Just spent three days in Newport, Rhode Island, at FISD’s World Financial Information Conference - WFIC.  This is the largest financial market data event in the world.

One of the problems that many of us have in our day-jobs today is trying to have a meaningful conversation with someone else in our organisation about the work that we do.  Very often in today’s thinned-out, light-and-fit businesses, we are the only person who does our job.  Other people in the firm don’t really know (or have any interest in) the details of what we do, and we can’t exactly pop over to a competitor and have a chat with our opposite number about business, problems and issues, can we?

That’s why WFIC is such a great event.  The people who run the market data business for banks, brokers, exchanges and data vendors are all there.  It only takes place every two years, and it really is a unique opportunity to do business and to get updated on all the most important themes around the market data space.  And at a global level too, with around 370 people there from all around the world.

In between the every-two-years WFICs, FISD runs regular meetings in the USA and in Europe, with additional meetings in Asia/Pac as well (the next one out there will be in Shanghai in October).  In each region you get to know the other people in the market data business locally, but WFIC is the one chance to look at the “big picture” and catch up with all of those people from the far-flung corners of the business.

The next WFIC will be in 2009, somewhere in the European time zone.

And by the way – the social events are great too!