Databricks Summit Speaking Session
Earned Media for Unravel Data
The Goal
To earn a customer speaking slot at a major industry conference. To build awareness and position Unravel as an industry expert, without paying for a sponsorship level that included a speaking session.
My Role
Speaker Program Lead
The Details
- I researched every relevant 2026 industry conference, including audiences, past session topics, open calls for proposals, and deadlines.
- I worked across teams to identify our most engaged clients, built a tracker, and planned outreach. I drafted messages to each client from their closest contact at Unravel.
- I forecasted each conference’s focus from its past topics and the latest industry news.
- I wrote proposals at the intersection of the speaker’s expertise, the conference topics, the audience, and Unravel’s software.
The Results
- The Databricks Summit (the world’s largest data and AI conference) approved the proposal, a session worth an estimated $120K*
- The FinOps-related session featured an Unravel client, one of the world’s largest banks
- The bank later withdrew due to a confidential migration off Databricks. Learning about their move months ahead gave Unravel the chance to avoid churn by showing its value during the migration.
*Estimated using the 2026 sponsorship prospectus