Ten Days in Nashville: Community Summit, X++, AI, and a Little of America
I spent several busy days in Nashville, attending Community Summit North America 2026 and delivering a 90-minute session. I joined sessions, met people from many companies across the industry, and saw the scale of the Microsoft business applications ecosystem in the US firsthand. After the event, I also had the chance to explore Nashville and the surrounding region, experiencing both city life and a side of America beyond its major cities.
In this post, I want to step away from the technical details for a while and share what stayed with me from the trip. Of course, a little X++, AI, and a few industry observations will still find their way in. An occupational hazard, I suppose.
With friends at Community Summit.
A special thank you to Elif Item for organizing the gathering and for the photo. It was lovely to see her and catch up.
From Istanbul to Chicago, then on to Nashville
My journey began with a flight from Istanbul to Chicago. After a long flight came entry into the US, followed by the connection to Nashville. Between the time difference, airports, and connecting flights, you eventually start to lose track of what time of day it is.
On this trip, Chicago was mainly a connection point for me. The real destination was Nashville, Tennessee.
There is always a familiar sense of anticipation when heading to an event: Who will we meet? What will people be talking about? How will the session go? This time, I was also looking forward to getting to know the US community better.
On the journey from Istanbul to Nashville.
Nashville: A city with music woven into everyday life
It is impossible to talk about Nashville without mentioning country music. Here, music feels like part of everyday life, extending well beyond an evening out.
You feel this most strongly on Broadway. Live music venues stand side by side, with different sounds spilling out through their doors, neon signs overhead, and crowds filling the street. Walk a few steps and the music changes. Lower Broadway, in particular, is one of the centers of the city’s live music culture.
Even if you do not follow country music closely, it is easy to get drawn into the atmosphere. The musicians’ performances, the way people connect with the music, and the energy on the street give the city a character of its own.
Talking technology at the conference during the day and listening to live music on Broadway in the evening was one of the pleasures of the trip.
A view of Broadway.
Gaylord Opryland: A world of its own
The event took place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. It is difficult to convey the scale of this place through photographs.
The complex goes far beyond what you would normally expect from a hotel and convention center. Under its glass roofs are expansive gardens, walking paths, water features, waterfalls, restaurants, and distinct areas to explore. You are indoors, yet in some places it almost feels as though you are walking outside. The resort has around nine acres, or 36,000 square meters, of indoor gardens and atriums.
The conference rooms, exhibition space, and different parts of the hotel add up to an enormous complex. After walking around for a while, you understand why an event of this size is held here.
For me, the venue itself became one of the places worth exploring on the trip.
The indoor gardens beneath Gaylord Opryland’s glass roofs.
Community Summit and the scale of the ecosystem
One of the things that impressed me most during Community Summit was the size of the Microsoft business applications ecosystem in the US.
Nearly 6,000 attendees, hundreds of companies exhibiting, sessions running in parallel, and constant opportunities to meet new people. There is an extensive ecosystem around Dynamics 365, existing Dynamics products, Power Platform, reporting, integration, industry solutions, and, of course, AI.
You get a clearer sense of that scale as you walk around the exhibition floor. Sometimes you come across a product focused on a very specific need. Behind it, you find a team, an established customer base, and a business that has been operating for years.
It was interesting to see needs that we might address through a customization within a project becoming standalone products and companies here. The size of the market supports specialization and the development of products around particular problems.
It also made me look again at the work we do at DMR and the product ideas we have been considering. Alongside our technical capabilities, how we turn our work into products and bring them to a wider market matters just as much.
Scenes from Community Summit and the exhibition floor.
Some areas where Türkiye is further ahead
Seeing this scale was impressive. During my conversations, though, I also noticed that Türkiye is quite advanced in certain business processes.
In particular, some of the companies I spoke with still relied on more manual work than I expected for invoicing, document generation, and moving documents through business processes. Practices we now take for granted can still represent significant, unresolved needs elsewhere.
In Türkiye, we have been working with systems such as e-Fatura and e-Arşiv for years. We sometimes talk about the challenges these processes bring, but seeing how things work in other markets helps you appreciate the experience they have given us.
Of course, a handful of conversations cannot represent the whole of the US. Even so, it was a useful reminder not to underestimate our own experience. Some of the problems we have already solved in Türkiye still offer substantial opportunities for expertise and products in other countries.
A 90-minute X++ session and AI demos
One of the highlights of the trip for me was delivering “Deep Dive into Dynamics 365 FO Development.”
For 90 minutes, we discussed development in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. We covered issues we encounter in real projects, development approaches, architecture, performance, and long-term maintainability.
I was particularly pleased by the strong interest in the demos showing how AI can be used in development.
Recently, I have been experimenting extensively with ways to use AI in X++ development. You see the benefits in your own working environment as you prepare these examples. Showing them to developers from different countries and seeing their reactions is a different experience altogether.
The audience’s interest reinforced how much demand there is for practical examples. It is easy to talk about what AI might be able to do; demonstrating how it fits into everyday development work makes the discussion much more concrete.
That response gave me fresh motivation to share my experiments more regularly. It was encouraging to see that the topics we are working on are also on the minds of developers elsewhere in the world.
A moment from one of the Summit sessions.
Being part of the MVP community
Another thing I appreciated at the event was the recognition given to the MVP community.
You can feel the respect for the knowledge sharing and community contributions behind the MVP title. People approach you to hear about your experience, ask for your perspective on a topic, or discuss a problem they are facing.
Meeting people you have followed for years, getting to know other MVPs, and talking with people working on similar challenges are some of the best parts of these events.
It feels good to see the value of years spent writing, teaching, and sharing what you learn recognized in this setting. Being part of this community from Türkiye and contributing our own experience was especially meaningful to me.
Together with friends and fellow community members during the event.
The conversations continue after the sessions
The evening events were an important part of Summit, too. They gave us time for longer conversations with people we had only briefly met during the day.
Sometimes those conversations turned technical. Sometimes we discussed how our companies work, and sometimes we simply talked about everyday life. These moments have a value of their own when it comes to getting to know people and building relationships naturally.
The closing Diamond Rio concert at the Grand Ole Opry was a perfect fit for the Nashville experience. Seeing so many people who had come together for technology enjoying music in the same auditorium that evening became another lovely memory from the week.
The closing evening at the Grand Ole Opry.
Opry Mills, the Smoky Mountains, Cherokee, and Ruby Falls
After the busy conference schedule, we made some time to explore. Opry Mills was among our stops in Nashville. We then headed toward the Great Smoky Mountains and Cherokee.
The atmosphere of the trip changed as we left the city. After conference rooms and crowded events, it felt good to spend time in nature, see different towns, and enjoy the journey itself.
Our visit to Cherokee was another memorable stop. We often follow America through its major cities, companies, and technology industry. Learning about Indigenous peoples’ history and seeing the places where they live today offers another perspective on the country.
I enjoyed having the chance to explore both Nashville and the surrounding region. Within just a few days, we encountered quite different settings and ways of life.
Ruby Falls was also on our itinerary. Although the event had brought me here, it was lovely to make time for places such as the Smoky Mountains, Cherokee, and Ruby Falls. These outings after the conference added another dimension to the trip.
Ruby Falls, one of the stops on our route.
From our Smoky Mountains and Cherokee trip. (1)
A glimpse of America beyond the major cities
One of the things I was curious about on this trip was everyday life outside America’s major cities.
The houses we passed, the spread-out towns and neighborhoods, the distances, and the role of the car in daily life all caught my attention. Compared with life in Istanbul, there are many differences, from how space is used to how people get around.
I think that is part of the pleasure of visiting somewhere new. Alongside the sights, you become curious about how people live, where they shop, and how they relate to their surroundings.
I cannot claim to know a country after a ten-day trip. But the places we visited added new details to my picture of America.
Scenes from the journey and places beyond the major cities.
Enjoying the journey with the Docentric team
One of the things that made this trip special was the time I spent with the Docentric team.
At work and when traveling, I am usually one of the people making plans, keeping track of things, or taking responsibility. This time, for the first time in quite a while, I was able to go with the flow and enjoy the journey without thinking about every detail.
It was lovely to explore, share meals, talk, and spend time together outside the event. Developing friendships like these with people you initially meet through technical work is one of the best things this community has given me.
My thanks again to everyone on the Docentric team for such a wonderful week. They are part of many of my favorite memories from the trip.
One of the evenings we spent with the Docentric team.
Heading home
I came home with new knowledge, new connections, business ideas to think about, and plenty of good memories.
Community Summit gave me a closer look at the Microsoft business applications ecosystem in the US. It was an opportunity to consider our own work in a different context and at a different scale. I saw areas where we still have plenty to learn, as well as others where we have substantial experience to share.
The interest in the AI demos during my session was another highlight. I returned with renewed energy to keep experimenting and sharing what I learn.
Nashville’s music, the Smoky Mountains trip, and the time we spent together added to the experience.
It was a full and memorable ten days, and a trip whose photos I will enjoy looking back through.
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