Life is a picnic – so remember to bring the potato salad

June is officially the first month of summer and for most of us the beginning of picnic season. I am fond of picnics for a couple of reasons.

First, potluck picnics are the product of collaboration. Planning, logistics, food and entertainment are the collection of contributions.

Second, I am fond of the anticipations of a picnic. Anticipations, plural, because there are several: the anticipation of the venue – usually scenic and inspiring – the anticipation of an entertaining conversation with a mix of participants, and the anticipation of the food – you never know what tasty surprises will be brought.

So it was for me in the first week of June as I headed down to Dallas for the 2024 Solifi Summit. I had anticipations of the presentations, the conversations and, of course, some world-famous Texas barbeque.

This was my first Solifi Summit, and I was impressed by the openness and collaboration of fellow attendees as we discussed key topics inspired by Solifi’s customer success attestations and the future opportunities presented by their product roadmaps.

I enjoyed discussions of how cloud technology is driving a more interoperable and collaborative environment that, in turn, continues to transform both the industry and our respective relationships. We confirmed that accessing and using data-at-scale is now table stakes in secured finance. AI was, of course, on everyone’s mind but the conversations at this event were grounded in “walk before you run” examples and recommendations. Productivity was more the theme than drama.

Thank you, Solifi partners and colleagues, for hosting such a great “picnic.” I left well-fed, with my mind full of new ideas and an excitement for the opportunities we all have.

As the saying goes, “life is a picnic” – so remember to bring the potato salad.