Day 1 of Subscription Show 2020 is in the books. We have been busy planning Subscription Show for the last year and, while shifting to an all virtual conference wasn’t in our original plan, we love that technology and innovation made Subscription Show 2020 possible. Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the conference, as well as our fabulous sponsors and speakers. Here are some highlights from Day 1.
Welcome and kickoff with Kathy Greenler Sexton
The talented Kathy Greenler Sexton, the CEO of Subscription Insider and creator of Subscription Show, kicked off Day 1 of Subscription Show 2020 by welcoming hundreds of participants to this year’s conference. She also gave attendees a tour through the SubscriptionShow.com portal. Essentially, attendees can access EVERYTHING from the home page. Easy peasy.
“Disruption came in a big way for all of us this year,” Kathy said, “but experience counts in serious times.”
Subscription Show keynotes and sessions
Keynote: Geoff Colvin of Fortune Magazine: “Confronting Reality: Navigating Disruption”
Session: Melanie Stout, Paul Larsen Consulting: “How is COVID Impacting Your Payment Processing”
Session: Kurt Daniel, Ubersmith: “Subscription Successes and Failures: Lessons Learned”
Session: Lisa Dubrow, Attorney: “The Role of FTC Guidelines in Advertising Your Subscriptions and Memberships”
Panel discussion moderated by Peter Figueredo of House of Kaizen and featuring Jordan DePalma, Six Flags; Connie Gao, Book of the Month; Rohan Panijar, Winc Wines; and Nini Diana, Harvard Business Review: “Adapting Subscriber Journeys: Staying Ahead of the Curve”
Session: Sebastien Verreault, VISA; Melanie Stout, Paul Larsen Consulting; Chenxi Violet Jin, VISA; Brenda Grant, VISA; and Steven Carillo, VISA: “Fireside Chat with VISA”
Session: Sharath Dorbala, Vindicia and Kathy Greenler Sexton, Subscription Insider: “Leverage Your Village: How to Achieve Growth & Scale, Even in a Pandemic”
Session: Geoff Colvin, Fortune Magazine and Edward Roussel, Dow Jones: “Confronting Reality: Navigating Disruption Discussion”
Subscription Show extras
- Coaching Zone with 30-minute 1:1 sessions with industry experts (please sign up in advance)
- Speed networking
- Networking lounge
- Fun Zone
- Virtual 3D exhibit hall
- Vendor demos from Vindicia, Recurly, Worldpay Services, Flexpay.io, House of Kaizen and PLC Consulting.
For more highlights, follow us on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting throughout the conference. If you’re posting too, please tag us @SubInsider.
Key takeaways
The pandemic has impacted subscription companies in a big way, and there are winners and losers among us. Overall, the mood of the conference was optimistic, and participants got great advice from industry experts. Here are a few nuggets to take away from today’s sessions:
- Companies who will succeed through the pandemic are effective crisis leaders. They accept reality and respond quickly.
- Successful companies know who they are and what they do. They also value their people as their most important asset.
- Through most of the pandemic, subscription companies have focused on acquisitions. It is time to pivot toward retention now.
- Reducing fraud and chargebacks is critical. Overcommunicate with customers to keep them informed of possible shipping delays which can contribute to chargebacks.
- More companies will consider metered offerings, and there will be more pressure to make cancellation easier.
- Invest in key partnerships.
- When improving the customer journey, listen to feedback and try to understand the goals of subscribers.
- Provide subscribers with flexibility and value.
- Be fearless. Don’t be afraid to change.
For tomorrow’s agenda, visit SubscriptionShow.com/Agenda.
