The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are the pinnacle of precision and teamwork. Formerly known as the Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels perform dozens of high-speed, high-risk, and high-performing aerobatic shows every year. More than 500 million spectators have marveled at their talent since 1946, but their performance isn’t by happenstance; it’s from years of meticulous dedication to their craft, trust in their teammates, and an unwavering, repeatable process for execution.
Our CommunitySolv Fall 2023 keynote speaker, John “Gucci” Foley, lead solo pilot, and operations officer with the Blue Angels, helped us close out the conference. However, we’d be missing our mark if we didn’t begin our recap with some of the amazing insights John provided to attendees:
- Trust: “Execution is critical, but it starts with trust with those around you.” John noted that one of the ways to build trust and respect is by paying attention to the small things because it’s the details that matter.
- Complacency: “Don’t get too comfortable doing something you shouldn’t be comfortable doing.” While the stakes of a U.S. Navy Commander may be higher, the mindset is the same.
- Perspective: “The world is coming from you, not at you.” By adjusting your perspective and connecting more as a human being, it becomes easier to put yourself in others’ shoes to align strategies and goals.
- Gratitude: “Glad to be here.” That’s the sign-off from every pilot during a Blue Angels debrief session. It’s also the phrase on John’s shirt and on stickers placed on every attendee’s seat. Expressing gratitude is an effective way to shift mindsets and bring more joy to our personal and professional lives.
Hosted in beautiful Palm Desert, California, the CommunitySolv North America Fall Conference 2023 is our annual opportunity to bring together more than 400 members from both the Canadian and US CommunitySolv programs, TD SYNNEX leadership, and key vendor representatives. The two-and-a-half-day event presents opportunities for peer-to-peer networking, targeted education, and valuable discussions around how the IT ecosystem is addressing key technology trends.
An Energetic Buzz Ripples from Main Stage
Engaging panels, tailored breakouts, and captivating speakers left us with some tremendous quotables that were sure to keep attendees continuing the conversation well after the event:
Michael Urban, President, Americas, TD SYNNEX, on digital transformation:
“We are making fewer phone calls and sending fewer emails. Information is all digital, and the way our customers are getting and consuming information is completely different, so we have to think differently.”
Tim Bynarowicz, director, CommunitySolv, on communities:
“Thank you to all of our CommunitySolv members for being stewards of doing things the right way.”
Steve Jow, executive vice president of sales, on the IT ecosystem:
“Let’s unleash the best capabilities of each other.”
Vince Stemen, senior vice president, vendor solutions, on cybersecurity:
“You probably checked your hotel door when you walked away today. That’s because security is inherently within every one of us.”
Calhoun McKinney, senior director, product business management, on partnerships:
“Be picky. Cover your assets. Scale with AI.”
A Dollar in the Swear Jar: AI Dominates Conversation
With the frequency we continue to hear the term, it certainly began to feel like A********l I**********e was a taboo phrase throughout the event. In fact, TD SYNNEX’s Vince Stemen (pictured) led a panel where they would only hold up “AI” signs but encouraged the audience to boo if they mentioned the phrase (they succeeded). Regardless, there’s no denying: we have to consider AI a viable growth opportunity now and moving forward.
As part of the opening general session, Canalys CEO Steve Brazier made the urgency to become AI experts clear:
“None of us are generative AI experts; we all just started using it this year. However, we need to keep our skills incredibly up to date because [AI knowledge] will uncover the winners and losers in the channel over the next five to ten years.”
The consensus among speakers was that we are still in the beginning of understanding end-user requirements for AI solutions. So, it’s our collective job to listen, adapt, and solve moving forward. Generative AI will soon turn to cognitive AI, but end-users no longer want to just hear the acronyms (AI and ML); they want to know that there are actual solutions that they can incorporate.
In the News: Announcements Made From Palm Desert
It’s not a TD SYNNEX event without breaking some exclusive news for attendees who took time out of their schedules to spend time with us at CommunitySolv. Some of the key announcements included:
- North America Direction of Technology Supplement: Following the announcement of our global Direction of Technology report last month, we have now launched the North America supplement — results from a subset of respondents from the region. In this regional breakout, we uncovered five key takeaways, including the prioritization of AI/ML offerings, the rise of high-growth technology skill demand, and the definitive shift toward services, among others.
- New Partner-Driven CommunitySolv Enhancements and Features: At the Spring CommunitySolv event, we launched the Partner Directory, a peer-to-peer collaboration platform; during the Fall event, we announced an expansion to the directory to now include customer-led peer groups. Peer groups allow community members to work together to build connections, ideas, and foster growth in the channel. Given the success of pilot peer groups ahead of the event, we look forward to building and facilitating additional groups in 2024.
Connecting with the Local Community
Throughout the week, TD SYNNEX partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs, a local nonprofit charitable organization serving over 1,700 boys and girls annually, providing a wide range of after-school, summer, and winter programs in a safe and supervised environment.
Our Wednesday opening activity was packing STEM and snack bags, which were distributed to the children and teens who benefit from the activities and supervision of the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs.
In addition, next to the registration booth was a dedicated “Charity Wall” with raffle prizes that attendees could donate to throughout the week. Winners of each of the raffle items were announced at the event’s conclusion.
In total, TD SYNNEX CommunitySolv members helped pack more than 500 STEM bags and donated more than $7,000 from our Charity Wall raffle. Thank you to all who helped make a difference!
Video Highlights
Interview with Kaye McMillan and Tim Bynarowicz:
Full Event Highlights:
Day One Reel:
Day Two Reel:
Vendor Pavilion:
Game Zone Evening Activity:
Closing Reception:
Thank you to all of our amazing CommunitySolv members, sponsors, staff and co-workers who made CommunitySolv Fall 2023 such a success. A special thank you to the Palm Springs and Palm Desert for your tremendous hospitality throughout the week! To learn more about TD SYNNEX CommunitySolv, click here.
