A love letter to MISA
I'm back in the office after a tremendous three days at the MISA Ontario conference in London, and I can't tell you what a good time I had.
Winning a special recognition award might be colouring my judgement right now, but the value of being part of the MISA community continues to blow me away. Receiving the award was a total shock, a lovely surprise, and a blessing that left me speechless - which, as you'll know, is not a frequent occurrence.
So here's what I should have said:
This is my 21st MISA Ontario conference. That's a lot of hangovers - but more than that, the connections I've made, the things I've learned, the relationships and friendships I've built over those 21 years are remarkable.
To me, the value of MISA is the value of community. A real community - one that shares experiences, solutions, and answers openly. One that welcomes new people, is honest about its challenges, and recognises that a problem shared is a problem halved.
That value also lives in MISA being a melting pot: large and small, urban and rural, strategic and deeply technical, executive to technician, highly sophisticated to early in the journey. It doesn't matter where you sit - there's something for everyone. You'll find your crowd, and you'll learn from them and from the wider community.
MISA is fundamentally about creating and sustaining connections. Everyone heads back to their respective towns and cities after a conference or event, but the connection to the MISA community lasts. You're no longer the only municipal IT professional in your community - you're a municipal IT professional in a network of communities, all sharing and learning from each other.
This is a special and precious thing. Something that makes our industry better and stronger. Something we should preserve, bolster, and protect.
We love being part of this community and helping others discover its value - and Perry Group will continue to support MISA in any and every way we can.
Thank you for this award, and thank you to MISA and all its members for allowing us to be part of this great community.