Turn Training Into an Experience

The past few months have been filled with innovation, creativity, and collaboration! Why? Procore Employees – worldwide – came to California for our Step Into Success Enablement Summit. For three days, attendees met and collaborated while learning more about the experiences of our customers, more about our competitors, and how to win. 

Inspired by experiential learning models and gamification frameworks like Yu-Kai Chou’s Octalysis, we set out to create something entirely new.

Each day was jam-packed with thrilling experiences for our participants: Targeted group challenges, live games, “Become Your Customer” simulations, networking activities, talk-show style panels – and a 10,000+ sq. ft. learning-based escape room experience!

We built this year’s conference on a simple premise: Experience. We sought to minimize “sit and learn” techniques, enabling learning through social dynamics, gamification and interactive activities. The conference was split into three thematic days, each focused on experiential learning that unfolded into an immersive group activity. On day three, everything learned gelled together into a live account planning workshop.

Spending a Day in the Customer’s Shoes

Day one was all about immersing our teams in the customer’s world. We didn’t just tell them about our customers’ challenges—they lived it.

We divided employees into teams and challenged them to “build a stadium” in a simulation that mirrored real-life construction challenges. From weather delays to software mishaps, teams encountered the same hurdles our customers face daily. Real Procore customers joined the activity, offering insights and answering questions along the way.

How We Enabled Them

Employees were put into the shoes of our customers, and experienced how Procore products streamline the entire construction process. They walked away with a thorough understanding of what it feels like to be a principal in a construction business and could see the benefits our solutions offer. We enabled them to think around our products, understanding what construction work is really like on a day-to-day basis... with a deeper understanding of a customer’s needs (not from a playbook).

Competition’s Weakness. Our Strengths.

Understanding competitors is key to positioning our solutions and solving challenges our customers face. Day two took our employees on a deep dive into competitor products, tactics, and pros/cons of other software systems.

This was a true showstopper. We divided employees into 50 teams and sent them into a 10,000+ sq. ft. escape experience! Each team was designated two rooms and had a dedicated gamemaster.

Teams began in a fictitious construction office of a company named Bell Developers. They found clues that showcased employee frustrations with a non-Procore software system and learned how those frustrations translated into day-to-day problems. In the second room, employees learned (hands-on) about Procore’s solutions, ultimately completing a “Whiteboard Challenge” where they delineated Procore products that could solve the pain points for Bell Developers. The experience ended with each team making a Procore commercial.

Putting It All To the Test!

The final day brought everything together. Employees applied everything they’d learned—customer insights, competitive analysis, and strategic thinking—in a high-stakes account planning challenge.

“The Straightline Account Planning Workshop” was a 6-hour, gamified workshop with periodic on-stage content. Employees were grouped into teams of 6-8, given an oversized planning map and a customer project kit packed with information about a fictitious company named “Straightline”. Their goal? To produce an account plan and win the client.

How We Enabled Them

This workshop simulated real-world account planning, encouraging employees to think strategically and apply their knowledge. By the end of the exercise, teams produced actionable, customer-focused plans—showcasing their ability to turn learning into results.

Why Was This Event So Successful?

We took the bull by the horns and sought to do something radically different. We acknowledged the heady content we were teaching, and developed bespoke experiences so our employees could learn by doing. We didn’t skimp on anything. We poured ourselves into every detail. In the end, we produced a powerful conference that truly defined the concept of go-to-market enablement.

Our numbers were off the charts, we had non-stop praise from our audience. Our attendees learned new content...and retained it. In the end, we achieved:

• Enhanced retention: Employees didn’t just hear about concepts—they lived them.
• Stronger engagement: Each activity was designed to captivate and inspire.
• Deeper understanding: Hands-on learning helped our team internalize key messaging and solutions.

The Takeaway

Gamification and experiential learning are more than just buzzwords—they’re tools for transforming the way we teach, learn, and grow. This year’s summit proved that when you make learning an exciting experience, you achieve greater results.

This year’s conference took a lot intense planning, but the outcome was worth it: a motivated, informed, and prepared revenue team ready to tackle any challenge.

Let’s continue to reimagine enablement—because when we build programs around experience, everyone benefits.