How to Get Ready for MagentoLive Europe 2019
MagentoLive Europe comes arrives in only a few weeks, bringing Magento merchants and innovators from around the globe to Amsterdam, arguably the biggest ecommerce hub on the continent.
What and When is MagentoLive?
The Magento community hosts various global events designed to connect and educate developers, merchants, and ecommerce influencers. The largest of these is Imagine, 
envisioned as the definitive global gathering of the Magento community. MagentoLive serves as a complement to that event, in essence a more “localized” version of Imagine.
The short version is almost anyone involved with Magento—in any capacity—will benefit from attending. Adobe, who purchased Magento last year, will have a significant presence with four Keynote and over two dozen Breakout Session speakers (out of 8 and 48 total, respectively). Add to this sessions from Magento Masters, Google, and other big players from the ecommerce space, and it’s impossible not to leave with new knowledge and inspiration.
MagentoLive Europe 2019 takes place between October 22–23 at the RAI Exhibition and Conference Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Magento expects over 2000 commerce professionals to attend—here’s how to get the most out of the event.
3 Reasons to Get Excited About MagentoLive Europe 2019
Get excited! It’ll make it easier to find time to plan ahead, and you’ll get significantly more return on your investment.
1. Session Variety
Whether you’re a Magento fanatic, developer, merchant, or even just considering adopting it for your storefront, there’s something for everyone at MagentoLive Amsterdam. Session topics include hands-on labs, marketing strategies, product reviews, technical solutions, and countless other options. Most sessions last an hour or less, but they can overlap.
You can get started prioritizing your favorites by viewing the MagentoLive agenda. Note that some events, hands-on labs and certifications, require registration in advance.
2. Networking Opportunities
Keep an eye on social media, starting with #MLEU, #nexcesslive, and feeds of your other favorites. Put names to faces in an environment where every vendor is putting their best foot forward to earn your business!
Not sure about how to handle Magento 1 end-of-life in June 2020? Read our blog post, Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Should You Stay or Should You Go.
If you’re a developer, consider arriving a day early to take part in Contribution Day. See the Session Highlights section below for more information
3. Adobe’s Roadmap for Magento
Adobe’s 2018 acquisition made waves in the Magento community. Although they’ve integrated the platform into their Experience Cloud, they’ve also declared their intent to 
respect and utilize Magento open source community in this effort.
Judging by the volume of Adobe presenters at MagentoLive Europe 2019, the company appears intent on showing, rather than just telling, how they plan to proceed. President Paul Robson is only one of several members prominent keynote speakers from Adobe, and it’s fair to say they’re expecting your questions about what lies ahead.
Session Highlights
Your mileage may vary according to your role and needs, but here’s some highlights of the wall-to-wall events at MagentoLiveEurope 2019. The variety caters to tech-savvy developers, commerce-focused merchants, and everything in between.Space is limited for some events, so register early whenever possible!
Contribution Day
Monday, October 21, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Technically, this is pre-game as it starts a day before the official MagentoLive Amsterdam festivities. Contribution Day allows you to rub shoulders with talented members of the community, where you can learn about how to submit contributions or find solutions to your most pressing challenges. The event spans 7 hours, though day-long attendance is not required. Unwind afterward by closing with their cocktail hour.
Early Adopters of Progressive Web Apps
Tuesday, October 22, 9–10 a.m.
New to the ecommerce landscape in 2015, progressive web apps (PWAs) are now an industry standard. PWA Studio is a collection of tools designed to make the most of the technology on the Magento 2 platform. It’s a relatively pain-free way to learn from other people’s mistakes. Both presents are Adobe representatives: James Zetlan, Sr. MTS Architect and Eric Erway, Sr. Manager, Product Management.
How to Digitally Transform and Scale a Traditional B2B Business
Tuesday, October 22, 1:30–2:15 p.m.
The need to scale is usually a welcome symptom of success, yet still capable of causing headaches and sleepless nights for unprepared stores. Featuring the founder of Juzo, a medical compression manufacturer, and the Founder/CEO of Techdivision Gmbh, their developer, learn about how they addressed the challenge of configuring 50,000 product variants for their Magento store in less than 6 months.
Hands-On Labs: Get to Know Adobe Target and Adobe Analytics
Tuesday, October 22, 1:30–3 p.m. (arrive 15 minutes early)
As Magento is now part of the Adobe Experience Cloud, why not learn more about two other tools already optimized to work with this platform? Like all hands-on labs at these events, you’ll get your hands dirty with firsthand experience creating reports, dashboards, and analytics.
Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2: Strategic Planning for Business Leaders
Tuesday, October 22, 9–10 a.m.
Magento 1 end of life is just around the corner (June 2020). Whether you’ve settled on Magento 1 or not, this session will guide your strategy away from common mistakes and into the clearer waters of realistic timelines. Presented by the tandem of Ray Bogman, Adobe Sr. Business Solutions Architect, and Jos Pieters, Jac Hansen Ecommerce Manager & Product Owner.
Winning Loyalty on the Shipping Battleground
Tuesday, October 22, 2:30–3:15 p.m.
Remember the days of “Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for shipping?” Neither does anyone else. After quality, customer care, and shipping are the Big Three of sustainable growth. This session highlights the latest innovations from three presenters: Matthew Waslet, Adobe Product Marketing Manager; Aynsley Peet, Cox & Cox Head of Ecommerce; Leedert van Delft, DHL VP Global Sales & Digital Marketing.
Magento Product Roadmap
Tuesday, October 22, 3:45–4:30 p.m.
Want to know what the future holds for Magento and Adobe Experience Cloud? This is the place. Four Directors of Product Management from Adobe give you the scoop on Magento Commerce, Order Management, Business Intelligence, and Cloud.
Hands-on Labs: Getting Started with PWA Studio
Wednesday, October 23, 9–10:30 a.m. (arrive 15 minutes early)
Another hands-on lab, where attendees will set up Venia PWA on Magento 2, use Graph QL, and work with PWA Studio. Hosted by Adobe Sr MTS Architect James Zetlan.
Commerce Obsessed: How to Map a B2C Customer Journey
Wednesday, October 23, 10–10:45 a.m.
For consumers, the “cost” of your product also extends to the time involved paying for it. The more efficient and dare-we-say fun you can make your store experience, the more customers will tend to spend. Expect to learn about trends, but also to see real-world examples of customer journey experiences. Led by Ryan Green, Adobe Senior Manager of Strategy.
Expanding the User Experience: Site Reviews
Wednesday, October 23, 10–10:45 a.m.
Let the Magento UX experts review your store and provide constructive feedback on how to increase customer satisfaction. Almost any store has room for improvement. The emphasis is on “actionable advice,” so you stand to benefit as long as you check your ego at the door.
Secure Commerce with Magento
Wednesday, October 23, 10–10:45 a.m
Magento’s popularity makes it a prime target for bad actors. The good news is that Magento is well aware and working hard to stay ahead of the game. Topics include PCI compliance, cloud security, and general best practices for keeping your store secure. Led by Adobe Senior Product Managers Yevhenii Pyltiai and Piotr Kaminski,.
DevExchange & Networking Event
Wednesday, October 23, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
A laid back session that serves as last call to share brains with fellow developers. Compare war stories. Learn from each other. Meet awesome people. Led by Sherrie Rohde, Magento Community manager for Adobe.
Our technical writer of 4 years and counting, Jay tends to our knowledge base garden at docs.nexcess.net, where he drives away pests like passive voice and logorrhea . He also contributes to our blog, misses his middlin’ performances at chess tournaments, and can’t remember what life was like before children.
