{"id":3279,"date":"2013-09-30T18:35:00","date_gmt":"2013-09-30T18:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/2013\/09\/30\/the-first-nlpa-conference-was-a-rockin-procurement-success\/"},"modified":"2021-07-08T06:57:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T10:57:56","slug":"the-first-nlpa-conference-was-rockin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/the-first-nlpa-conference-was-rockin\/","title":{"rendered":"The First NLPA Conference Was A Rockin’ Procurement Success!"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Earlier this month, the Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA) held our first annual conference.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been to many procurement conferences in our day and we know that most of them are boring.\u00a0 We know that most of them feature the same tired speakers and topics year after year after year.\u00a0 We know that most of them are very impersonal and lack the spirit necessary for attendees to make true, lasting professional connections.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss updates on Procurement & Supply Chain, Subscribe here!<\/p>\n

So, we set out to do something different.<\/p>\n

What we came up with was \u201cThe NLPA Conference 2013:\u00a0 Make Procurement Rock!\u201d<\/p>\n

This event, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 12th and 13th,\u00a0was designed to be more educational than\u00a0any other procurement event of its kind.\u00a0 It was designed to\u00a0help attendees network in a personal environment like never before.\u00a0 And it was designed to be fun.<\/p>\n

From what attendees have told us, we accomplished our mission!\u00a0 Here are a few highlights\u2026<\/p>\n

Each keynote speech and\u00a0workshop was given a \u201crock-n-roll\u201d title that tied into the theme of the presentation.<\/p>\n

The conference kicked off with a keynote speech by yours truly entitled \u201cWelcome To The Jungle:\u00a0 New Procurement Challenges of Today & The Next Five Years.\u201d\u00a0 In this presentation, I reviewed how some shocking world events have\u00a0led to some imminent changes in the way that\u00a0international procurement\u00a0will\u00a0be done; how\u00a0a great sourcing\u00a0strategy can actually be a competitive advantage that helps your company sell more of its products and services; and how cultural changes such as same-sex marriage legalization, the emergence of digital wallets, and consumers\u2019 increasing (and rewarded) willingness to pre-pay suppliers are all going to reshape the way procurement is done in the future.\u00a0 I\u00a0also believe that I became the first procurement\u00a0conference speaker to\u00a0use the word \u201ctwerking\u201d in a presentation and also the first to incorporate a quote\u00a0from Axl Rose!<\/p>\n

The first day featured some incredible workshops, with highlights being \u201cI Still Haven\u2019t Found What I\u2019m Looking For:\u00a0 Making A Good Supplier Better Through Sustainable Supplier Development,\u201d presented by David Hargraves, Vice President of Clinical Sourcing for UPMC; \u201cAnother Brick In The Wall:\u00a0 Building A Strong Foundation With Supply Management Ethics\u201d by Irene Marnell, Senior Director of the Vendor Management Office for National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; and \u201cMore Than A Feeling:\u00a0 Negotiating Value-Added Services Into Supplier Contracts,\u201d by Lunney Advisory Group president and co-author of The Procurement Game Plan<\/em>, Dr. Soheila Lunney.<\/p>\n

The lunch session of the first day featured a brilliant keynote speech by Ardent Partners\u2019 Chief Research Officer (and former Aberdeen procurement guru), Andrew Bartolini.\u00a0 Bartolini reviewed how far procurement technology tools have come and what he envisions for the future.\u00a0 It was extremely thought provoking, to say the least!<\/p>\n

While the day was full of learning, attendees got to let loose at night at the Pittsburgh Hard Rock Caf\u00e9, where they were treated to live music from the band, Lucky Me, and got to indulge in amazing appetizers, including those available at the Make-Your-Own Nacho Bar and extremely unique Klondike Sundae Bar.\u00a0 And to top off the night, I joined Lucky Me on stage where I surprised the crowd by shredding Billy Idol\u2019s \u201cRebel Yell\u201d on guitar.\u00a0 By the resulting ovation, I knew that the crowd approved of a procurement event that was not only top-notch in its educational quality, but also fun!<\/p>\n

We got back to business on Day 2 with more great workshops, including \u201c\u201dGreat Balls of Fire:\u00a0 Creating Supply Risk Plans For Likely And Unlikely Events,\u201d presented by Catherine Herr, Senior Director of Global Manufacturing Procurement for Eli Lilly; \u201c25 or 6 to 4:\u00a0 Purchasing Metrics That Make Sense,\u201d presented by Paulo Moretti, a consultant from\u00a0Vantage Partners; and a stimulating and interactive panel discussion featuring myself, Bartolini, and Nancy Alderson, Director of Procurement for Meggitt.<\/p>\n

The final keynote speech was delivered by CEO of Value Vantage Partners, Christopher Provines.\u00a0 His presentation, entitled \u201cWe\u2019re Not Gonna Take It:\u00a0 How The Supply Base Is Moving To Value-Based Competition & How Procurement Must Prepare For It,\u201d gave the crowd shocking new insights into how suppliers are changing the way they price their products and services and how procurement professionals can change the way they negotiate in order to stay on top.<\/p>\n

I tried to shake as many attendees\u2019 hands as possible as they departed the NLPA Conference 2013.\u00a0 The overwhelmingly positive feedback they shared about the conference was so rewarding.\u00a0 And while many attendees told me that this was the best procurement conference they had ever attended, the NLPA team left the conference with many lessons learned and new ideas that are sure to make next year\u2019s NLPA Conference even better!<\/p>\n

Watch for an announcement of the NLPA Conference 2014 very, very soon!<\/p>\n

In the mean time, you can check out photos from the conference on our Facebook page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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