- The Hub is nearly 300,000 square feet of immersive and engaging learnings, networking and fun in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center
- 18,000 Cisco sellers from over 100 countries worldwide in attendance
- Over 160 demos and activations
At the beginning of each fiscal year, Cisco gathers its global sales force for a three-day immersion event in corporate vision, sales strategy/priorities and go-to-market enablement known as GSX. Each year, the Global Sales Leader selects a unifying theme connecting the messaging, the environmental design, and activations across the experience. For 2019, the theme was “Stronger,” a message of power and confidence, while also suggesting the challenge to strive and to reach.
To complement the diversity of a multi-generational and global GSX audience, The Hub returned as the centerpiece of the show floor; a place where individual sellers could find a hyper-personalized guided experience and a space designed to connect learning, company culture and networking.
Providing a way-finding central point in the center of The Hub was the “Stronger Crossing,” a dramatic structure of four interwoven LED arches assembled onsite and doubled as dynamic LED displays with Cisco messaging.
Over 160 demos and activations highlighting unique Cisco products and solutions surrounded the Stronger Crossing, including 1:1 technical presentations as well as meeting pods that could be reserved for private meetings with experts. Extensive research into learning styles, networking preferences, personas and presentation tools enabled personalization to the highest degree for each individual seller.
Augmented Reality Smart Mirrors helped attendees navigate the different demos and activations and created a journey through the space tailored to them. Once a seller scanned their badge, they were interfaced into an AR “Stronger Suit” that used skeletal tracking to project themselves on the screen. As the sellers interacted with the mirror, it provided guidance on what to do and see next in The Hub. Using a proprietary AI engine, these recommendations were based on their prior registered schedule, interests, and attended demos/sessions to date.
Other points of interest at this year’s GSX included Innovate Park and The Elevator Pitch. Innovate Park provided deep technical education, labs and workshops so that attendees could get up to speed on the latest toolsets. The Elevator Pitch was a live game show experience designed to challenge sellers while competing against each other and the clock. Contestants would prepare to deliver a sales pitch to selected executives while cameras broadcast the event live on screens throughout The Hub. The activation tracked key bio-metric and presentation data and displayed it in real time and was a huge draw as a broader learning engagement.
Success for an experience like Cisco GSX lies in how relevant, innovative and engaging activations inspired attendees to think even bigger about how to deliver value for customers in the coming fiscal year. The experience drove Cisco sellers to the third-highest level of confidence in 20 years of tracking their metrics.
Straight from the attendees, more proof of success:
“Great content, energized by sharing with peers, increased networking… learned new tools, amazing motivational speakers and many more things!”
“The Hub was an awesome source of gaining knowledge!”
“Best GSX by far! The energy was contagious. Walked away with clear line of sight from exec team down through how the [business units] will deliver. Awesome!”
