…Until You Start Looking at the People
If someone asked me what telecom events are like, I could probably describe almost every one of them before even arriving.
There will be impressive booths, giant LED screens, ambitious slogans, countless product demonstrations, and enough coffee to keep an entire industry awake. There will be conference sessions, networking dinners, the occasional awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of companies and people across our industry, and, of course, panel discussions.
Someone will be explaining how AI is transforming telecommunications. Someone else will be discussing fraud prevention, RCS, network evolution, or the future of messaging. From time to time, I also step onto the stage to share my own perspective, whenever I feel the discussion can genuinely benefit from it. Then it’s back to packed meeting calendars, last-minute schedule changes, wondering which city I’m waking up in, and discovering that my smartwatch was right after all – you really can walk 20,000 steps without ever leaving the exhibition hall.
On paper, every event looks remarkably similar.
And yet, after more than twenty-five years in this industry, I still look forward to every single one.
This year alone, I have had the opportunity to attend events in Dubai, Barcelona, Miami, and Berlin. Different cities, different venues, different organizers – but every trip reminded me of the same thing.
The real value of these events has very little to do with the exhibition itself.
It has everything to do with the people.
The Best Meetings Are Usually the Ones You Didn’t Schedule
Like everyone else, I arrive with a calendar full of meetings planned weeks in advance.
Those meetings matter. They are the reason we travel. But if I think back to the conversations I remember most, surprisingly few happened around the meeting table.
Some started while waiting for coffee. Some happened walking from one hall to another because both of us were running late for different meetings. Some continued over dinner long after the exhibition closed. Others continued over a good cigar, where the conversation often shifted from business to family, travel, or simply – life.
Those conversations rarely have an agenda. They simply happen. And quite often, they become the most valuable part of the trip.
The Telecom Industry Is Much Smaller Than It Looks
One thing that always makes me smile is how often you meet the same people all over the world.
You discuss a project in Dubai. A month later, you continue the conversation in Barcelona. A few weeks later, you find yourselves sharing coffee in Washington or Berlin as if no time has passed at all.
Our industry spans every continent, yet it often feels surprisingly small.
Over time, business relationships become friendships. Customers become long-term partners. Competitors become familiar faces you genuinely enjoy catching up with. That continuity is something I have always appreciated about the messaging industry.
Celebrating Each Other Matters Too
Another thing I have come to appreciate over the years is that our industry doesn’t only gather to discuss the future. Every now and then, we also pause to recognize what has already been achieved.
Between the exhibitions, conference sessions and countless meetings, there is often another occasion that brings people together: an awards ceremony. Although these celebrations are usually held alongside major conferences, they create a completely different atmosphere. For one evening, discussions about products, competition and market trends give way to celebrating innovation, dedication and the people behind it.
Naturally, every company is proud to be recognized. But what I enjoy most is simply looking around the room. You see customers, partners, competitors, suppliers and friends standing on the same stage, celebrating achievements that continue moving our industry forward.
It is one of the few moments when competition quietly steps aside and appreciation takes its place.
Those moments remind me that while we may build different businesses, we are all contributing to the same ecosystem. And for an evening, that shared purpose becomes more visible than the competition itself.
The Best Ideas Still Begin with a Conversation
One of the reasons I continue attending these events after so many years is that no two conversations are ever quite the same.
Some give you a new perspective. Others simply confirm that the challenges you’re facing are shared by everyone else. Occasionally, a brief discussion over coffee turns into an idea that influences a product decision months later.
People often assume the biggest source of inspiration comes from keynote presentations. Sometimes it does. But in my experience, the most valuable insights usually emerge in conversation.
They come from listening to how operators approach new regulations, hearing how customers solve similar challenges in completely different ways, learning how another company has adapted to changing market conditions, or understanding concerns before they become industry-wide trends.
No report, presentation or market analysis can fully replace those exchanges.
Technology evolves quickly, but ideas still travel one conversation at a time.
We All Build Technology. We Are Also Building Relationships.
When people look at telecom events from the outside, they often see products.
Platforms. Networks. APIs. Artificial intelligence…
I see those too.
But after many years, I have come to believe that our industry is ultimately built on something much simpler.
Trust.
Every partnership starts with a conversation. Every customer relationship begins with people getting to know each other.
Technology may bring us together. People are what make us stay connected.
Perhaps that is why, despite the flights, the time zones, and the inevitable jet lag, I never really get tired of these events. They remind me that behind every company logo is a person trying to solve problems, grow a business, and build something meaningful.
And those conversations never become repetitive.
Looking Ahead
Fortunately, there are still several events ahead this year, taking me from Bali and Madrid to Marbella and Muscat.
I’m sure each event will have its own character. Some will revolve around exhibitions, others around conference sessions, panel discussions, or industry awards. The branding will be different, and perhaps the coffee will be better in some places than others.
But if the past twenty-five years have taught me anything, it’s that what stays with you long after the event is over is rarely the venue, the presentations, or even the business cards you collected.
It’s the conversations.
It’s the ideas you didn’t expect.
And, above all, it’s the people.
Because after all these years, I still believe that every event may look similar at first.
Until you start looking at the people.
Fabrizio Salanitri
Founder & CEO, HORISEN
