I had attended several SUGCON events, but I had never been to Sitecore Symposium. Therefore, I was particularly excited to be there this year in Nashville. Sitecore has changed significantly over the past six months, and this was clearly evident in the sessions. There were not only sessions about XM Cloud but also about Sitecore XM/XP. Naturally, there were also many sessions about AI, with Sitecore Stream being the highlight. I will elaborate more on that below.
On the first day of our arrival, there were no sessions, but in the evening we could participate in the Food Tour. It was a fun way to discover Nashville, with delicious food and great people. The day after our arrival was dedicated to the MVP Summit.
MVP Summit - Fireside chat with Kathie, Dave, Roger, and Danny
The MVP Summit kicked off strongly with a discussion between Dave O'Flanagan (CEO), Kathie Johnson (CMO), Roger Connolly (CPO), and Danny Robinson (CTO). The conversation was led by Sean Broderick, Director of Product Marketing. Sitecore's focus has long been on architecture, but now they can finally dive into AI. As MVPs, we were given an exclusive preview of Sitecore Stream before it was officially announced on Wednesday (see Symposium - The power to build for measurable impact for more information). What made this session particularly special was that we, as MVPs, had the opportunity to engage directly with the top executives of Sitecore, such as the CEO and CPO. There was more than enough opportunity to ask questions and engage in deep discussions not only about the new product but about everything related to Sitecore. Due to the confidential nature of these discussions, I cannot share further details, but the conversations provided interesting perspectives on Sitecore's future developments.
MVP Summit - Roundtable discussions
During the roundtable discussions, we were able to delve deeper into specific topics alongside various experts such as Liz Nelson, Product Lead of XM Cloud. I was part of discussions that took place regarding XM Cloud, Sitecore Stream, and Sitecore Search. While I cannot share all the content due to the confidentiality of these discussions, the insights I gained were incredibly valuable. It was a unique opportunity to engage directly in a smaller setting with people closely involved in the development of these products.
MVP Summit - Breakout sessions
After the roundtable discussions, there were four additional sessions organized specifically for the MVPs. I chose sessions on Sitecore XM/XP, Sitecore Stream, and XM Cloud. Although I am also bound by confidentiality here and cannot share specific details, I can say that the roadmap items presented are extremely promising. New features are coming for several key Sitecore products that have not yet been announced during this Symposium, but they are certainly worth looking forward to!
Partner Connect Day
Personally, I found the Partner Connect Day a bit less interesting because there were fewer technical sessions, and many topics had already been covered during the MVP Summit. Additionally, there were quite a few sponsored sessions that didn't always capture my interest. Although I didn’t quite belong to the target audience for this day, I'm still glad I attended. I learned more about Sitecore partners, and during the welcome reception, I had an excellent opportunity to network, especially with Dutch developers but also with colleagues from other countries.
Symposium - The power to build for measurable impact
During the first major general session of Sitecore Symposium, Dave O'Flanagan officially announced Sitecore Stream. This was one of the most impressive moments of the event, where Sitecore shared its vision for the future of the Intelligent DXP. What really struck me was the power of the AI capabilities presented, such as brand-aware AI, AI copilots, and AI workflows. This step is compared to the revolutionary impact of the arrival of the internet. It truly has the potential to significantly change the way marketers work.
What makes Sitecore Stream so interesting is that it was developed in collaboration with major brands like Nestlé. It focuses precisely on what marketers need: a single platform that provides everything for managing content and experiences, from strategy to optimization. It enhances efficiency and allows teams to work faster and smarter together.
The key features of Sitecore Stream are indeed impressive:
- Brand-aware AI that automatically ensures that actions and content align with the organization's brand values and guidelines.
- AI workflows that take repetitive tasks off teams' plates, allowing them to focus on more important matters.
- Generative copilots that assist in creating brands, content, and experiences, greatly speeding up creative processes.
One of the highlights was how Aude Gandon demonstrated how Nestlé is already applying this technology. They use Generative AI to create the AI Brand Assistant, a tool that makes brand and category knowledge available within their teams and partners.
What I also find noteworthy is that Sitecore Stream is available for all Sitecore implementations, including Sitecore XM/XP. This means that the capabilities of Stream can be integrated into existing environments, making it truly flexible.
I am personally very excited about this and can't wait to try Sitecore Stream myself. The potential to improve how we manage and optimize content is enormous. This could also be of great value within my current projects, and I already see plenty of opportunities to implement Stream for Sitecore XM/XP and XM Cloud!
Symposium - Accelerate Sitecore XM Cloud adoption using generative AI
This session provided a clear overview of what is currently needed for a migration to XM Cloud. For example, content and code must be transferred, where an MVC component needs to be converted to Sitecore JSS. Then, certain AI concepts were briefly explained, such as prompt engineering, AI APIs, and the Vercel AI SDK. After that, they demonstrated how these technologies are combined in the Sitecore JSS Copilot. With this tool, among other things, Figma components can be converted to Sitecore JSS components, and it is also possible to transform an MVC component or Custom Contents Resolver into a GraphQL query.
It looks promising, and I certainly plan to try it out on a project. However, I suspect it provides a handy starting point rather than a solution that works perfectly from the get-go. For instance, our component library is not yet supported. Additionally, Custom Contents Resolvers can also contain third-party data, which is difficult to translate into GraphQL queries.
Symposium - How Sitecore builds with Vercel AI SDK
The session consisted of two parts. First, an explanation of what the Vercel AI SDK is was provided. The best way to clarify this was with an example. You might ask a chatbot: "I would like to change my seat selection to a window seat." The chatbot would then respond with options like: "You can choose 3A, 3F, 4A, 4F, 5A, 5F, etc." However, a better example is returning an interactive component where the user can choose a seat themselves (see image). With the Vercel AI SDK, it's possible to return a React component as a response.
In the second part, it was explained how Sitecore uses the Vercel AI SDK for their AI Brand Assistant. For example, when you ask about the brand colors, you receive images instead of text. This was a very informative session, and if I work with AI myself, I will certainly consider using the Vercel AI SDK.
Symposium - Sitecore XM/XP/MC R&D roadmap
During the MVP Summit and Partner Connect Day, several roadmap components were already shared, so I expected some overlap in this session. Indeed, this was the case, but it provided me with clarity on which information is now publicly available and which remains confidential.
During the session, a detailed overview was presented of what is planned for Sitecore XM, XP, and MC (Managed Cloud) in the coming months. Over the next three months, we can expect updates for Sitecore XM/XP (versions 10.2.2 and 10.3.2), including Sitecore Stream features such as generative copilots and brand-aware AI in Sitecore XM/XP. These tools will help marketers create content and optimize brand consistency.
After +9 and 12+ months, further updates will come for Sitecore XM/XP, such as versions 10.4.1 and 10.5, including the addition of AB Testing, Task Management, and advanced Sitecore Stream capabilities for Item Generation and Brainstorming with AI.
Also interesting were the planned modules, such as the XM to XMC Cloud Migration Tool v2 and the expansion of Codeless Schema Extensions v2. These tools will further simplify migrations to XM Cloud and improve the integration of endpoints for marketing automation. Additionally, improvements in compatibility with external parties are expected, such as updates for XC .NET 8 and integrations with Solr.
With this roadmap, Sitecore has clearly demonstrated that they continue to innovate in AI, content creation, and XM Cloud migration. This offers great prospects for existing XM and XP users, especially with the further modules such as SaaS portal integration and MVC to Headless migration tooling.
Symposium - Next-gen frontend development with XM Cloud
During this session, a comparison was made between the old and new architecture for Pages. The new architecture provides a more efficient and flexible approach to managing content and pages, with a clear separation between data and presentation. This allows for more dynamic content management without compromising performance.
It was also highlighted that XM Cloud offers developers significant freedom of choice. The platform supports various frontend frameworks such as Next.js, Angular, React, Astro, and Nuxt. Additionally, it supports multiple deployment runtimes and package managers like Yarn, pnpm, and Turborepo, providing more flexibility and efficiency in managing projects.
The roadmap for the Developer Experience in XM Cloud was also presented. Currently, tools such as the XMC SPA Proxy, Angular and .NET Starter Kits, JSS for XM Cloud, and a Component Library are available. In the near future, new features will be added, such as onboarding all XM Cloud APIs, marketer-driven Edge personalization patterns, and monorepo support in deployment processes. Further down the line, features like AI-driven component building and observability in deploy processes are planned, enabling more automation and monitoring of applications.
Symposium - Future proofing you and your organization
Erik Qualman’s general session emphasized that leadership in the digital age is not something you're born with, but something you develop. In a world where technological changes are inevitable, the question isn’t whether we need to transform, but how well we do it. Success in this transformation lies in understanding and leveraging the harmony between the offline and online worlds. While technology is constantly evolving, human nature remains unchanged. Qualman presented five key habits that are essential for driving success and happiness for employees, partners, and customers, such as "Posting-It-Forward," "Being Flawsome," and "Socialnomics." These methods help organizations stay ahead of the competition without losing sight of their market’s needs.
One moment during the presentation focused on the concept of digital footprints and legacy. Qualman highlighted how our actions in the digital age contribute to the legacy we leave behind, especially since digital footprints can outlive us. He stressed that while technology changes, human needs do not. Therefore, adapting to digital shifts involves learning to navigate the online world with purpose and enhancing our digital presence, or "digital stamp," a combination of our digital footprint and the shadows we leave behind.
Qualman also shared examples like Pepsi’s viral video and the Red Cross’s misdirected tweet to show how imperfections ("Perfectly Flawed") can be powerful when handled with authenticity. He emphasized the importance of owning your story, seizing the day, and staying flexible in how you pursue your goals. Another important takeaway was persistence: a "no" often simply means "not yet." A prime example of this is the QR code, which was invented in 2003 but only gained widespread use during the 2020 pandemic.
Symposium - Make your Next.js Sitecore site faster
During Anton Tishchenko’s presentation, several strategies were introduced to improve the performance of Next.js Sitecore sites. The session began with an explanation of how bundlers like Webpack and Turbopack combine multiple JavaScript modules into bundles for different environments, such as client-side, Node.js, and Edge JavaScript. This helps ensure that the right code runs in the right context, but there's potential for improvement in how these bundles are constructed.
The use of the Next.js bundle analyzer was particularly useful. By analyzing the JavaScript bundles, it's possible to identify unnecessary code, particularly server-side code that ends up in the client-side bundles. Tools like Lighthouse and @next/bundle-analyzer
provide insight into what's inside these bundles, which could help streamline projects and make them more efficient.
I found the practical techniques, like excluding server-side packages from client bundles and using Webpack aliases to reduce bundle size, especially relevant. The results shown during the session highlighted the potential for reducing both the total bundle and chunk sizes. I’m planning to implement these improvements in future projects to improve overall performance.
Symposium - Sitecore Search and B2B scale: Raven Industries
The session focused on how Raven Industries used Sitecore Search and XM Cloud to provide a scalable, unified search experience for their customers. The team was able to consolidate complex content and product data from multiple sources, streamlining access and ensuring a seamless user experience. By leveraging Sitecore Search capabilities, they efficiently indexed 6 data sources, including 7k PDFs in 44 languages.
The approach to this implementation included identifying key data sources, standardizing fields, and using Sitecore Search JS SDK to integrate prebuilt React components via the CLI. This allowed them to minimize development time while still maintaining flexibility for customization. The team addressed data freshness by scheduling daily updates and focusing development efforts on extending and styling.
Symposium - Sitecore XM Cloud R&D roadmap
In the XM Cloud Roadmap session, several upcoming features were highlighted, aimed at enhancing both the marketing and developer experience. The session covered future improvements in content publishing, including features like instant publishing and scheduled releases, designed to streamline the content delivery process. Tools for publishing visibility were also discussed, which would help provide more clarity into what is being published and when. Additionally, updates to the media library and improved personalization options are intended to make the platform more user-friendly and efficient for marketers.
There is also a focus on empowering non-technical users. Planned enhancements like the design library, and marketplace integrations are aimed at enabling marketers and designers to build and customize content more easily, reducing reliance on IT teams. These changes are designed to promote better collaboration across teams, allowing marketers to take more control over content creation and personalization without needing extensive technical expertise.
The session also highlighted plans for improved content orchestration and user management. Features like unified workflows, group role management, and unified API access are being designed to simplify content management across multiple sites and brands. The overarching goal is to create a more integrated and flexible system that reduces friction for users working in complex environments. While these features are promising, it’s important to note that they are all part of the roadmap and not yet available.
Symposium - The future of platform DXP: There is something for everyone
In this session, Sitecore continues to address the varying needs of its customers, whether you're content with the current Sitecore XM/XP implementation or eager to explore a composable approach. Regardless of your perspective, Sitecore’s roadmap caters to all preferences. They showcased the progress since the 10.4 release and provided a glimpse into what 2025 holds, especially for those looking to future-proof their content strategies.
The AI-powered features demo caught my attention. The Copilot AI works on a per-field basis within the content editor, allowing easy adjustments to content, such as tone changes or rewriting. On the other hand, the AI Brand Assistant operates as a separate popup focused on brand-specific tasks. Notably, while the AI Brand Assistant isn’t yet used for content generation, it’s part of the roadmap.
Finally, the session highlighted Sitecore’s ongoing commitment to its roadmap, with AI integration planned across multiple areas, offering more flexibility and automation in content creation. Although none of these features are live yet, there’s clear potential for both marketers and developers to look forward to in future releases.
Symposium - Sitecore CDP: Unlock your data with unified tracking
In this session, Sitecore introduced their new unified tracking feature in Sitecore CDP, making it easier to stream data across different Sitecore products and external platforms. With this, visitor IDs can now be used consistently in tools like Search, Personalize, and CDP, ensuring all your composable DXP systems are in sync and getting the most out of your data.
They also demonstrated profile sharing, where data from CDP is used to personalize experiences across platforms. By tying session-based profiles to visitor IDs, businesses can deliver a seamless, personalized experience across multiple touchpoints.
Symposium - Building resilient integrations with XM Cloud
This session, presented by my colleague Rob Habraken, was one I was really looking forward to, and it turned out to be one of the better sessions at Symposium. Rob focused on building resilient integrations using XM Cloud, with a strong emphasis on integrating external systems. He highlighted the importance of using APIs and microservices to connect external data sources without adding complexity to XM Cloud itself, ensuring that integrations remain flexible and adaptable over time.
One of the main points was the use of the Authoring API to pull in data from external sources. Rob showed how this API allows for smoother interactions with third-party systems, without altering XM Cloud. A particularly interesting demo involved a search integration using Azure Cognitive Search, combined with queuing data through Azure Service Bus to ensure reliable data flows. To address an issue where search results sometimes included items that were not published yet, leading to 404 errors, they added a "published" flag. This flag was set via a webhook triggered after XM Cloud successfully published the item, ensuring only fully published items appear in search results, thereby improving the overall user experience.
What stood out to me was the focus on ensuring integrations were designed with resiliency in mind, using principles like idempotency and queuing. This helps ensure that if something goes wrong, the integration can recover without causing larger issues. The practical examples Rob provided made it clear how to build robust, reliable integrations that enhance XM Cloud capabilities by connecting with external systems.
Symposium - XM Cloud Experience and AI: A roadmap and demo
In this session the focus was on how Sitecore is enhancing XM Cloud with AI-driven features to improve content creation and personalization. The session began with an overview of the current state of experience-building in XM Cloud, highlighting tools like Pages, Components, and Forms that allow users to quickly manage sites, build pages visually, and personalize experiences without needing extensive technical involvement. Features like CDP analytics and form engagement tracking also allow for deeper insights into content performance and user interactions.
Looking ahead, Sitecore Stream is being integrated into XM Cloud to elevate AI-powered content creation. The vision is to enable marketers to generate relevant experiences and use the AI Brand Assistant to craft customized content quickly. There will also be a focus on optimization, with AI handling A/B testing, personalization, and SEO reviews. The idea is to use AI to automate the creation and testing of content, making it easier to manage at scale.
The roadmap outlined further integration of AI across the entire XM Cloud ecosystem. From context-based insights to advanced audience and strategy management tools, Sitecore is planning to provide marketers with more control over content creation and optimization. Features like component-level personalization and Sitecore Stream’s generative UI are set to make it even easier to design and personalize experiences directly within the platform. However, most of these features are still in the planning stages and will be rolled out progressively. I was particularly looking forward to seeing a live demo of these new AI capabilities in action. Unfortunately, the session concluded without one, which was a bit disappointing.
Conclusion
Attending the Sitecore Symposium in Nashville was a fantastic opportunity to delve into the latest developments within the Sitecore ecosystem. The sessions offered valuable insights into Sitecore Stream, which leverages brand-aware AI, AI workflows, and generative copilots to revolutionize how marketers create and manage content. The advantages of Composable DXP were highlighted, especially during my colleague Rob Habraken's session on building resilient integrations with XM Cloud, demonstrating how composable architectures enhance flexibility and scalability when integrating external systems. Organizations like Raven Industries showcased how they leveraged Sitecore Search and XM Cloud to provide scalable, unified search experiences for their customers. Additionally, the detailed roadmaps for XM Cloud and Sitecore XM/XP unveiled upcoming features like instant publishing, scheduled releases, and enhanced personalization options, all aimed at better serving both marketers and developers.
In addition to the informative sessions, I thoroughly enjoyed the social aspects of the event. The lively parties on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday created the perfect atmosphere for networking and exchanging experiences. With live music and the warm Southern hospitality, these gatherings truly made the event memorable.
Overall, it's clear that Sitecore is dedicating significant attention and resources to advancing its platforms. The innovations within Sitecore Stream and the enhancements to XM Cloud and Sitecore XM/XP signal a significant shift in content management and creation. I'm eager to see how these developments will transform the way we manage and optimize content moving forward, potentially leading to more dynamic and personalized user experiences.