June 15 2016 12:10 AM

The DOCUMENT Strategy Forum (DSF) shows an expanding footprint and the growing connection between customer experience, enterprise content management, and customer communications


    Hundreds of senior executives gathered at DSF ‘16 (DOCUMENT Strategy Forum) in Chicago this past May 10-12, 2016 to discuss topics such as customer experiences, digital strategies for communications, cloud and information security, and the future of enterprise content management (ECM).

    In its eighth year, DSF ‘16 attracted 381 verified attendees and is supported by some of the biggest technology leaders in the industry, including HP Exstream, GMC Software, Kofax from Lexmark, Adobe, 4Point, and Canon Solutions America. This year’s sold-out Exhibit Floor reflected the crisscross of the industry, showcasing 40 leading companies in the customer communications management (CCM), ECM, and information management space.

    “We continue to listen to what the industry is asking for and try to build an event that speaks to it. Our Advisory Board leads the way from an educational standpoint, and we listen to what the vendor community is looking for in an event and build it to the best of our abilities. The success of DSF ’16 is truly a team effort by all involved,” said Joel Dunkel, President, EventEvolution Management, Inc., producers of DOCUMENT Strategy Forum. “DSF ‘16 in Chicago is one of our favorite boutique conferences. We enjoy networking with many clients and partners at this intimate, well-organized, and conveniently located conference,” said Mary Ann Rowan, CMO and Vice President of Solimar Systems.

    The first of its kind, the education program at DSF ‘16 is built by the very professionals charged with delivering superior customer experiences in enterprise today and is driven by its dedicated Advisory Board of 13 leading senior executives spanning the healthcare, financial, insurance, pharmaceutical, and energy industries. “This is a great conference, and I love the fact it is not centered around a vendor or a product. There are very few, if any, such ECM conferences. Group discussion and roundtables add so much more value,” said Noam Lazarus, I/T Technical Manager, Enterprise Content Delivery, of USAA.

    The recurring message at DSF ’16 continued to be about focusing on customer needs first, enabling digital technology (specifically cloud technology and software as a service) to support the customer experience, and effectively communicating the change necessary to transform for the digital age. The conference kicked off with a keynote delivered by Maria Boos of Siegel+Gale, which underlined the fact that transforming the customer experience is about 80% customer needs and only 20% technology. Technology, Ms. Boos reiterated, is the enabler of optimized customer experience.

    In a spotlight keynote on the emerging trends in the ECM market, Joe Shepley of Doculabs outlined five of the biggest factors transforming how companies view, use, and empower their information assets in pursuit of superior customer experiences, which included the use of cloud/software as a service technology to empower the business versus information technology (IT), Big Data for intelligent decision-making, the prominence of the information security team, increased focus on execution of real goals rather than the grand strategy, and the importance of building a change management strategy.

    Over three full days of education, comprised of “campfire” roundtables, panels, and case studies, it is clear that the complexity of the customer experience and the disruption of new technologies is challenging companies to connect new and old systems, increase organizational agility for speed to market, and to create standards/metrics throughout the organization. With many embarking on this transformation, the verdict at DSF ‘16 is we still have work to do. However, many attendees left Chicago bolstered by the success stories from their peers and that meeting these challenges is possible and around the corner.

    DSF ’17 will be held on May 1-3, 2017 in downtown Chicago at the Marriott Chicago Magnificent Mile.

    To request information on attending, exhibiting, or sponsoring DSF ‘17, please call 866.378.4991 or email jdunkel@EventEvolution.com.

    About DOCUMENT Strategy Forum (DSF)
    The DSF is the premiere conference and expo for high-level business executives focused on their enterprise communications and information management strategies. The DOCUMENT Strategy Forum is produced by EventEvolution Management Inc., an event producer/management and consulting firm specializing in professional trade shows and conferences in both the B2C and B2B marketplaces, and DOCUMENT Strategy Media, the leading multi-media company focused on communications, enterprise content management, and information management strategies.

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