Phorum, a leading technology strategy conference hosted annually in Philadelphia, announced today that this year's conference will examine the advantages of emerging digital customer engagement strategies and solutions. The headline speakers for Phorum 2014, also announced today, include:

  • Aneesh Chopra, co-founder of EVP of Hunch Analytics and former U.S. Chief Technology Officer
  • Maggie Fox, Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing at SAP;
  • Dan Hilferty, President and CEO of Independence Blue Cross; and
  • David Pogue, leading consumer technology writer and commentator.

Fragmentation of media, globalization of audiences and the explosion of social and user-generated content are just a few things changing the way in which buyers find content, products and service providers. Resulting declines in customer loyalty and erosion of traditional buying behaviors have companies scrambling to find ways to grow if not simply protect their business.

While many organizations are using various solutions, such as mobile, CRM, cloud and information management, organizations also need to integrate these solutions and collect huge volumes of data on their customers and their customers' behaviors. The analysis of this data in real time drives organizational and customer decisioning. Phorum 2014 will explore these strategies and showcase real-world examples of organizations that have gained advantage from integrating and deploying them.

"Each year, Phorum examines the emerging trend that is most urgent in the minds of business and technology decision-makers," explained Suzanne Lentz, Vice President of Marketing, LiquidHub, Inc. and a member of the Phorum 2014 Advisory Board. "The survey we fielded last fall found both enthusiasm and concern around customer engagement strategies and the technologies that enable customer connections."

On April 10, leading minds and innovative solutions addressing customer engagement will gather in Philadelphia for an intensive, one-day technology conference. Phorum includes speeches from leading industry observers and analysts; presentations from organizations already seeing results from customer engagement initiatives; vendor panel discussions; and the popular "Phorum demo pit" where conference attendees can check out a number of specially selected customer engagement technologies being developed in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Four keynote speakers will present perspectives essential to understanding customer engagement and critical to formulating sound strategy for the enterprise.

David Pogue, Columnist at Yahoo Tech and Emmy-Winning News Correspondent

Insightful, entertaining and one of the preeminent speakers on today's latest consumer technology, David Pogue will set the tone by considering consumer's evolving relationships with their technology and how businesses can connect to their customers in a more meaningful way.

Maggie Fox, Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing at SAP

Responsible for delivering a unified digital experience to SAP customers and to the market, Maggie Fox will sit down with salesforce.com's Peter Coffee to discuss the challenges and opportunities that clients face while moving beyond simple outreach to create strong customer engagement.

Dan Hilferty, President and Chief Executive Officer of Independence Blue Cross

Dan Hilferty will discuss the vital role that innovation plays in transforming two of the biggest problems in healthcare: raising the quality of care and lowering costs. Hilferty will also explain the importance of pursuing innovations and adopting new technologies that enhance and simplify the consumer experience, showing how IBC is changing the game by forging powerful partnerships to create new products and services.

Aneesh Chopra, co-founder and EVP of Hunch Analytics and former U.S. Chief Technology Officer

The first CTO of the United States, Aneesh Chopra will explain the importance of opening up data, the opportunity to improve service by standardizing customer access to his or her own data, and the benefits of providing data-driven products and services to meet customer needs.

"Phorum 2014 will be an immersive and entertaining day of world-class learning," added Allen Born, Director at Fairmount Partners and the Advisory Board Chairman of Phorum 2014. "There is no doubt that those who shape the strategic and technological direction of their organizations will walk away with the insights, information and inspiration they need to advance customer engagement."

Hosted by PACT and sponsored by Fairmount Partners and LiquidHub, Phorum 2014 will be held at World Café Live on April 10th. Get more information on Phorum 2014 or reserve you seat now at www.phorumphilly.com.

About Phorum

Phorum is an annual tech strategy conference that gathers the Nation's leading minds and most innovative solutions around a single, trending topic. Hosted in Philadelphia, this intensive, one-day event includes insights from the Nation's most authoritative experts; up-close interaction with relevant technological solutions and learnings from business leaders with first-hand experience capitalizing on the trend. For more on Phorum or to purchase tickets for Phorum 2014, visit www.phorumphilly.com.

About The Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT)

The Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies offers a comprehensive approach to supporting a company's life cycle ?"? from early stage through growth ?"? by facilitating interaction, information and education. The organization provides a single, strategic hub where key resources, including investors, strategic partners, professional advisors and peers, are available and accessible to all members. PACT supports its membership through a wide variety of programs, services, events and tools. For more on the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies, including membership information, entrepreneurial resources, and information on our programs and events, visit www.philadelphiapact.com.

for PACT
Amanda Nardi, 215-644-6505
anardi@broadpathpr.com