My first time attending Community Summit North America happened to be the same year Sabre Limited exhibited for the first time. It was a true trial by fire: very little sleep, long days on the show floor, and a whirlwind of conversations that stretched from early-morning coffees to late-night networking events.
If you have ever worked a booth at Summit, then you already understand the rhythm. You arrive as a team, you leave hoarse, and somewhere in the middle you realize why this event matters so much to the Dynamics community.
I had attended Directions once before, so I thought I had a frame of reference. I quickly learned that Summit is a different experience entirely. Directions feels like the internal meeting of the channel; Summit feels like the world showing up. The audience is broader, the conversations are deeper, and every interaction centers around real users, real business challenges, and practical solutions.
5 Fast Lessons for First-Time Exhibitors:
- Pack throat lozenges and water
- Rotate booth shifts to prevent burnout
- Treat every conversation as a relationship, not a lead
- Debrief as a team each evening
- Celebrate the small wins daily
Rookie Lesson Learned
On day one, I showed up thinking I would be fun and energetic the entire week. By lunch on day two (my fourth day in Florida), I had three or four coffees in me, my throat hurt, and I was living practically off of breath mints and adrenaline.
Lesson learned: at Summit, especially if you’re exhibiting, make sure to take breaks, take time to grab food, and bring some snacks along with you. A bottle of water and throat lozenges would go a long way too.
I learned there are two types of people at Summit: those who plan lunch and those who realize at 4:00 PM they have not eaten since breakfast. I might find myself in that latter group.
So, What Did I Learn About the Event?
Before the key takeaways, one moment stuck with me and set the tone for the week.
In the late afternoon one day, a manufacturing operations manager stopped by our booth. She had seen one of Robert Jolliffe’s sessions and knew he was the perfect person to talk to about upgrading from Dynamics GP to BC. They spoke for nearly an hour and I listened in on everything that I could about shop-floor bottlenecks they had been experiencing, outdated processes, and how hard it can be to push change.
Before walking away she had said something to the effect of, “I feel like I finally talked to someone who actually understands my business.”
That comment hit me. It reminded me that our success is not reliant on the software. It’s about understanding the challenges of and ways to work together to overcome them.
Two Big Takeaways
First, the camaraderie in the Dynamics ecosystem is real. Competitors shake hands, share stories, and even send each other leads when they are not the right fit. That level of mutual respect is rare in software, and it sets the tone for everything at Summit.
Second, everyone shows up ready to learn and ready to teach. The hallways, the sessions, even the hotel lobby become mini-classrooms. Partners exchange lessons learned. Customers share operational pain points. ISVs walk through what makes them special. It is a place where you can walk in with a question and walk out with a strategy.
Summit reminded me that this is not just a technology conference. It is an industry-level knowledge exchange with a heartbeat, fueled by the people who build, implement, and run the tools that keep companies moving.
Why Go to Summit?
Do you go for the free food? The swag? The sleep deprivation? Maybe. But the real reason is connection.
You go to Summit to strengthen relationships, meet new people who share your challenges, and learn from those who have already overcome them. You go to test yourself, to see how your ideas hold up in the real world, surrounded by peers who push you to think bigger.
For a team like ours, which operates fully remote, that connection carries even more weight. Summit is one of the rare chances we get to work side by side, share a meal, and celebrate wins in person. It turns names on a screen into teammates, and teammates into friends.
It’s a place where the conversations over coffee can be just as valuable as the sessions on stage. Every hallway chat, every shared laugh, every late-night discussion adds up to something bigger: a deeper understanding of the community (and of each other) that keeps this ecosystem moving forward.
How Did We Prepare?
We approached our first Summit like a manufacturer approaches a first production run. Planned, budgeted, checklist-driven, and with a healthy dose of uncertainty.
- We focused on a clean, clear value proposition for manufacturers.
- We created collateral that spoke to our industry and provided transparent pricing brochures. Manufacturers have fixed fees and so do we.
- We prepared and hosted an event for our customers and partners. I think this was a success.
- We treated every attendee interaction like a new friend, not a sales pitch.
Was everything perfect? Of course not. That is the point of a first run. You learn, iterate, and refine.
Do I Look Forward to Going Back?
Without hesitation! Summit is exhausting, intense, and absolutely worth the effort. It is one of the few environments where energy, education, and industry alignment come together in one place. It is impossible to leave without new ideas, new relationships, and a renewed appreciation for the Dynamics ecosystem.
You might sacrifice sleep, but there is plenty of coffee to fill the gap.
How Can We Make the Next One Bigger and Better?
Each Summit is an opportunity to level up. Going forward, our goals are simple:
- Bring a larger team and expand our presence on the floor.
- Deliver more educational content, both in sessions and at the booth.
- Strengthen partner collaboration through planned co-marketing and shared events.
- Invest further into experience, hospitality, and branding so our booth becomes a natural gathering point.
Growth is not just about size. It is about creating more value for the community and elevating the manufacturing conversation inside Business Central.
In Conclusion
Looking back, that first Summit felt like a rite of passage. It tested stamina, sharpened messaging, and reminded me that this community thrives on shared learning and genuine collaboration. The conversations on the floor, the partnerships strengthened, and the insights gained all reinforced something fundamental. Success in this ecosystem is not driven solely by technology. It is driven by people who care about doing right by customers and helping businesses operate better.
Sabre walked into Summit as newcomers to the exhibition floor. We left with relationships, lessons, and a clearer sense of purpose for how we serve the manufacturing community in Business Central. The experience validated our approach and underscored the importance of showing up, listening, and contributing meaningfully to the channel.
Next year, the goal is simple. Return with more presence, more value, and an even stronger commitment to supporting manufacturers on their digital journey. Summit is not just an event in the calendar. It is an opportunity to grow, to connect, and to help advance a community that keeps industry moving forward.
Summit reminded me that in a digital world, the strongest connections are still made face to face. I can’t wait to see you there next year!
