We just wrapped the first full day of Seismic Shift 2023, and it was one for the books. We welcomed a sold-out crowd of 1,060 attendees from more than 400 companies across 13 different countries, and their energy didn’t disappoint as we kicked things off. The Marriott Marquis is buzzing with excitement and inspiration — and we’re just getting started.
So far, the keynote stage featured presentations from Seismic’s own CEO and co-founder Doug Winter, Chief Marketing Officer Paige O’Neill, and Chief Product Officer Krish Mantripragada. They were also joined by our customers and partners at Zendesk, Zoom, Five9, Michelin, IBM, and Microsoft before author and workplace culture expert Shola Richards took the stage. Attendees also had the opportunity to attend a number of breakout sessions that spanned across six different learning tracks.
And while it’s impossible to summarize everything from the day, we’re excited to share some of the highlights.
A lot can happen in one year
Seismic CEO and co-founder Doug Winter began his keynote reminiscing about Seismic’s early days. The very first Shift conference didn’t even include a stage – Doug brought his own projector from home – and looked drastically different than it does today. This is indicative of how much things have changed for Seismic and the entire enablement space since the company was founded in 2010. What started as a mission to control content chaos has evolved into driving growth and understanding the impact of transformational enablement efforts.
This is something our customers know all too well. Over the past year, they’ve had to do more with less resources, pivot quickly, and transform the way things are done within their organizations. None of this would have been possible without Seismic, and the proof is in the numbers. In the last 12 months, Seismic customers have:
- Interacted with more than 49,000 pieces of content per hour throughout the Seismic Enablement Cloud
- Completed 19,000 lessons per hour through Seismic Learning
- Shared more than 500 social posts per hour through Seismic LiveSocial
We’ve been just as busy. We invested more in our customer success, research, and development efforts to ensure that our teams have the resources they need to help customers drive transformation and hit growth goals. We also completed more than 650 value and maturity growth plans and 700 value assessments to better understand where our customers are at in their enablement journeys and how we can partner with them in their current stage and in the future.
Doug Winter
CEO and co-founder, Seismic
Doug also spoke to how we have to keep our foot on the gas to keep innovating. One key area for that innovation is AI. Since last year’s conference, Seismic has released 11 different AI enhancements across the Seismic Enablement Cloud™. As we look to infuse AI in every part of our product and process, it’s important to understand how go-to-market teams are currently using AI.
Our most recent market study, The State of AI in Enablement: 2023 Report, found that 93% of enablement tech users say that AI is key to driving their future enablement investments, and 73% of respondents believe that companies that fail to incorporate AI will fall behind their competitors in the next three years. We’re looking forward to helping our customers leverage AI in their enablement efforts, and plan to release dozens of new AI enhancements before next year’s event.
The time for transformational enablement is now
After we heard Doug talk about the importance of transformational enablement, Seismic CPO Krish Mantripragada took the stage to show us how the Seismic Enablement Cloud™ is helping organizations make it happen.
“Together, we’re shaping the enablement function that we know today,” he said. “Over the years we’ve built several market defining capabilities that have shaped enablement, and we’re continuing to accelerate that pace of innovation.” Then, he gave attendees a look at some of the integrations, optimizations, and updates we’ve made to the platform in the last year. In total, we launched more than 200 features across the platform and more than half of them came directly from customers’ feedback.
And while Seismic launched Aura — our AI/ML engine that’s built right into the platform — back in 2021, we’re now reimagining everything with the evolution of generative AI. Generative AI will change how GTM teams search and discover content, create content, automate tasks, and advise sellers throughout the buying journey.
Earlier today, we announced how we’re integrating generative AI into our latest products and capabilities in our Fall 2023 Release, and Krish gave an in-depth look at these features starting with Aura Copilot. It will be embedded across the Seismic Enablement Cloud™ as well as our partners’ technology like Microsoft PowerPoint, Outlook, Gmail, and leading CRMs. By combining the power of large language models with the power of Seismic, Aura Copilot will fundamentally change how sellers and enablers will work going forward.
Last year, we defined four requirements for effective transformational enablement: plan, enable, engage, and improve. By applying Aura Copilot throughout these four pillars, teams can operate more efficiently and effectively. To give us a look at how that can be done, he welcomed various product team members to the stage.
- VP of Product Marketing Eve Alexander gave us a look at the future of Enablement Planner and how it will help GTM teams launch, run, and optimize initiatives all in one place. It will also help leaders connect the dots of how your enablement efforts contributed to business outcomes.
- SVP of Product Dave Myron showed us how to think about the enable pillar in two key areas: Content and Learning & Coaching. With the integration of generative AI, Seismic makes it easier to author, optimize, and surface the right content for the right situations. From simple descriptions to smart tagging, it automates manual tasks for consistent and streamline work.
- Then, Senior Director of Product Rachel Fernandes re-introduced Seismic Learning and how it now supports structured, just-in-time, and peer-to-peer learning. She also showed us how teams can use Aura Copilot to analyze content and create engaging lessons that are broken into digestible sections and feature interactivity, role play scenarios, learning journeys, and more.
- Senior Sales Engineer Aly Smith also gave attendees a look at how powerful data and insights across the platform can be combined to provide teams with a holistic view of their enablement initiative outcomes.
Krish wrapped the session by focusing on another new product, Seismic for Meetings. Meetings are where the rubber meets the road, and one meeting can make or break a deal. From preparing slides to personalizing content, Seismic for Meetings streamlines the work that needs to be done before, during, and after meetings. Check out our recent blog post to learn more about this latest innovation!
Breakouts, hub happenings, and experiences galore
After the keynotes, our customers had the opportunity to experience a number of different breakout sessions. And, with more than 20 topics and sessions, there was something for everyone. I joined colleagues Irina Soriano and Meganne Brezina to hear more about their new book, Tomorrow’s Enablement for Today’s Leaders and the Enablement Value Chain. I also had the chance to dive into Seismic Knowledge and hear about some best practices from our customers at Five 9, PTC, Bank of America, and Faro.
When we weren’t taking in ideas during keynote and breakout sessions, attendees had the chance to explore The Hub where they could:
- Shop the Aftershock store to get some exclusive Shift swag
- Visit our with our sponsors including Microsoft, Loopio, Salesloft, and more
- Take a new glamorous headshot
- Record a takeaway or favorite Shift moment at our Go-to-Market Magic Podcast station
- Leave words of encouragement for breast cancer patients and donate to The National Breast Cancer Foundation
How to stay strong with Shola Richards
In his keynote, author and CEO of Go Together Global embodied Seismic’s value, “we are vulnerable.” He opened with a story of how a toxic work environment led him to a rough time in his life 20 years ago. After that, he reflected on what it takes to get really resilient — and that led to some mic drop moments — literally.
Shola Richards
Keynote Speaker and CEO of Go Together Global
Shola isn’t the only person to experience a stressful or traumatic event. He shared a recent study where 70% of the global workforce says that it’s been the most stressful 12 months of their lives, and 78% said that their mental health has been affected. When it comes to being creating a resilient mindset even in the toughest circumstances, Shola suggests:
- Controlling the Controllables: Our actions, efforts, and attitudes are important. We need to guard the door and stop doing actions that weaken us — like doom scrolling on social media.
- Entering the Storm: Our problems will not get any easier if we run from them. Instead, it’s best to enter the storm and do the hard thing. But, give yourself grace — resilient people are committed to talking to themselves in the same way they would talk to the person they love.
- Building your Crew: Resilience is a team effort, and it’s important to have empathy, purpose, perspective, and humor to build up as much energy to enter the storm.
Let’s do it again tomorrow!
That’s a wrap for today! We’ll be back tomorrow to hear from Seismic President and Chief Revenue Officer Hayden Stafford, Chief Marketing Officer Paige O’Neill, and Award-Winning Innovation Forecaster Shivvy Jervis.
If you missed your chance to join us at this year’s event, we have great news. You can still sign up for Shift Wrapped, which gets you access to all of the keynote and breakout sessions recordings after this year’s event! Sign up here!
