Monday, November 3, 2025 – Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida
There is a special kind of energy that takes over the Walt Disney Resort when the Sitecore community comes to town. There is lots of excitement and curiosity in the air for the exciting things to come. From seeing familiar faces to meeting Sitecore folks and make new connections and great conversations, it felt quite overwhelming.
7:00 AM – Registration and Check-in
The day officially began early with the Symposium registration desk open at 7:00 AM in the Northern Foyer, Upper Level.
If you were coming up from the hotel lobby, it was hard to miss. Sitecore truly deserves credit for the logistics and user experience i.e. huge screens and prominent flyers pointed the way. In addition to this, there were friendly, visible staff wearing Symposium shirts and holding Symposium signs to guide you and making sure no one got lost.
On your way, I highly recommend stopping at Fuel, the hotel’s little cafe, for a necessary coffee and bite. Today’s breakfast wasn’t covered by the Symposium, so that stop was key to starting the day right.
Quick advice – The registration desk was open all day and for the coming days, so there was no need to rush if you arrived late. However, getting your badge early is always better so you have it out of the way and also make room for people coming in late.
Symposium Badge
To check in and grab your pass, you needed an ID (like a driver’s license or passport) and the email address you used to register.
After typing in your email and a quick ID verification, you will receive your badge with your name, title, and employer were all listed, but the real genius was the color coded category at the bottom. Whether you were a Sitecore MVP, Partner, Speaker, or general Attendee, the different color immediately told others your role. This was incredibly helpful when striking up conversations; you could instantly tailor your introduction and know who you were talking to. I highly recommend wearing it at all times; it’s your identity for the event.
Once you have the badge the day was mostly yours. The reception area and lobby were great places to start meeting people. Don’t be shy just walk up, introduce yourself, and start sharing your stories.
Download the Mobile App
Here’s something I did not knew and I learned the hard way before you do anything else, install the Sitecore Symposium mobile app and sign in using your registration email. The app is a lifesaver. It not only keeps you updated with real-time notifications but also lets you check the full schedule, subscribe to sessions you want to attend, and alerts you when breakfast, lunch, or special giveaways from sponsors are ready.
3:00 PM – MVP Exclusive Briefing – A Sneak Peek at the Future
For the Sitecore MVPs and partners, the exclusive events kicked off at 3:00 PM. The Symposium MVP Briefing was held in Southern Hemisphere III, gathering all MVPs with numerous Sitecore product and leadership teams. This year, Sitecore split the MVP Summit into two parts, one before the main event, one after.
Walking into that room felt like stepping into a reunion. MVPs from all around the world were there. Technology, Strategy and Ambassadors MVPs, each bringing their own expertise and stories.
Tamas Varga, who leads the MVP program, welcomed everyone and set the tone for the session. Soon after, Sitecore CEO Eric Stine joined us on stage to share insights about what’s ahead for the company and for the community. A quick sneak peak into big announcements coming the next day brough positive energy and excitement in the room.
There was a lively Q&A session where MVPs had the chance to share feedback and ideas directly with the Sitecore leadership team. What stood out the most was how open and collaborative the discussion felt.
5:30 PM – Welcome Reception and Official kick off
The vibe truly ramped up at 5:30 PM with the Welcome Reception and the Official kickoff in the Solutions Pavilion. This massive hall was electric. It was filled with great food, drinks, and the collective buzz of hundreds of attendees including MVPs, Partners and Sitecore teams.
Dozens of Sitecore partners had their booths set up, showcasing everything from new integrations to creative implementations and customer success stories. It was a great opportunity for everyone to have meaningful conversations about real world challenges and ideas.
What I loved most was how approachable everyone was. You could walk up to a booth, start a casual chat, and suddenly find yourself in a deep conversation about personalization strategies or AI-driven content management.
Sitecore themselves had multiple stations set up from Marketplace Hackerspace, where you could build your own Sitecore app alongside Sitecore engineers, to one-on-one booths where you could book short meeting or Q&A sessions with specialists.
On one side of the pavilion was a cozy little Speakers Corner, where short talks were happening throughout the evening. Two talks on this opening day were
- “Accelerate Sitecore Value Using The Whole Human Approach” by MERGE, focusing on how blending technology and empathy can drive real value.
- “Deliver Measurable Operational Efficiency with Agentic AI” by HelixGuard, introducing an AI-powered Sitecore co-pilot that combines automation with governance.
The talks were short, engaging, and easy to drop in on while grabbing a drink or meeting people.
7:30 PM – MVP Celebration at SeaWorld Orlando
Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, the MVP community had a special treat. At 7:15 PM, we boarded buses for an exclusive evening at SeaWorld Orlando.
It was an incredible evening. The trip allowed for great conversations with fellow MVPs, followed by an amazing experience at SeaWorld, which included exclusive access and activities. The party itself featured live music, amazing food, and fun activities like getting a personalized sketch. It was the perfect atmosphere to dive into deeper conversations, share stories, and get to know people beyond their job titles. The senior MVPs were particularly kind in welcoming newcomers, making sure no one was left out a true testament to the strength of the community.
The buses brought us back to the Walt Disney Resort hotel around 10:00 PM. It was definitely time for bed, with a huge Day coming ahead and was starting early too.