It’s just a few weeks until the spring PASS On Tour Chicago 2026. This is a smaller version of the PASS Summit that will be coming to Seattle in November and has been running for 26 years each fall. Myself and many other data professionals have found immeasurable value from the time we’ve spent with others at these events.

Connect. Share. Learn.

That’s the motto that PASS adopted many years ago, and I love it. We get to network with each other, talk about our experiences, challenges, and struggles, and hopefully find a way past them. We are stronger as a team, and the synergies that come from people working together allow us to accomplish more than we ever would alone.

The PASS Summit has been an event at which this has happened, and I’ve been very lucky to attend most of them. I’ve learned lots of tips and tricks in sessions, but much more by talking with others before or after the presentations. I’ve been inspired by others and warned about walking down paths where people have struggled. All of the knowledge shared with me has helped grow my career across the last 26 years.

In 2025 there were 3 tour events, and I was able to attend all of them. They were small, but I still had ample opportunities to connect with others, learn from them, share with them, and get out to a few dinners with friends who didn’t plan on coming to Seattle, but they made one of the regional events.

This year there is just one tour stop in the US. May 7-8 in Chicago, and I get to go again. There’s a fantastic lineup of speakers, some great pre-cons, all at a relatively cheap price compared to many other data events. Chicago is easy to get to and it’s not too expensive to spend a few days in one of America’s classic cities.

I hope you’ll join me in Chicago. It’s short notice, but there are still chances to join, and I’ve got a discount code if you ping me 😉

Steve Jones