You know that bittersweet feeling you get when a day you’ve been preparing for finally comes and goes? Months of planning, brainstorming, discussions and challenges, and suddenly, poof its over!
Thats how I felt last week at IGT London. It starts like it always does. The excitement builds and the moment when the opening video hits the screen, always gives me goosebumps and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Then I take the first stride to the stage and we’re off. And before you know it, it’s over! Soon all the preparation and execution is in the rearview mirror and as I take a moment to marvel at a job well done, I am a bit sad it’s over.
That’s how I feel about the close of SnapLogic’s Integreat Tour 2023 with our stop in London.
It was an extraordinary day of connecting with our customers, partners, and technology leaders from around the world. We heard keynotes on the meteoric rise of generative AI and how SnapLogic is harnessing that power to help enterprises go faster and further with their data and applications. We had standing-room-only presentations from technology leaders who are making unprecedented innovations, on the back of the only GenAI solution for integration in the market, SnapGPT. It was an immersive, inspiring day, capped off with (of course) some fun and games.
Back at HQ now, I’ve pulled together a few of my takeaways and high points from our stop in London.
Customer Innovation with SnapLogic
We heard from several SnapLogic customers, across industries, about their experiences with the SnapLogic iPaaS and the digital advancements it’s bolstered.
Dr. Stefan Henkel, CIO of Siemens Healthineers, the medtech arm of the global giant, spoke about the groundbreaking medical innovations happening in their enterprise. He shared insights and examples on how a scalable platform with composable architecture can enable the successful digitalisation of core processes. I don’t mind telling you, he’s kind of a big deal in this space, like the rock star of the industry, and it showed on stage!
Tom Saunders, Lead IT Software Developer at the Science Museum Group explained how he and his team modernized operations through the power of SnapLogic’s no/low-code platform. Saunders explained how they were able to create an immersive ecommerce experience for visitors, gain visibility into inventory, and optimize archive access for researchers.
Manuel Sanchez Benito, Manager of Business Intelligence at Pepper Advantage, gave strategic insights on the company’s new dynamic data model that integrates financials from core systems while respecting complex global tax rules. His team was able to transform manual spreadsheet processes into an integrated, data-driven operation to unlock real-time visibility and agile decision-making on a global scale.
Additionally, we heard from a panel of technology leaders from AstraZeneca, GHD, and RNLI about the importance of IT organizations as business drivers. These 3 IT leaders not only dazzled the room with their work, but kept us all entertained with their stories (just as a customer panel should).
SnapGPT is a skeleton key for modernization and transformation
With all the hype around Generative AI, it’s easy to forget that there are some real gains from this wave of innovation. That’s what we’ve focused on as a company and Generative Integration was the hot topic of the day, particularly once everyone had the chance to see a live, on-stage demo of SnapGPT. Yes, I admit, the live on-stage demo gave me some agita, but it was impressive to observe attendees see first-hand the simplicity of a conversational prompt to elicit data pipelines and then hear from early adopters how impactful it can be for an organization’s modernization and transformation plans.
We had the opportunity to announce key product enhancements for SnapGPT, including:
- Leveraging Amazon Bedrock to make Anthropic’s LLM, Claude, available in SnapGPT
- Accelerating the Credera Marketing Analytics Platform (MAP) through SnapLogic generative integration services
- Using SnapGPT to power translation and localization services with our newest partner, Acolad group
As our CEO said in his opening keynote, we aren’t talking about AI or simply AI washing our messaging; we are shipping a GenAI product today.
Personal connection is still key
Perhaps my most significant takeaway from the day is how much energy is generated in a room full of people who are curious and engaged. There was something for everyone: hands-on training and certification workshops for users, discussion and networking opportunities, and inspiring presentations from thought leaders.
Oh, and did I mention an F1 simulator for those of us who like to go really fast not only in their integration work, but on the (virtual) race track?
That was the theme of our closing keynote — speed with intention. Our keynote speaker was the lauded Neil Martin, who pioneered the use of data and analytics in Formula 1 motor racing. Neil gave an inspiring talk about his experiences over the last 25 years developing world-class solutions as a member of the senior technical leadership team at McLaren, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. Even with a storm hitting London, hundreds came out and stayed for this closing session. You had to be there to see it, but it was worth every minute!
So what’s next? It’s London 2024!
This is our second year in London and it gets better each year. Not only is this city vibrant and thriving, but the attendees loved getting together and sharing stories on-site. So that’s why we will be back next year.
An extended thank you goes out to everyone who helped make this event a success: attendees, presenters, customers, partners, sponsors, and the SnapLogic team. It was a momentous day that marks the start of a faster, nimbler path to enterprise integration and automation. And we’ve already started planning our stops for next year.
Want to stay in the loop? Sign up here and be the first to know where the Integreat Tour will travel in 2024. See you then!
