Tomorrow is our annual Diamond Research Conference.  

We’ve been doing this for more than a decade now, which is a little hard to believe. The idea behind it was pretty simple from the beginning: get smart people in a room together and create the opportunity for good conversations.

Over the course of the day, we’ll hear from senior management teams and portfolio managers, talk about what they’re seeing inside their businesses and across the markets, and probably spend just as much time talking in the hallways and over coffee. And that last part has always mattered to me.

There’s obviously value in hearing any one of these individuals or teams present. But often it’s the question someone asks afterward, the conversation that continues over lunch or the different perspective you hear that stays with you. I think that’s one of the reasons Diamond has become such a well-attended day on the calendar.

People are busy and there’s no shortage of conferences, calls, reports and opinions competing for everyone’s attention. So the fact that people continue to show up for this one, year after year, means a lot to me.

This year we’ll finish the day with a smaller dinner and fireside conversation with CIBC President and CEO Harry Culham. I’m looking forward to that conversation, and to the ones that will happen around the table.

After more than a decade, the event has certainly grown and the markets have changed. The whole world has changed. And the conversations we're having today aren't the ones we were having when we started. I can tell you though, the reason for doing it really hasn't.

Bringing good people together and asking good questions and listening to what they have to say. It’s where some of the best thinking happens, and a good reminder that we really are better together.