As expected with BigCommerce you see a trend of wanting to get the most out of the events that they host. One thing you will come to learn as you attend these events is that they like to keep them intimate, but jam-packed with information and plenty of things to do.
The Event
The eCommerce Growth Summit was held in Chicago this year in a venue about 15 minutes off Lake Shore Drive which was easy enough to get to. The first thing you notice as you approach the building is the level of sophistication that is tied to this one day event. You have Growth Summit branding all over the place as well as BigCommerce folks with ear pieces and radios like they are putting on the Oscars.
Inside you see a well designed pathway of booths leading to the eating area, and the on into the speakers pavillion. It doesn't look quite this large from the outside but it's pretty massive. As you walk the booths, everything is uniform (colors and booth material) with a single logo fixed at the top of the booths. Everything looks clean and easy to navigate. The speaker's pavillion looks like a mix of a runway/ted talk stage and the ambient lighting is great. Multiple displays to give everyone the best possible angle to see the speakers.
The keynote speaker was none other than Jenny Fleiss Co-Founder of Code Eight and Rent the Runway. She went on to speak to almost 300 people and captivated the audience with her story of you she got started and the new projects she is working on today.
Things wrapped up with a cocktail hour and networking event that was very laid back and it help facilitate many more conversations I am certain.
A BigCommerce Partner Perspective
As a partner the thing that was most appreciated was the fact that the booths were supplied. I can't tell you how much joy I had that all that we needed to do was hook up the laptop, lay out our swag and we were done. The foot traffic was great, and the right type of attendees were there. There have been many a tradeshow that I have attended where the person who gets sent is not even close to the decision makers and as a vendor tying to ear someone's business it's difficult when you speak to someone not close to the pulse of the company's direction.
The only thing that I could say was not great was the parking situation, but I don't know if that's less a BigCommerce issue and more a Chicago thing, but parking was crazy and I may have parked in a super sketchy neighborhood. Luckily we made it out. The Team Fortuitas away team made it back to the mothership safe and sound.
All in all, I would highly recommend making this a stop on your event calendar next year.
