procureconwest.wbresearch.com/

I thought the conference was well done, but I do have some feedback. I think there should be more working sessions like the first morning where they are more open dialogue with other people who support the same categories you are in. there are multiple that I would have liked to go to, but I only had time for one. I also loved Libby Spears. She was a phenomenal speaker and her message really resonated.

Content was better than prior two years. Venue was a little out of the way and secluded in comparison to prior years, but can understand why this venue may have been selected.

Very nice conference; everyone was very nice and accommodating; heard that the sessions were very relevant. More protein at breakfast and breaks would be appreciated.

ProcureCon Indirect consistently delivers great content, access to new suppliers that I am not familiar with, and networking opportunities with my peers. There is room for improvement however. 1. The venue was not ideal. It was a long and expensive cab ride from the airport. While being on the beach offers beautiful scenery, I am there to work. A nice hotel closer to the airport would be preferable. Also, the outdoor luncheons were not as enjoyable as they could have been because of how bright and hot the sun was. For the price of the rooms, the hotel was a little "tired" looking and overdue for a renovation. 2. I would prefer that sponsor suppliers who give presentations be required to present a successful use case with one of their customers using their solution. I do want to hear from the suppliers present, but only in the context of a customer problem that was solved by implementing that suppliers solution. 3. The best content is delivered via PowerPoint presentations and Working Group sessions where the audience can take notes and receive the slides from those sessions. 4. The presentation formats that I don't benefit that much from are Panel Discussions and Roundtable Groups. Because there are no PowerPoint decks or handouts or someone taking notes, the audience can only listen to speakers who share experiences about situations that may or many not resonate with me. Specifically with regard to Panels, the success of this format depends on how well the facilitator/moderator has done their homework in preparing meaningful question topics for the panel to address. I thought Michael Shaw did a better than average job as moderator of one panel. The other panel that I actually got something out of was the one Walt Charles sat on where he shared simple but profound advice that the audience could take to heart. Otherwise there wasn't any other valuable information I gleaned from a panel discussion. 5. Regarding Roundtables, I find them to be a total waste of time. There is no specific agenda for the roundtables and the discussion ends up centering around the people who talk the most. Usually there are too many people around the table to have a meaningful dialogue and it is hard to hear what folks across the table are saying with so much background noise from other groups talking at the same time. I go to the Roundtables hoping I will hear a potential solution to a problem that might help my company but the conversation rambles to so many topics that I can't believe anyone gets anything out of them. 6. Finally, I want to address the content topics covered this year. I thought that the subject matter was relevant and timely. There was some overlap between sessions and presenters. For example, there was a Working Group on GPOs and a presentation by CoreTrust on the same topic. I also think that when making assignments for Working Groups or breakout presentations, offering the same topics at a later time allows folks who might be interested in attending two sessions but can only be in one place at a time, to have the opportunity to not have to choose. For example, there were two Working Group sessions. If the same topics were covered in both sessions, more folks could have participated in each topic discussion and the summary presentations later would not have run over the allotted time, which affected the rest of the day's schedule after that. I have tried to be specific with my feedback but I don't want to end without saying that ProcureCon Indirect is still the best conference for procurement leaders responsible for indirect spend. I wish there had been some content on Legal procurement and more sessions on Marketing procurement because these are really hard areas for Procurement to gain traction. Overall a great conference with great speakers this year.

Overall conference my objectives, with several value delivery or process improvement opportunities provided via the diverse mix of practioners and vendors in attendance. I was disappointed in the small turnout for day three, but pleased with the value of roundtables held that day.