Big Band February Recap: You Can’t Beat Live Music (or IRL Events)

February had two major events for the Big Band team and portfolio: our inaugural Big Band Leadership Summit in Nashville and the SHARE Conference in Washington, D.C. We came away super energized by both events and also aware that more our teams, customers, and partners are craving in-person connection. Count us in!

At the first Big Band Leadership Summit, our team came together to build deeper connections, share insights, and collaborate as we start to execute on 2025 plans. With discussions ranging from the evolving role of AI in product roadmaps to excelling via EOS within our companies, the event reinforced a simple truth: we are stronger with collaboration. Also true: If your company name is Big Band, Nashville is a great place to convene…Do visit if you haven’t!

Our next event was also high energy but is much more established. The SHARE conference in Washington, D.C., has been around decades and is where the folks who manage the core of the enterprise - the mainframe - go to learn and innovate.  Our team engaged with industry leaders on mainframe modernization, security, and cloud integration, just to name a few. It was the first time debuting our new operating company, Izzi Software, which recently acquired ColeSoft Marketing. CEO Jennifer Nelson captured the spirit of SHARE in her reflection:

“This week at SHARE in Washington, D.C. has been phenomenal. Reconnecting with good friends and colleagues has truly rejuvenated both heart and mind. It’s been inspiring to learn about everyone's current focuses, exchange ideas, and discuss potential collaborations—reflecting the grassroots principles upon which this organization was founded.”

From leadership roundtables to technical deep dives, both events reminded us of the value of learning from one another. As we move forward, we’re excited to build on these insights, strengthen our partnerships, and continue driving innovation in the enterprise IT space.

THE PLAYLIST (What We're Watching, Reading, and Listening to)

• The Complete History and Strategy of Berkshire Hathaway - How did a folksy, middle-class kid from Omaha become the single greatest capitalist of all-time?

• Chris Hoffman - A reminder of the unseen struggles in PE

• 400 Pages of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger - Alex Morris’ analysis on over 1700 questions answered by Munger and Buffett’s annual meetings

  IRL (Where You Can Find Us)

• Looking forward, Kevin, Chris and Chloe will be representing the Band in San Diego throughout the next week at SaaS Academy, connecting with more driven founders. Feel free to reach out if you will be in attendance!