Gathering the Tribe: Why user conferences are on the rise.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Business Trends - Conference news

Breathe in. Warrior 1 Pose. Warrior 2. Chaturanga. Breathe out.

This isn't your typical way to start the day with professional colleagues, but then again, this isn't your typical suitsand-breakouts kind of convention. This is a user conference, where connection and experience are just as important as industry learning and product immersion. From gatherings for a few hundred in pristine mountain settings to thousands converging at the Salt Palace, more Utah tech companies (and some not-so-techy companies) are hosting user conferences--and seeing positive results.

User whats?

"User conferences are a great way to bring together exceptional education, training and networking for your customer base," explains Stuart Gold, vice president, corporate events, field and partner marketing at Domo, a cloud-based business management platform.

BambooHR's event and customer marketing manager, Brenda Travassos, concurs. "User conferences provide an avenue through which customers feel valued and heard. By bringing users together, mutual respect, loyalty and lifelong relationships are formed. User conferences are becoming more common as Utah tech companies are realizing now more than ever that their customers and customer loyalty are an integral part of success."

Bottom line, user conferences are a platform for companies to offer their clients in-depth training and interaction with their company's latest products and services. Where it's relevant, organizations like human resources software company BambooHR ensure their conference training is industry-certified as continuing education. Others like Domo organize entire breakout tracks focused on different disciplines, such as marketing, sales, operations and product training.

Companies are paying acute attention to what their attendees will take away from the experience. Along with their internal leaders and experts, they're bringing in headliners like Former First Lady Michelle Obama (at Pluralsight Live), former Netflix chief talent officer Patty McCord (at BambooHR's Elevate Summit and O.C. Tanner's Influence Greatness), Pixar's Ed Catmull and Chicago Cubs' Theo Epstein (at Domopalooza), and many more.

As for the fun and connection? Companies are mixing it up with everything from morning yoga to evening cocktails with industry experts. And don't forget the entertainment, whether that's low-key fun and games, or all-out star-studded events like Domopalooza' s concerts featuring Jason Derulo, Macklemore...