Sorry to my readers for having to wait so long in between blog posts! As some know, we hosted our first annual Integrator Summit in Park City, UT last week and leading up to the show was just about as busy as I have been in recent times. Between dialling in the content and the planning, I just wasn’t in the blog writing frame of mind.
Before getting back to regularly scheduled writing, I wanted to briefly recap the summit, which was an absolute homerun in my book. It was our FIRST large event (we had done smaller regional user groups) so we were unsure about so much but our team pulled through, and it paid off for our attendees, and for us!
Summit feedback at a glance By the numbers, here were the feedback ratings after the show:
Pretty incredible to get such awesome feedback.
However, there was magic in the room that we all felt that is hard to describe. It was authentic, it was real, and it was focused. No vendors, no sales pitches, no panhandling. Exactly what we had intended to set out from the beginning, even though it meant straying away from common practices at events this size.
It felt like a bit of a risk, but one that made sense to us, which made the payoff feel all the more special afterwards. This quote from a visionary who sent his integrator there captured a bit of what made the event so special.
You can check out more feedback about the conference that we consolidated from LinkedIn here: https://integratorsummit.com/
(PS: I promise we didn’t bribe anyone to post!)
And for our team, seeing this incredible group in person together, and hearing them talk live about why they love Strety (the product and the team) was hugely validating. In our digital world where so much interaction takes place behind screens, there’s really nothing like connecting with our customers live in person. One of my favorite early moments at the event was when our Customer Success Manager Drew introduced himself to an attendee and she said, “Oh my gosh, Drew! I’ve chatted with you in the support bubble! Thank you for your help!!” and gave him a big hug.
It was a quick moment but it stuck with me because it completely validates the places where we double down as a software company (that might not be so obvious): human support and connection. I know a lot of companies have given into the temptation to hand off their customer experience to automations and AI, and I’m happier than ever that we’ve remained stubbornly human-first where it matters.
Why we built this event differently We made a few choices to make the summit feel less corporate and more Strety-like. First, we kept it small (and were running a waitlist 3+ months ahead of time). While we knew we could probably get a bigger group for this first one, we wanted to be very intentional about who was coming, because we knew that the real value was going to be the connections that people made with each other.
We built the entire event, from the morning adventures to the room to the content, around the idea that connecting Integrators with each other would be the most valuable thing we could provide. I’m really proud of the elevated experience we pulled together (if you know me, you know I can have some bougie tastes, so that was a bit of a for-me decision as well :)). But even better than the stunning views, great wine, and incredible sessions was just seeing Integrators laughing and commiserating in a room full of other people who “get it.” We built the backbone, and the attendees brought the soul to the event, just as we hoped.
This linkedin comment really validated those connections the even helped form:
What’s changing for next year (and what’s staying the same) Being that it was our first big event, of course we learned a ton. I was so eager to provide value, that I probably over-stuffed the schedule a bit. Plus, we didn’t create a lot of guided opportunities for smaller breakouts (though it may not surprise you to hear that in a room full of integrators, quite a few people figured out a way to make their own ad hoc breakouts happen).
The solution is that next year, we’re going bigger on a few things… a bigger room, more attendees (though still small for a conference – capping around 200), more time (full programming for two days, with evening and morning bookends at the beginning and end of the week), and importantly, more space. We will organize and dedicate breakouts and networking opportunities that will bring together integrators and leaders going through the same things. Because again, the key to all of this is the connections people make that help lighten the load of a sometimes-heavy seat.
On the other hand, a lot is staying the same. Same venue (can’t beat Park City in the fall IMO), same vibe, same commitment to providing a unique and unforgettable experience. Same Strety, which means we’re keeping it authentic while quickly evolving with feedback.
Most importantly, we hope it will be a lot of the same people. We’ve already had signups from 2026 alumni, and are excited to have them back in 2027, because they really were the key to making 2026 awesome.
A huge thank you to 2026 summit alumni On that note, I have to give another huge thank you to all those who attended and participated. Especially those brave souls who went mountain biking and hiking during some crazy early morning rain and hail alongside my crazy Visionary. I hope Larry didn’t scare you off for next year!! Though I know our type doesn’t scare easily away from a challenge 🙂
Let’s finish Q3 strong now. I’m so fired up!
