Join Us for an Exclusive Executive Dinner & Discussion in Chicago
Speed Is the Strategy: How AI Is Redefining Who Wins at Time-to-Market
The Ortus Club, together with Dataweavers, Verndale, and Sitecore, invites senior technology and platform leaders in Chicago to an evening of candid, peer-to-peer conversation over a complimentary dinner. No presentations, no sales pitches — just the kind of honest, off-the-record exchange that only happens when the right people are in the room.
The Topic
Speed Is the Strategy: How AI Is Redefining Who Wins at Time-to-Market
Speed isn't about moving faster — it's about who gets to shape the customer experience in real time. As AI raises the bar for what's possible, the gap between fast and slow organisations is wider than ever.
For marketing leaders, the cost of delay is a missed moment. For technology leaders, that same pressure looks different: enabling AI-powered speed without compromising stability, governance, or security. AI and personalisation investments lose momentum when implementation gets caught in release cycles or stuck in development queues. What marketing experiences as delay, IT experiences as mounting complexity.
The faster teams move, the more intentional architecture becomes. When the experience layer is decoupled from the back end, teams stop waiting on each other — and AI stops waiting too. Rigid systems turn AI into another source of pressure. Flexible systems let governance and security be built in by design, not bolted on after the fact. The result is the ability to adapt continuously, not in scheduled bursts.
Discussion questions will explore themes including:
How are you thinking about decoupling your experience layer from core infrastructure — and where has that unlocked meaningful speed?
Where does AI-powered execution create genuine tension with governance, stability, or security in your organisation, and how are you managing it?
What does "time-to-market" actually mean in your context today — and how has AI changed what good looks like?
The Evening
6:00 PM — Arrival of guests
6:30 PM — Welcome address by The Ortus Club
6:40 PM — Short address by Sitecore, Dataweavers & Verndale
6:45 PM — Discussion instigated by the moderator and continued by the table
7:45 PM — Discussion brought to a close; guests encouraged to continue networking
Who Should Be in the Room
This dinner brings together senior leaders who are rethinking how their organisations move from insight to execution — and who understand that the architecture decisions made today will determine competitive position tomorrow. We expect attendees from across technology, platform, and digital functions who are navigating the intersection of AI-driven speed and enterprise-grade governance.
Relevant titles include: Chief Information Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Director of Innovation, IT Manager, Platform Manager, Application Owner, Product Owner, Digital Engagement Manager, and other senior decision-makers shaping technology and digital experience strategy.
Confirmed Attendees Include
TBC
How to Join
Attendance is complimentary and by invitation only. To request a seat at the table, click the button on this page or reach out to the team directly. Once your place is confirmed, you'll receive a calendar invite along with full venue details ahead of the evening.
The Hosts
Dataweavers is a managed cloud platform built to give digital teams the freedom to deploy, iterate, and scale without the usual infrastructure bottlenecks — purpose-built for speed and operational resilience in complex enterprise environments.
Verndale is a digital experience agency that helps organisations bridge the gap between technology and customer impact, specialising in accelerating the value of platforms like Sitecore through strategy, implementation, and ongoing optimisation.
Sitecore is a global leader in digital experience software, offering composable solutions that enable brands to deliver personalised, connected experiences at scale — giving both marketing and technology teams the flexibility to move at the speed the market demands.
The Organisers
The Ortus Club runs executive knowledge-sharing events worldwide, bringing senior leaders together for curated, off-the-record discussions in a relaxed, peer-to-peer setting.