At the recent X4: The Experience Management Summit, the annual Qualtrics user event attracted 10,000 experience management (XM) professionals to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. 

With more than 18,000 organizations around the world using its platform to listen, understand, and take action on experience data, Qualtrics brought together its customer and prospect base, top corporate brass and headline speakers for three days to discuss best practices and innovations on managing and improving the customer, employee, product, and brand experience.

"X4 is a can't-miss event for executives, thought leaders and experience management professionals who are unlocking growth by creating emotional connections at scale with their customers and employees," said Zig Serafin, CEO of Qualtrics, whose XM Platform helps Fortune 500 businesses, like Hilton and Delta, attract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture, develop breakthrough products people love, and build a brand people are passionate about. 

Here’s an inside look at how one of the world’s leading XM providers delivered an elevated experience at X4, held May 1-3.

1. Corporate leaders took the stage. The X4 mainstage program kicked off with a keynote from Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin. Joining Serafin in the mainstage lineup were Qualtrics founder and Co-Chairman Ryan Smith; Qualtrics President, AI Strategy Gurdeep Singh Pall; Porsche CMO Robert Ader; Delta CEO Ed Bastian; OpenAI CTO Mira Murati; Hilton President & CEO Chris Nasetta; and American Express CEO Steve Squeri. Leaders shared their insights on the critical role experience plays in business outcomes, and how they are leveraging new technologies to understand and connect with their customers and employees.

2. Inspiration from celebrity speakers. Headline speakers included former First Lady Michelle Obama; NBA Hall-of-Famer, investor and philanthropist Dwyane Wade; and eight-time World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Lindsey Vonn. New York Times best-selling author Morgan Housel, whose books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide, talked about how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

3. A-list entertainment. The Backstreet Boys closed out X4 with a special performance of their legendary pop hits.

4. 60+ Breakout Sessions. X4 featured more than 60 breakout sessions across tracks designed for attendees focused on customer experience, employee experience, and strategy and research, as well as specialized industry tracks for education, government, healthcare, and financial services. Sessions featured thought leadership from the XM Institute and Qualtrics subject matter experts. 

5. High-profile connections. Eighty Qualtrics customers from leading brands shared how they use experience management to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers and employees. Speakers represented a wide variety of brands, including: adidas, Ally Financial, Carrier, Cirque du Soleil, Cisco, DISH, DoorDash, Driscoll's, Indiana University, Johnson & Johnson, Kickstarter, Lumen, Mass General Brigham, Mayo Clinic, Owens Corning, Shake Shack, Stanford Health Care, Toast, United, U.S. Department of State, and more.

6. Interactive training. Product demos, roadmap sessions, and an expert-staffed help desk were available for X4 attendees. On the final day, attendees had the opportunity to attend XM Basecamp Live hands-on training and certification to unlock more value from their XM programs and become certified in XM.

7. Sponsor opportunities. Diamond sponsors—EY, commonFont, and Bain & Company—were given the opportunity to speak about how they are using experience management to build lasting connections with their customers and employees. For example, EY Americas Customer Technology Leader Jantzen Bridges moderated a cross-industry panel with Fortune 500 leaders to discuss how to transform customer feedback into actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making and revitalize customer experience (CX). Sponsoring partners included AWS, Farlinium, Walker, WorkJam, Deloitte, BHN Rewards, and Merkle. 

8. Immersive show floor experience. “Sparks partnered with Qualtrics for the X4 Summit in Salt Lake City to create an immersive show floor experience,” according to a LinkedIn post by Sparks. “This included an XM Park, Experts Bar, Customer Square, Partner Market, and several breakout stages for over 8,000 C-suite executives, industry leaders, and professionals to showcase Qualtrics' latest innovations and products in digital, frontline, and customer care.”