By the time Xerocon begins, most people have already planned their agenda.
The keynotes are in the diary. The breakout sessions are booked. Maybe you've even highlighted the stands you want to visit.
But here's a thought: don't plan your route around the exhibition floor. Plan your conversations.
That's where the CFO Techstack App Map comes in.
Not because it tells you where to find vendors. Xerocon already does that.
It helps you start the right conversations.
Start with the challenge, not the company
When you first open the App Map, ignore the logos.
Instead, ask yourself one question:
What problem are we trying to solve next?
Maybe month end is taking too long. Maybe planning has outgrown spreadsheets. Maybe you're reviewing your finance operations or wondering whether there are gaps in your current stack.
The App Map is organised around those challenges, making it easier to explore the categories that matter most to your team before you even walk through the doors.
Once you know the problems you're trying to solve, the right conversations become much easier to find.
Better conversations start with context
One of the things we've learned from State of the Stack and How I Stacked It is that no two finance teams build exactly the same stack.
The same challenge can be solved in different ways. The same app can play a different role depending on the business.
That's what makes Xerocon such a valuable place to explore.
When you've already spent a little time understanding the landscape, your conversations move beyond, "What does your product do?"
Instead, you can ask questions like:
- How are your customers using this alongside the rest of their finance stack?
- What problems are finance teams solving with your product today?
- Where is this category heading over the next few years?
Those are the conversations that spark ideas, challenge assumptions and often lead you somewhere you weren't expecting.
Watch the App Map come to life
The agenda helps you plan your sessions. The App Map helps you make the most of everything that happens between them.
Spend ten minutes with it before you arrive. Pick out the categories that matter to your team. Read a few stories from State of the Stack.
Then, as you walk the exhibition floor, enjoy seeing the App Map come to life.
That's when it stops being a map and starts becoming your guide to the conversations that matter.
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