Thoughts from IO Education EXPO EAST 2019: “Past, Present & Future”

First of all, I want to send a big thank you to everyone who attended IO Education EXPO EAST 2019 in New York City last week!

I’ve personally attended IO Education EXPO for years--both as a lead customer success manager and senior instructional developer. It’s an invaluable opportunity to connect with our customers, and I always leave invigorated and excited for what is to come.

This was a special year, as it was the first EXPO EAST since IO Education merged with Illuminate Education. As you can imagine, we had a lot of exciting news and updates to share.

The theme of this year’s EXPO EAST was "Past, Present & Future." Here are a few thoughts on why that felt so appropriate:

Past

Many of our customers have been with IO Education since the beginning. We’ve been on this journey together for years, and seeing them now is like seeing old friends. Their candid insights and tireless work for students helped drive the development of IO Education’s tools since day one.

Present

We are at an exciting place today! Never have we had more tools, solutions, and passionate team members to support educators and students. That is our mission--today and everyday.

A big part of that means helping our customers deepen their usage and implementation of our tools--and we had tons of great sessions to do just that. Another part comes from sharing our new tools and showing firsthand how they align to the needs of educators, such as our IO Messenger/Family Engagement sessions. Beyond that, we support educators and students by listening to our customers and thinking deeply about their questions and needs. This was one of the biggest priorities for every Illuminator at the EXPO.

Future

As exciting as today may be, there is only more to come. Peter Bencivenga introduced Illuminate Education’s CEO Christine Willig, who gave the Welcome Address and met with IO customers from all over the nation. Two of our most popular sessions were “The Future of Product”--an overview of where Illuminate’s products and services are headed--and “Nerd Tank”--where IO customers pitched ideas to Illuminators and other IO customers. Both sessions got rave reviews, and it’s not hard to see why. We have an unprecedented opportunity to bring teachable moments to light together.

Many customers told me that although they walked into the IO Education conference, they felt like they walked out of the Illuminate Education conference--with excitement about what is to come. To me, that says it all: IO’s longtime dedication to supporting educators and students is only growing as part of the Illuminate Education family.

If you haven’t attended one of our conferences, we hope to see you next year! Sign up for more information here to ensure you’re in the loop.  And, check out a few of our favorite IO Education EXPO EAST 2019 images below.

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Illuminate Education is a provider of educational technology and services offering innovative data, assessment and student information solutions. Serving K-12 schools, our cloud-based software and services currently assist more than 1,600 school districts in promoting student achievement and success.

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