Connections 2023 Keynotes: Celebrating the Power of Community

Guidewire hosted its annual Connections user conference from November 12 to 15, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. As with the previous nine Connections I’ve attended, this year’s event was truly inspiring, with the Guidewire community — customers, partners, and Guidewire employees — providing an electric atmosphere and coming together to learn, collaborate, and network both face to face and on our virtual platform to explore how technology and data can increase agility in an industry that is critical to society. 2,902 people attended in person and another 1,456 people joined virtually via livestreaming.

One of my favorite parts of Connections every year is the two-day Guidewire keynote, and this year the executive speakers managed to raise the bar again. They celebrated the power of community in property and casualty (P&C) insurance by showcasing how Guidewire has set a new standard for P&C core platforms and the vital role our partners and customers play in bringing the benefits of our technology to life. Executives shared exciting updates regarding Innsbruck (our next cloud release, coming December 1), highlighted customer and partner successes, and outlined the increasingly imperative insights available in HazardHub. They discussed how generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) will augment insurance processes and how Guidewire will leverage Gen AI strategically throughout the insurance lifecycle. And, for the first time ever at Connections, there was a “24-hour Community Demo Adventure” that featured a demonstration of product offerings to spotlight Guidewire technology in action today and what's possible in the future with Guidewire core and analytics. Parameters for the demo were designed by Connections attendees and developed overnight by Guidewire team members in Nashville.

This year’s customer keynotes were provided by CNA, Definity, OnStar Insurance, and State Farm. I was especially moved by OnStar Insurance President Andrew Rose, who leveraged his own life experience to provide insights into the future of auto insurance. He presented the new experience OnStar Insurance will provide as they motivate and reward safe drivers, simplify interactions, and create the auto insurance of tomorrow using some of General Motors’ most advanced technologies.

Lastly, I’m always encouraged by hearing the life lessons shared by Connections guest speakers, and this year’s speakers were no different. Olympic champion figure skater Scott Hamilton and Academy Award-winning actress and producer Reese Witherspoon shared their personal achievement stories to encourage the Connections audience to persevere in whatever endeavor they embark on. Scott provided a glimpse into what it’s like to keep pressing on in his childhood and figure skating career while dealing with health issues throughout his life. Throwing in the towel would have seemed like the logical choice for him to take after those diagnoses, but instead, he used it as motivation to succeed and win an Olympic gold medal. Reese used her chat with Guidewire CEO Mike Rosenbaum to highlight words of wisdom learned through her evolution from iconic movie star to major producer and entertainment industry powerhouse. She advised that if you do things with humility and walk with purpose, there will be people who walk with you along your journey.

You can watch the Connections 2023 Guidewire and customer keynotes, as well as select breakout sessions, on-demand by registering on the Connections website starting Monday, November 27. And I hope to see you at Connections next year, November 17 - 20, 2024, as we return to the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. I can’t wait to see how the Power of Community evolves there.