranks the health of your instance. Put another way, it’s a diagnostic visualization tool for Marketo.

The turnout for the unveiling was great. I saw many in the crowd nodding heads in agreement that this was something marketers needed.

#2 The FiAMMA Experience

This show provided us the opportunity to show how much we love our clients and partners. On Monday night we hosted a delicious dinner at FiAMMA in the MGM. One hundred happy guests and Digital Pi folk gathered around enjoying fine wine and food.

Some got the chance to meet new people, network with others, and finally put a face to a voice. This event was the perfect kickoff to an exciting week.

#3 The Keynote

Memorable takeaways from Will Smith’s awesome interview were, “authenticity is more important than ever”, and from Alison Levine inspiring presentation, “never let failure discourage you, because it presents you with a new opportunity to challenge yourself”.

For 2 hours, 5,000 of us listened to speakers and Marketo leaders share in their vision, experience and how they persevered in this insanely unpredictable world.

While it was all very motivational, Will Smith’s, Gettin’ Jiggy With It, sent us off with enough energy to last the week.

#4 Everstring, Knak, Leadspace, RevEngine & Marketo Nation Parties

Yes we came for the content, to learn and network, however, it’s hard to beat the event parties. With Vegas as your stage, the possibilities are endless. These Marketo partners put together parties that we will probably talk about for years to come.

On Tuesday night, Everstring, found the perfect setting, around a pool with a DJ. Not just any pool, Wet Republic is surrounded by private lounges with an enormous pool at the center. It was the perfect setting to relax after the day’s sessions.

DJ Jazzy Jeff was slated to play at the party and rumors started swirling that Will Smith would show up and join his friend in the festivities—which is exactly what happened! We all ended up partying with the Fresh Prince that night.

On Wednesday, after the long day of sessions and keynotes, we then hit the strip again for 2 more parties. To start the night off, Knak, Leadspace and RevEngine all partnered up for one the “Coolest” parties ever. Most haven’t heard of Minus 5 Cocktail Bar, which is located at Mandalay Bay. It is actually the coldest place in Vegas and everything from the bar, to the shelves, to the glasses and sculptures are made of ice.

A few of us Digital Pi folks and clients showed up at the lounge with little knowledge of what was going to happen. We were given thick coats and sent into a winter wonderland. It was a lot of fun to experience, however, after 30 min or so, we started to lose feeling in our toes and headed back out into the warmth. This was a fun event to kick off the night. We then headed over to the party everyone was waiting for- the Marketo Nation party at Hakkasan Night Club.

There aren’t many places that can fit nearly 5,000 people. Hakkasan is 3 floors, with all floors overlooking the dance floor. Unlimited food and drink was served while we danced to music and often taking breaks to watch the acrobatics show. It was a great finale for the event with an enormous crowd of marketers, finally taking time to let loose.

#5 Meetings Poolside

While San Francisco is amazing place for such events, we couldn’t beat what was available to us, right outside the event doors. As we passed by, heading to the sessions and meetings, a large pool complete with a lazy river beckoned.

Some of us waddled in the river, others with laptops in hand, took time to enjoy what was available. Joined by co-workers and clients, the opportunity to talk a little shop and strategize poolside was something we rarely experienced. It is definitely worth noting that a conference room isn’t always needed for such meetings.

#6 Speed Dating in Vegas

Digital Pi’s CEO, Ryan Vong, was invited to go on a 2-minute speed dating session that matched Marketo users and partners. Ryan took on the challenge while doing it with grace and under time! Within 2 minutes, he gave everyone a quick overview of our Gold Standard, which includes 12 foundational elements of Marketo being applied, practiced and completed within 24 days. You can see Ryan work his magic here.

#7 Team Effort

Last, but certainly not least, the Digital Pi team really loves its team members. If it weren’t for this group of amazingly talented folks, we wouldn’t be shining in Vegas. This year was a big year for Digital Pi. We grew from 12 employees to 25, we brought on extremely smart people (check out Vivi doing her RCE session) and we launched a new product, OMEGA.

In addition, our clients have been sharing our stories and putting their trust in us for 3 years. We are looking forward to Summit 2017 in San Francisco. This time next year, we’re confident that we will be sharing an even greater list of successes.

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