I had actually heard about this community for a while and after the inaugural Vancouver meeting in late March, I decided to formally join as well.
Here’s my four reasons:
1. Learning is the goal
We’re here to learn, share, question, uplift, and dig deep. You get back what you put in. Whether you're working through a challenge or sharing something your team accomplished that could help others, it's a space for honest exchange.
There are also opportunities to build or strengthen skills, like presenting, writing thought leadership pieces, demo’ing, and more.
2. Cross-functional peer circles
I believe in the early days, these groups were geared towards people and organisations working on/in content (structure, accessibility, tools), but evolved into something richer over time.
From public to private sector orgs, comms to IT roles, and creators to system builders, it’s rare to see this kind of cross-pollination done so well.
3. No selling; no BS
This may not be the official motto for the community, but those are the vibes I got from my first meeting and other interactions since then.
Come as you are, give more than you take, be open, and skip the pitch. Connections form naturally over time.
They might lead to partnerships, sales, or even new hires, but that’s a side effect, not the goal.
4. Support and socialize
After a few hours of deep engagement, it’s time to relax, eat, drink, and socialize. I know that to many introverts socializing sounds like the antithesis to relaxation (and if you can believe it, I'm an introvert too - well, one of those extroverted introvert types!).
However, that post-session time to connect one-on-one is where real relationships start. If you can stay even an hour, it’s worth it. And I promise, it’s a very low-key, relaxed atmosphere where you are not expected to be “on”.
Thanks to the very first Vancouver session I attended and what followed, I now know that I can count on folks I’d never known before for advice when I need it.
Would you like to join us in Vancouver on July 7 for the next session? Get in touch with me (email: briana@simplicitydigital.ca) for details.
Learn more about the CMS Experts
This community has been going for over a decade. Back in 2017, Boston-based Jeff Cram called it his advisory board of smart friends and and as Deane Barker said on LinkedIn in 2023:
If you're in the CMS or DXP space, you should join us.