I’m not going to lie. It’s killing us to keep all these secrets.
What’s set to grace the stage at Unite 2017 — Shopify’s partner and developer conference— could forever change the course and success of your business.
And while it won’t be much longer before you know all the details, we’re busting at the seams. We can’t keep it all to ourselves any longer.
That’s why today, we’re giving you a sneak peek at Unite track details, and a high-level view of what’s on the full two-day agenda.
Read on to find important details of what’s to come this April.
Two days. Two ways.
Shopify’s Unite will run from April 20-21, 2017 in San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center.
This year, our conference includes two full days of programming, including fresh talks and panels with leading industry influencers and peers, one-on-one office hours, lucrative networking opportunities, and more.
Here's a high-level view of what to expect from Unite's conference schedule:
- April 19 — pre-Unite events take place in the evening.
- April 20 — Doors open 9AM, sessions start 10AM, conference ends 5PM.
- April 21 — Doors open 9AM, sessions start 10AM, conference ends 4PM.
Day 1
The first day of Unite will deliver important announcements, product updates, and new releases from Shopify’s technical and design leadership, including CEO and founder Tobias Lütke. Day one will focus on helping you master your craft within the Shopify Partner Ecosystem, by giving you the tools and knowledge you need to build and grow.
Day 2
New this year, day two will be a full day of panel discussions and presentations. The focus moves away from Shopify product updates, and onto business development — how to hit your entrepreneurial goals alongside Shopify. Themes will include getting to know and understand Shopify merchants.
Expect to see your peers take the Unite stage, as we welcome some of the ecosystem’s most talented and diverse agency heads, freelancers, and app builders to speak. They’ll discuss opportunities to grow your business and do your best work, and freely share insights and tools they’ve worked years to acquire.
What to expect from Unite
In addition to our main stage announcements, Unite 2017 will feature three tracks for you to choose from (don’t worry if you’re interested in more than one, you can move between tracks).
Whether you’re a veteran Shopify Partner or new to the platform; an app developer or web designer; an agency head or independent freelancer, there’s something here for you that will sharpen your skills, and catapult you down the path of success with Shopify.
Track 1 — Extending the Merchant Experience with Apps
When deciding what type of app(s) to develop, it’s beneficial to understand Shopify Merchants — who they are, what they need, and what you can build to get them there. In this track, we’ll:
- Focus on the technical side of app development to help you build apps with quality user experience and functionality.
- Explore new APIs, tools, and resources to enhance your existing app or build something totally new.
- Define product management, marketing, and growth techniques that appeal to a wider net of merchants, to help you grow your app business on Shopify.
Best track for: App developers, app business owners, and app sales/support employees.
Track 2 — Designing and Enabling Merchant Success
If you work directly with clients to design and develop custom commerce experiences, this is the track for you. Here, we will:
- Examine advancements in Shopify’s web design, development, and theme toolkits to help you deliver beautiful and functional online stores to your clients.
- Deep dive into the opportunities available within the Shopify Partner Program, to give you the full picture on important updates and exclusive resources.
- Explore product and feature updates to help you market Shopify to clients, and win more deals.
Best track for: Agency owners, front end developers, designers, theme builders and client-service providers.
Track 3 — Shopify Plus for Enterprise Merchants
Do you work with high-revenue or brand-name clients? Do you want to? Shopify Plus is your ticket to providing those valuable clients with the ecommerce solution they need to fulfill their unique requirements. Sit in on this track to:
- Take a technical look at Shopify Plus and its unique features, to get you working with enterprise-level clients.
- Look at the business goals of Shopify Plus merchants to better understand the contract sales cycle.
- Understand Plus merchant personas to best create custom apps for their specific needs.
Best track for: Plus Partners, business development teams, front-end developers, designers, and app developers.
More to come soon!
More details will be released soon on the full schedule for Unite 2017, including pre-Unite meetups happening April 19, and the not-to-be-missed after party on April 20.
Keep an eye on our blog, Twitter, Facebook, and the Unite website.
Read more
- What's New at Shopify: September 7, 2018
- We’re Rolling out Locations to Merchants: Here's What You Need to Know
- What's New at Shopify: Wrapping up Unite 2018
- The Shopify Partner Program 2.0 — A Partnership You Can Build On
- Shopify's Web Design and Development Blog in Review: The Top 10 Articles of 2018
- The 2017 Shopify Commerce Awards — Apps and Development Honorable Mentions
- Announcing The Shopify Commerce Awards — Celebrating 2017’s Best in Commerce Innovation
- Commerce+ 2021: A Recap of What’s Next in Commerce
- How to Enter Your Clients in this Year’s Build A Business Competition
- 3 New Ways to Entice and Engage App Users—Marketing Activities App Extension and Ping