CMS Connect 25 Conference Program

Happening at CoWork Montréal on August 5 - 6

The conference is tailored for everyone working with content management systems, from beginners to experts, from marketers over communicators to tech folks and features 2 packed days with a carefully curated mixture of talks, workshops, activities and world class facilitators, thought-provokers, speakers and session leads.

Unlike many other conferences, this one is not about speakers talking endlessly about their own work.
On Day #1 we set the stage with lightning talks, reflections, thought-provoking perspectives and close with live demos of emerging tech.
On Day #2, we’ll focus on fewer talks and cross industry working groups to really tackle the thorny issues and make progress together. Rather than being talked at, this is your conference for active participation and talking to your peers.
Throughout the two days, we enjoy the venue and the La-Plateau part of Montréal, good meals and quality conversations in a relaxed atmosphere optimized for learning and networking.

Program

Tuesday, August 5

9:00 - 9:30: Breakfast and registration

9:30 - 9:40: Welcome & Opening feat.:

- Our hosts Janus Boye, Boye & Co and Matt Garrepy, CMS Critic

In this opening session, Matt Garrepy from CMS Critic will lead a conversation with Cathy McKnight on the big topics right now in this fast moving industry. You can expect to get insights on AI, composability, orchestration and much more.

Cathy works as Chief Problem Solver and Lead Analyst at Seventh Bear, an analyst firm offering marketing guidance that’s as practical as it is wise.

As an analyst, consultant, strategist, speaker, and writer, Cathy loves geeking out about content, technology, employee/team engagement, and anything about hockey.

With a unique blend of consulting expertise, sharp communication skills, and hands-on project management experience, she has helped Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits, and everything in between craft strategies and implementation roadmaps that deliver real impact.

Her super power: Making complex challenges less complex, actionable, and achievable. A perfect way to get the conference conversation started.

After the expert opening, we’ll go straight to hearing lightning talks from three practitioners, starting with one of our local practitioners

Our institutional digital governance and best practices are continually evolving. These days, this evolution includes establishing guidelines for using GenAI. Taking steps to ensure our community members are using GenAI in ways that are beneficial and positive.

Besides the obvious challenge of producing concrete guidelines for a rapidly evolving technology, we've encountered several other notable challenges and questions, including:

How do we foster a community of practice around a topic where technical and emotional comfort levels vary?

How do we ensure consistency in institutional policies and guidelines produced by different units for diverse audience groups?

What built-in safeguards do we need to support our digital governance in the age of GenAI?

more details coming soon

A story of how an attempt to upgrade our CMS surfaced quite a few accessibility problems

10.45 - 11:15 Coffee & networking

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12:30 - 1.15 Lunch

1.15 - 2.00 Touring CoWork, networking in the lounge or on the outdoor patio

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3:30 - 3.45 Coffee and tea

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More details coming soon

4.45 - 5.00 Coffee & networking

5.00 - 6.00 CMS Idol 2025

Help crown the next 2025 CMS Idol! In this fast-paced, entertaining competition, contestants will have 6 minutes to showcase their system and try to win your vote.

If you like short demos, pithy commentary, and expert analyses, then look no further. This is the session for you. You'll hear thoughts from an expert panel of judges, but it's up to you to decide the winner.

Contestants:

• TBD

6.30 - 10:00 Social event

Everyone is invited to join us for an informal dinner.

We’ll also announce the CMS Idol winner and even do a CMS Experts Quiz!

Venue: TBD

Wednesday, August 6

7:00 Morning Run

We met in front of the CoWork for a fun and memorable run to the top of Mont Royal

9:00 - 9:30 Breakfast and networking

9:30 - 10.00: Welcome to Day #2 by Janus Boye and Matt Garrepy

Based on key insights from Day #1, we divide into working groups to tackle the big issues for 2025, including:

• Building a business around CMS

• How do you future proof content with many different content platforms?

• How do we build accuracy and trust with AI?

• How is search changing? Expectations and opportunities

• Understanding and adapting to the limits of your CMS tooling

• What is MACH / composable really and when / when not to do it

• What are the barriers to integrate open source composable with productized composable

• Who is a CMS really for?

Feel free to submit your suggestions for a working group

10:00 - 11.00: Working groups - join a key topic, contribute and help shape the future of the industry

11.00 - 11.20 Coffee & networking

11:20 - 12.15: Working groups continued - join a key topic, contribute and help shape the future of the industry

12:15 - 12.30: Brief presentations of progress, blockers, call for participation to move forward

12.30 - 1.30 Lunch

1:30 - 2.15: Last round of progress in the working groups

A brief interactive wrap-up of the two days. Join us for key lessons learned, big questions for 2025 and what happens next. Matt will moderate a conversation with:

* TBD

2.45 - 3:00 Goodbyes and see you next year!