Events

Moving from Products to Platforms at Engage 2018

By Vicki Smith / September 24, 2018

Each year, AppDirect’s annual digital economy summit—Engage—has an official theme. For 2018 it’s “evolve,” but if we named an unofficial theme it would be this: “Platforms beat products every time.”

The quote comes from a recent book on digital platforms, and it perfectly sums up the “why” behind this year’s Engage. In fact, almost every keynote and breakout session slated for Engage 2018 is dedicated to exploring how companies have been moving from product-based strategies to platforms to gain competitive advantage.

And this year those stories are being told by a greater diversity of companies than ever before. Engage 2018 features speakers from a range of sectors, including telecommunications, software, manufacturing, managed service providers, and more.

The unofficial theme of AppDirect's Engage 2018: “Platforms beat products every time.”

Some companies presenting at this year’s event, like ABB and IBM, have been around for more than 100+ years and are proving that old companies can indeed learn new digital transformation tricks. Other companies, like BlueSnap and Vonage, are sharing their cloud-native expertise and best practices to help their peers avoid digital transformation pitfalls.

Joining them are Honeywell, Comcast, Deutsche Telekom, CANCOM, ADP, Verifone, WorldPay, Swisscom, and others, each with valuable insights to share that cut across industry lines. Click here for the latest list of sessions and speakers.

This year’s Engage will also have a greater emphasis on practical information. In addition to hands-on training on the AppDirect platform, there will be product demos, as well as a Core App Showcase where AppDirect’s ISV partners will showcase applications available in the our catalog. The event will also offer ample opportunities for networking, the face-to-face connections that have become the most valuable aspect of the event.

Engage 2018 takes place next month, October 15th through the 17th, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. You can read more about the event and register at our dedicated Engage website. Or, watch the video below to learn more about the event. We look forward to seeing you there.

Vicki Smith is Field Marketing Manager at AppDirect.