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IMPACT, Cisco’s annual sales conference, brings together 20,000 sellers in Las Vegas to align on go-to-market strategy, learn about Cisco’s latest innovations, discover new business opportunities, and network with experts and peers. Every year the challenge is to deliver a more innovative and energizing event than the previous year. The experience aims to unite and inspire a globally diverse salesforce – in age, gender, ethnicity, and neurology. This year’s theme was “Break Away,” motivating the salesforce to break from the pack and win against competition.
Based on attendee research, Cisco knew the competitive landscape was top of mind, so the team dialed up the energy across the board and tapped into sellers’ natural competitive spirit.
While there are more than 130 sessions and 350 activities across two Las Vegas hotels at Cisco IMPACT, two of the most visible and impactful program elements are the mainstage keynotes and The Hub, an exhibition-like space that offers training on Cisco’s latest technology. The competitive focus was at the forefront of both.
For mainstage, the team used the visual inspiration of a boxing ring for arena design and wove the competitive focus throughout executive keynotes. Tracking and rotating massive LED screens moved overhead, displaying content and IMAG audience shots, eventually coming to rest to form a continuous, two-sided square ring over the LED stage. Transparent ceiling LED screens brought the experience to the furthest seats of the arena, while 20,000 programmable LED xylobands around attendees’ necks made the entire audience feel like a unified part of a whole.
Mainstage entertainment included a Ghanaian-born rapper performing original music alongside a local DJ, an Afro-Cuban jazz band, each member from a different Caribbean country, and Ever’so, a pastiche of German, French and Dutch musicians performing European pop songs.
The team remained sensitive to language and representation in every piece of content produced, understanding that 40% of the audience spoke English as a second language. Language in the opening video was intentionally bold and simple to interpret. Each session had live open captioning. They also piloted a program to offer noise-cancelling headsets to attendees who identify as neurodivergent, since data shows noise-cancelling headsets reduce anxiety and increase focus for neurodivergent individuals.
The team introduced the IMPACT for ALL initiative, delivering several new inclusion and wellness activities. Highlights included Therapy Dogs, where attendees could unwind with furry friends and daily on-demand workouts through Cisco’s Global Wellbeing program. In The Hub, a 240,000 square foot networking zone, attendees were given an opportunity to plan their year, through Goals and Intentions exercises, and relax in multiple lounges and a VR meditation room.
To incentivize engagement in Hub activities, the team created the Quest, a mobile activation that made learning exciting through gamification and rewards – and tapped into sellers’ innate competitive spirit. An interactive digital leaderboard tracked results with participants eager to win
Over the three days, the energy was electric. Follow-up surveys validated lasting impact and success:
- Attendee satisfaction of 4.5/5
- 96% said they know they're working for the right company as a result of attending the event
- 89% said they feel more confident positioning Cisco’s products against competition
Nomination Title: Cisco IMPACT FY24
