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The fear of missing out (FOMO) is very real. Pantheon 2023 in Orlando featured two jampacked days of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, business-changing advice, networking and, of course, a healthy amount of celebration and partying mixed in among the 3,000 contractors in attendance.
But the FOMO — for those who couldn’t make it, or those who couldn’t make it to everything they wanted to see — remains.
ServiceTitan has your back. We’ve highlighted 10 things you might have missed at Pantheon 2023.
Birds of a Feather Networking Lunch
Sure, Pantheon featured great speakers and fun events. But one of the most valuable aspects of attending Pantheon was networking with fellow attendees. That’s why ServiceTitan held two “Birds of a Feather Networking Lunches.” Guests were seated beside each other based on job role or industry, allowing them to talk shop, pick each other’s brains, and swap business cards.
“I am fairly new in the operations manager role and was able to sit down with other people in my role who have been doing it awhile and make new connections and talk about their day-to-day and struggles and successes,” said Alisha Wilson, Operations Manager at Eagle Pipe Mechanical in Seattle.
#Pinning
At Pantheon, checking someone’s name tag to see where they work and what they do isn’t the only way to quickly learn about someone’s background. Just check their pins.
Back by popular demand was the ServiceTitan pin section. There were 74 different pins to choose from (and 25,000 pins in total!) that attendees could grab and pin to their backpacks or name tags as a badge of honor.
Second Pantheon? Then grab a “Pantheon 2X” pin. Do you have 50+ trucks? Grab a “50+ trucks” pin. There was an “East Coast” pin, a “I’m on Marketing Pro” pin, a “Garage Door” pin—you name it. There were multiple pins that fit everyone in attendance—which led to a letterman jacket-style flaunt of who’s who and what they’ve accomplished.
‘Where’s That Noise Coming From?’
No exaggeration: When hotel guests entered through the front doors at the Orlando World Center Marriott in the evening hours during Pantheon, they were immediately hit with a shockingly loud roar.
The noise came from the corner of the main lobby, where a hotel bar played host to thousands of Pantheon guests who chatted and connected until the wee hours of the morning. Even ServiceTitan Co-Founders Ara Mahdessian and Vahe Kuzoyan were there.
Simply put, when 3,000 of the nation’s best home and commercial services contractors all congregate in the same place, there’s a palpable—and audible—excitement.
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Celebrities Galore
Pantheon attendees definitely did some double-takes as they walked by some recognizable faces in the crowd. That’s because Pantheon brings out the celebrities of the trades. Yes, that really was Ismael Valdez, owner of NexGen and creator of the popular Facebook page, Service Avengers.
Same goes with Kathy Nielsen, aka “The Chicken Lady” (it even said so on her name tag). You also might’ve seen Tommy Mello (the founder of A1 Garage), Ken Goodrich (founder of Goettl Air Conditioning), ServiceTitan Principal Industry Advisors Chris Hunter and Angie Snow, the “Blue Collar Nerd” Richard Kohberger and “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast host Jackie Aubel.
The big names in the industry—more of them than we could name here— would never miss Pantheon.
Memorable Keynotes
Speaking of industry celebrities, Keith Mercurio, ServiceTitan’s Senior Director of Industry and Executive success, opened his keynote session with a bold statement: The way most people think about being right is, well, wrong.
More accurately, it limits what’s possible, Mercurio explained. But the way humans tend to think about being right is ingrained, difficult to change, and costly.
“Decide what it is you want to be right about,” Mercurio said. “Because if you decide that people are beautiful, worthy, capable of extraordinary things, then you get to be right about that.”
Titan Appreciation Party Featuring OneRepublic
FOMO readers, beware: The Titan Appreciation party was one you did not want to miss. ServiceTitan rented out the House of Blues Orlando, where there was an open bar and multiple food stations featuring pulled pork, burger sliders, chicken wings, flaming donuts and more. But it wasn’t just about wining and dining.
Attendees were treated to a private concert from OneRepublic, a Grammy-nominated rock band with countless hits who, like ServiceTitan, also spells its name in one word (no, that’s not why they were chosen).
“We’re just playing the hits,” Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic’s lead singer, told the Titan audience at the start of the show. “Just the songs you know.”
It was truly a one-of-a-kind concert.
Toolbox for the Trades Booth
Devout listeners of ServiceTitan’s podcast, “Toolbox for the Trades,” are used to hearing host Jackie Aubel’s voice through their AirPods or car speaker as she interviews guests from the trades. But at Pantheon, attendees not only got to meet Aubel—they could hop right in the podcast booth and be on the podcast.
Aubel did 31 interviews from the snazzy, glass podcast booth at Pantheon, chatting with customers all day for two days—enough so that the voice you recognize was quite hoarse at the end.
Skateboards and Bikes
Pantheon 2023 attendees also gave back—two or four wheels at a time.
In the corner booth of The Partner + Product Village was a stand where attendees were building bicycles and skateboards. It was hosted by Titans for Change, ServiceTitan’s philanthropy, which focuses on creating a positive impact in the community. With the help of Pantheon attendees, they built 16 bikes and 32 skateboards for children in foster care or from low-income families. The bikes and boards were donated to the Children’s Home Society of Orlando.
A Chat With a Tennis Legend
It’s not every day that you get to be in the same room as a tennis legend like Venus Williams—let alone receive a piece of advice.
Mahdessian closed out the conference with a fireside chat with Williams, who has won seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon championships and four Olympic gold medals in her career—not to mention numerous business ventures.
“I have this theory called being better — not the best,” Williams said. “Because being the best is a moment. Everyone’s been the best. You’ve been at the top, you’re No.1 in the world. That’s just a moment. And it’s great. Enjoy it. But then always strive for being better. Because better you can continue to chase.”
Breaking AI News
In journalism, the term “scoop” is when a reporter gets a piece of news that nobody has yet. At Pantheon, attendees got a major scoop.
Titan Intelligence unveiled 14 new AI features across its suite of Pro Products and Accounting, features that are meant to increase revenue and efficiency, and improve customer experience and employee experience—all while using the power of AI responsibly.
One by one, the features impressed the crowd. After the session, Todd Longbrake, who works in people development at Apex and was attending his first Pantheon, succinctly summed up the moment.
“I thought it was, ‘Holy crap. This is awesome,’” Longbrake said.
