Episerver Unveils Complete Lineup for Ascend 2017

Episerver, a leading provider of a single platform to smartly manage digital content, commerce and marketing in the cloud, today announced that Mel Robbins and The Passing Zone will complete the lineup of keynote speakers and performers, including Scott Hanselman of Microsoft^TM  and Episerver’s James Norwood, at Episerver Ascend 2017.

The conference, which runs from February 26 to March 1, 2017 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas ^TM, and is sponsored by global partner Microsoft and 25 other Episerver partners, will feature nearly 100 sessions across six comprehensive persona-based tracks, including hands-on labs, customer-led presentations, and product and industry expert discussions. With a focus on marketing, commerce and personalization, the conference’s program caters to business leaders, developers, digital marketers, content and commerce professionals at all levels.

Mel Robbins, a Gracie Award-winning television host, motivational speaker, author and on-air CNN commentator, completes the keynote lineup. She is known for creating “The 5 Second Rule” and for delivering the popular TEDx Talk “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over.” Robbin’s’ keynote address, titled “The 5 Second Rule -- Achieve Breakthrough Performance in Your Career and Life,” will explore the titular motivational concept she created and popularized, guiding attendees to act, defeat doubt and achieve their goals.

The company also revealed today that the Passing Zone, an American comedy-juggling duo comprising Jon Wee and Owen Morse, will perform, showcasing the power of partnership, innovation, collaboration and execution. The famous duo has appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” twice and on “Royal Variety Performance” where they performed for the British Royal Family. They have also performed at the White House.

Robbins and The Passing Zone complete a diverse keynote lineup including the already announced Scott Hanselman, principal program manager at Microsoft, who is one of Microsoft’s most popular bloggers and web developer personalities, and Episerver’s own James Norwood, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of strategy.

Additionally, the company announced the panelists for Tuesday’s “Customer, Partner and Analyst Q&A” will include Anjali Yakkundi, senior analyst for ebusiness and channel strategy at Forrester ^TM Research, and Bernardine Wu, founder and CEO of FitForCommerce ^TM, a consulting business that helps online retailers develop digital strategies and grow their e-commerce operations. The all woman panel builds on Episerver’s “Digital Ninety-Nines” campaign which features female leaders in digital innovation, and will be chaired by Episerver’s Head of Worldwide Marketing, Jessica Fardin.

“We are excited and honored to have such a talented, knowledgeable and inspirational group of speakers at this year’s event,” said James Norwood. “This year’s speakers truly embody the idea of personalized engagement at the core of the Ascend conference. No matter who you are -- whether an executive, a developer, a content or commerce professional or a marketer -- you are sure to walk away from this year’s conference not only more knowledgeable about digital strategy but also more inspired and more empowered to act.”

The conference kicks off on Sunday, February 26 with a comprehensive and expanded “Partner Day,” and a series of in-depth customer education and training sessions including:

• Episerver Certified Developer (ECD) training on the latest version of Episerver’s products
• Hands-on introduction to developing innovative websites on the latest version of Episerver’s products
• Class on targeting, measuring and optimizing website content with business user functionality

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