The Sitecore User Group Conference (SUGCON) ANZ is fast approaching for 2023. This will be it’s third edition bringing together professionals from the Australian and New Zealand (and beyond!) Sitecore community to share insights, knowledge, war stories and probably a karaoke tune or two.

This year’s SUGCON is scheduled to take place on November 23rd and 24th, in sunny Brisbane and boasts a diverse range of speakers and topics across Developer and Marketer/Strategy tracks touching on all aspects of the Sitecore ecosystem. Tickets are on sale now from https://anz.sugcon.events/.

As a 1.5 day conference, it can be a whirlwind, especially if it’s your first time. So, here are some tips that I wish I knew before my first SUGCON:

Be aware of start times

Timings and agendas are posted on the website at https://anz.sugcon.events/Agenda . Be aware that the Day 1 sessions don’t start until after lunch. Leave plenty of time to pick up your badge & lanyard at registration and enjoy the included lunch, but you don’t need to be there at 9am!

Day 2 is a different matter. Sessions will run all day with the indicated breaks starting from 9:30am. I recommend getting there at least 15 mins before the first session on day 2 to grab a coffee and find a seat.

Plan your day

The venue is very central in Brisbane City centre at Voco. Once at the venue, you’ll be able to follow the signage or staff direction to the “conference area”. SUGCON will be running across 2 rooms with breaks/lunch and sponsor booths located nearby in the “Chelsea lane” area.

Check out the agenda before the conference and map out your day. Go with the flow, but planning this ahead will save some time staring at your phone or shouting at hotel wifi. Update 15/11: The “mobile app” is live and lets you view the agenda and favourite sessions to better plan your day. https://sugcon-anz-2023.sessionize.com/

Also worth noting that at the end of day 1 is the “Community Networking Reception”. This is a chance for the community to come together, have a few drinks/snacks and a bit of a laugh. There are usually some casual award presentations at this time. A good chance to line up a dinner with people you met throughout the day!

Visit the sponsor booths

SUGCON is a community event. It simply couldn’t happen without the sponsors putting in time, effort and $$s, so please support them by visiting their booths and having a chat. Often, there is some swag on offer or a competition to enter so win win!

Be Social

This can be really difficult for people (myself included), but will change your entire experience if you go a little out of your comfort zone. Go out of your way to talk to strangers, thank speakers, swap a story or laptop sticker (find me, I’ll have some!), take a #sitecoreselfie with someone or tag along at dinner/drinks. Get that conversation started!

A suggestion I loved from a conference I attended recently was to implement the Pacman rule whenever standing in a group.

When standing as a group of people, always leave room for 1 person to join your group.

ie. Stand in a pacman shape, as leaving room for new people when standing in a group is a physical way to show an inclusive and welcoming environment.

If anyone wants to catch up or find if anything is happening, we’ll usually have a chat going on slack #sugcon or feel free to DM me on slack or social media.

I’ve attended and helped organise a few SUGCONs now in AU and across the globe and have found them to be quite unique relative to other conferences and even other Sitecore related events. But what sets it apart? It is run by the community, for the community. At most good conferences you will learn new technologies or approaches from great speakers, and you will at SUGCON too, but the biggest differentiators are the moments…..

😂 That laugh you shared over lunch with a speaker about a challenge you banged your head against for days just to find they did too…. or

💭 Hearing about a really cool implementation idea you can take back to work on Monday over a dish of Korean BBQ…. or

👨‍🎤 Belting out Aus rock classics with Sitecore enthusiasts from around the world at karaoke.

These are the things that make it valuable and memorable for years to come.