GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., USA — Oct. 16 — Configura hosted its annual CET Experience Oct. 9-11 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Ariz. On-demand tickets were made available to accommodate its expansive global community who could not attend. CET Experience 2023 had more than 350 in-person attendees from around the world.
The conference kicked off with hands-on workshops and continued with two days full of inspiring breakout sessions led by people from Configura and power users within the community. Configura also hosted a pool party to welcome participants to the event and network with one another, helping to build a stronger user community around Configura’s platform. Tuesday ended with another networking event; this time, a Wild West Party where attendees got to bring out their inner cowboy and show off their line dancing skills.
"This CET Experience exceeded all our expectations. We are hearing how users feel more connected with Configura, and that the efforts we are putting into engaging our user community and utilizing their feedback is paying off,” said Kelsey DeBruin, the Global Head of User Community and Events. “Attendees were excited to get a sneak peek of what’s coming, including an updated user interface, a next generation sales tool on the web and the investigation of AI capabilities within CET.”
Keynote speaker, Ben Nemtin, left attendees not only inspired, but also equipped with tools to tackle the seemingly insurmountable. Nemtin encouraged the crowd to turn their dreams into reality and create inspiration through action and accountability. He reminded the audience that it’s never too late to start their bucket list and leave a lasting impact on the world.
“Our keynote speaker highlighted our focus of community-building and encouraged attendees to embrace creativity in their daily lives,” added DeBruin. “The breakout sessions, led by skilled CET users, left everyone feeling more capable and ready to create extraordinary spaces both today and in the future."
Diamond Sponsors INDEAL and OFS further brought the community together by bringing inspirational experts to the stage.
Anecdotes from 2023 CET Experience Attendees
“I attended the last two conferences virtually, but this is my first in person. It’s been totally different and I’ve learned so much. Now, I can fully focus on the experience. I would absolutely recommend others to attend in the future.” stated Brittany Stanton, Color-Art.
“The sessions have been great and the keynote was very inspiring – everything we’ve come to expect from the conference. The investment you make traveling to come to the event is repaid over and over in the relationships you build and the contacts that you make.” said Chad Bewley, Freeform.
“This whole experience has been really eye-opening. I connected with wonderful people and learned so many new tips and tricks to implement at my dealership. To top it all, I won the ‘Success Story’ category at the CET Awards. I think what stood out with my story was that we tried winning the project with typicals, but it was really the video I made that helped us win the project without even discussing pricing.” said Allessandra Sollazzo, Burovision.
CET Awards 2023 Winners
The CET Awards were created to honor and celebrate talented professionals who have created outstanding and innovative spaces using CET. First, second and third-place honors were awarded in the following categories:
Rendering
1. Catherine Joyce Cruz – Studiowest Philippines, Inc.
2. Ivy Nadine Cueto – Studiowest Philippines, Inc.
3. Abigail Francisco – Studiowest Philippines, Inc.
Student Rendering
1. Jenneken Buschur – Rocky Mountain College of Art+Design
2. Avianne Cole – Eastern Michigan University
3. Autumn O'Halloran – Eastern Michigan University
Fly Through Video
1. Jaslyn Brown – Empire Office
2. Guadalupe Beltran – KiSP
3. Jess Brakke – Pigott
Rendering vs. Reality
1. Lauren Stepantschenko – Storr Office Environments
2. Allessandra Sollazzo – Burovision
3. Rachel Clark McNeill – L&M Office Furniture
360 Panorama
1. Guadalupe Beltran – KiSP
2. Larrysa Anne Latade – Studiowest Philippines, Inc.
3. Susie Sheehan – Creative Office Resources
Success Story
1. Allessandra Sollazzol – Burovision
2. Drea Piper – Workspace
3. Lyndi Dather – L&M Office Furniture
Innovative Extension
1. Anna Creek – HNI Corporation
2. Jill Frazier – Kimball International
3. Adam Zapata – MillerKnoll
View the full CET Award ceremony here.
Next year, Configura will host the 18th annual CET Experience October 8-10. Learn more at CET Experience.
About Configura
Configura creates intelligent space-planning software for manufacturers, dealers and designers in the contract furniture, kitchen and bath, material handling, industrial machinery, and laboratory and healthcare industries. The company’s software products are used worldwide. Configura Sverige AB, the parent company, is headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, with commercial operations in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Shenzhen, China; Tokyo, Japan; and Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1990, Configura is privately owned with more than 275 employees worldwide and annual sales of more than $25 million USD. More information at www.configura.com.
