Hannah Heckner Swain, VP, Strategic Partnerships
"Platform Strategies was a day of being really proud to be a Silverchairian. The accessibility, intelligence, welcoming, and humor that we bring to in-person touchpoints encapsulate all the thoughtfulness and energy that we strive to bring to our products and client relationships, and it feels so good when everything comes together in a way that's fun, well-oiled, and on-brand. I really loved moderating my panel with such smart and engaging folks and I loved how the session encapsulated how we don't hide away from trends that might threaten our business, but instead convene discussion around them.A quote that really stood out for me, especially being hot off an OA conference discussing the future of research and academia, was Sarah Tegen's (ACS) quote that our industry will stay the same as long as tenure and promotion are handled the way they are now. As a platform provider we're an essential piece of a puzzle that connects research and researchers to the world, and we're both needing to meet needs established in the 18th century while also striving to pursue the trends of 2025. I hope that we can be part of the change that helps to move this ship away from outdated voices and approaches towards frameworks that bring everyone into the future on the same foot, armed with the best knowledge the world has to offer."
Nicole Brown, VP, Delivery
"While the entire event was a success, I think my favorite part is the end. A glimpse of Linkedin shows how energized our community is after spending this time together. From exemplary leadership from people like our own Will Schweitzer to AIPP leaders like Alix Vance and Sara Rouhi, to the urge to innovate proactively and not simply when under pressure from Sven Fund, to meaningful conversations with colleagues."Deja Forte, Customer Success Manager
"As I continue to grow and learn in the scholarly publishing industry, I often find myself reflecting on how we navigate challenges—whether it’s tackling AI-driven solutions, understanding Google indexing, or enhancing accessibility efforts. Each of these challenges provides an opportunity for innovation and collaboration.Many publishers shared how much they appreciate our approach, and it was a genuine highlight for me. It reinforces the importance of fostering trust and being authentic in everything we do. Transparency isn’t just a buzzword; it’s something that defines our journey forward, and I’m excited to see where these conversations lead us next."
Jon Meadows, SVP, Technology
"It was refreshing to hear Alix Vance & Sara Rouhi from AIP Publishing speak about the critical importance of how we work together and leverage each other's differences productively, optimizing for the best outcomes; having process be the scaffolding to support people. I personally feel, while the 'what' we specifically work on will continuously change over time, the 'how' we work on anything, the relationship we have to our work and relationships with each other is what gets me excited. When we get the 'how we work' to a healthy place, it makes every 'what we work on' that much easier, enjoyable, and fulfilling to work through together."Emily Hazzard, Product Manager
"It was striking how the attitudes towards AI have shifted in the span of just a few months. Now that we're seeing real life results of AI being incorporated into common tech, like Google's Search Generative Experience, publishers are facing reality and are starting to get their hands dirty and talk about how they want to respond to those realities. There are different approaches to those problems from one publisher to another, of course - some are more defensive, while others take an optimistic, mission-oriented approach - but the mood in the room was vastly different than at SSP back in the spring.Also, I might be biased, but I noticed that most of the conversations led towards classical product principles. Even if those principles weren't named as such, the themes were familiar: deliberate and intentional experimentation, knowing how your efforts impact the bottom line for the business, iterative approaches to development, etc. It was encouraging to hear that the industry is being spurred to take action across all their initiatives, not just the AI ones, using these principles to guide them."
Lily Garcia Walton, Chief People Officer & General Counsel
"It is always inspiring to witness our team coming together with such intelligence and panache to welcome, inform, and entertain our customers and our industry as a whole. I feel proud to be part of such a highly respected brand truly leading the way for our industry as we are challenged to evolve and adapt."Lisa Cunningham, VP, Implementation Services
"So much positive energy and engagement in the room! The range of topics on the Strategies agenda means there is something relevant to every attendee. The opening session was particularly compelling: Use process as a scaffolding to support people in building effective teams. I also enjoyed the interaction between people from different parts of the industry bringing their perspectives to the table talk exercise and reaching consensus on a response."Audrey Grey, Customer Success Manager
"As my first event with Silverchair and first time meeting a lot of my SC colleagues, this was an amazing experience! Having the opportunity to meet with clients in person was an excellent way to build rapport and learn more about what is important to them, individually and as representatives of their publisher. It was also a great opportunity to talk with other people in the industry, several of which told me that Strategies was their favorite event of the year. I came away with a lot of ideas on how to support my clients better and an eye on some of the concerns that university presses are facing as academia is changing around them.As a newbie, I feel such gratitude and pride that I work with such capable, intelligent, personable, and professional colleagues for a company well respected and liked in our industry."
Jeremy Little, Tech Lead, AI Transformation
"We had a great diversity of sessions, including focus on things that I haven't heard much coverage on before (for example, SEO, security and VC funding in our industry) and I think the various topics and sessions were really well received.While AI was a topic during a few of the sessions, it was not the only thing being focused on (which was a welcome change for many people). This diversity of topics helped me engage with the people who really want to talk about AI more deeply without burning them out on the topic."
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