empowerED27
The Cross-Functional Engine: Driving Business Results Together
Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel
4100 Main at North Hills Street Raleigh, NC 27609-5754 United States
About empowerED27
The Flagship Event for Customer Education returns to Raleigh, NC in 2027!
empowerED is more than a conference. Each year, seasoned practitioners, education leaders, and rising trailblazers come together to explore what’s next in customer education - not just as a function, but as a strategic growth driver for their organizations.
Building on a Breakout Year
empowerED26 was a massive success. Leaders and practitioners from across the globe gathered in Austin to share what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s possible in our space. Top-caliber keynote speakers, CEd novices and CEd experts helped create an unforgettable experience. This year, we’re building on that momentum in Raleigh.
Why Attend?
empowerED27 is bringing a fresh approach to how our community grows, connects, and leads together, built around this year's theme: The Cross-Functional Engine: Driving Business Results Together. Whether you're leading a global Customer Education function or designing your first scaled learning program, empowerED is where you go to level up. You'll gain practical strategies, hear unfiltered stories from the field, and engage with peers who are just as passionate about raising the bar across education and enablement.
For 2027, our focus remains on advancing the way this community learns, connects, and leads.
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Thought-provoking talks from voices leading the industry forward
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Real-world strategies from peers building programs across customer, partner, and internal enablement
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A look at what's next for customer education: the trends and shifts worth watching
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Every part of this gathering is built to help you sharpen your strategy, prove your impact, and turn education into measurable growth.
We keep this conference intimate by design to reflect the unique closeness of the customer education community. As the only boutique conference in this space, be sure to reserve your spot early.
Remember, CEdMA Members can take advantage of a generous early bird discount that's included with their CEdMA annual membership. We'll be announcing this and other ticket prices soon!
We are excited to announce our Call for Abstracts for empowerED27 in Raleigh next March! We are seeking high-value, practical, and data-driven proposals for two tracks of content. Please review the formats below to determine the best fit for your content.
Submission deadline: November 16, 2026
You must be a member to be considered. If you haven’t become a member yet, you may still submit, but your proposal won't be considered until membership is established. Please submit through this form.
Conference Theme
The Cross-Functional Engine: Driving Business Results Together
Customer Education acts as a critical engine for business growth, influencing Net Revenue Retention, customer lifetime value, and cross-functional scale. For this year’s Management Track, we are looking for Research & Strategy Deep Dives that show how Customer Education leaders leverage data, strategic positioning, and cross-functional partnerships to drive business-level outcomes and executive-level impact.
Every management session follows a concrete, 25-minute structure. Use the outline below to design your proposal and presentation.
Session Structure Overview
1. Research & Insight: The Strategic Business Problem
Frame a major leadership challenge or market trend using credible data and rigorous analysis.
- Identify the Strategic Problem: What high-level business challenge did you address (e.g., proving ROI to the C-suite, scaling org structures, or aligning Customer Education with revenue goals)?
- Provide Research & Data: Present the dataset, survey findings, or comprehensive business analysis that grounds the problem in objective reality (e.g., benchmark data across 50+ orgs, quantitative customer cohort studies, or multi-year financial impact analysis).
- Define the Executive “So What?”: Why does this problem matter to executive leadership, company valuation, or cross-functional strategy?
2. Strategic Framework: The Executive Blueprint & Deliverable
Showcase the high-level methodology or model built to solve the strategic problem.
- The Strategic Model: Walk through the framework, maturity curve, or operational strategy created to align Customer Education with executive goals.
- Cross-Functional Integration: Explain how this strategy aligns Customer Education with key business drivers across Sales, CS, Product, and Finance.
- The Executive Deliverable (Required): What concrete tool or blueprint will you share with attendees to help them lead and benchmark in their own org (e.g., a C-Suite Impact Mapping Template, a CE Maturity Benchmark Model, or an Executive ROI Business Case Deck)?
3. Business Impact: Measurable Outcomes & Executive Value
Demonstrate how your strategic framework moved the needle on core business metrics.
- Core Financial / Business Metrics: Highlight the business outcomes (e.g., Net Revenue Retention increase, reduction in gross churn, accelerated time-to-first-value, or ARR expansion).
- Cross-Functional Value: Show how this strategy elevated Customer Education’s role across the executive table.
- Leadership Takeaways: Give attendees explicit talking points and strategies to present to their own C-suite.
Sample 25-Minute Session Agenda
Your proposal must demonstrate how you will cover these elements within a 25-minute timeframe.
| Time | Agenda Segment | What You Will Cover |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00–03:00 | The Strategic Hook | Reveal the most compelling data point or surprising research finding to immediately anchor executive interest. |
| 03:00–08:00 | Data & Methodology Snapshot | Briefly overview the research design, dataset, or business analysis to establish rigor and credibility. |
| 08:00–18:00 | Strategic Framework & Deliverable | Deep dive into the model or blueprint. Demonstrate how attendees can use the executive template to benchmark their teams and justify strategy. |
| 18:00–22:00 | Executive Implications & ROI | Share the macro-level business results, financial ROI, and strategic lessons learned. |
| 22:00–25:00 | Q&A / Strategic Discussion | Address targeted questions around implementation, executive buy-in, and benchmarking. |
Proposal Checklist Before Submitting
Is your presentation vendor-neutral and free of product pitches?
Have you included an executive-level deliverable (blueprint, ROI template, benchmark model)?
Is your proposal backed by clear data, research, or rigorous business metrics?
Does it address high-level leadership priorities (ROI, NRR, org structure, executive alignment)?
Registration and ticket prices coming soon.
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