Jordan Neave - 3 Career Lessons from Attending a FIDI Conference

Attending a FIDI conference has shaped how I show up in this industry. It is a rare space where professional development meets real friendship, and where you walk away with more than business cards; you walk away with people you can rely on. The first FIDI conference I attended was Edinburgh, 2023, and it was an experience like no other I have had in the industry, despite growing up in it. Here are three lessons that have had the biggest impact on my career so far.

1. Your Network Should Feel Like a Support System, not a Rolodex

What really stood out when I attended the FIDI conference was how quickly the environment turns strangers into genuine allies. Something happens when you spend a few days learning together, debating ideas, and sharing the day-to-day realities of the job; the connections become real. These are the people I can call when something unexpected hits my workflow or I need a sounding board for a tricky situation. The conference setting builds that trust faster than anything else, and the relationships I have walked away with have ended up being some of the most reliable resources in my career and, more importantly, friends for life.

2. Collaboration Outperforms Competition Every Time

FIDI brings together industry leaders who, on paper, may be competitors. Yet the smartest players recognise that cross-border collaboration drives operational excellence and customer-centric innovation faster than doing it alone. I have experienced, first-hand, that by tapping into shared intelligence, you create scalable solutions that position you as a strategic partner; not just another supplier.

3. Continuous Learning Is the Ultimate Differentiator

The industry is transforming at pace: tech adoption, evolving mobility trends, and shifting customer expectations. FIDI conferences offer more than a setting to meet with partners; panel debates and seminars offer high-value insights that I’ve held onto and infused in my day-to-day to stay ahead of the curve. Being fully integrated in this space has shown me that leaders who actively engage, challenge assumptions, and refine their playbook gain a decisive competitive edge in career progression and in their market. 

So, to sum it up… 

I feel that each FIDI conference truly reinforces that this industry is built on people first. The content has shaped my thinking, but the conversations shaped my career. When you surround yourself with peers who challenge you, support you, and push you to raise your game, the long-term impact goes well beyond a single event. For me, it has built a foundation for how I want to lead, grow, and contribute to the future of our industry. With a personal obsession for continuous learning, the main thing that I have taken with me from the FIDI conference is that by being told ‘something’, you forget it, by being taught ‘something’ you may not remember it, but by being involved in that ‘something’, you will learn and you will grow. This has been, and will continue to be, my experience of immersing myself into the FIDI conference experience.