We're excited to return to Coupa Inspire, this time as a sponsor, to celebrate our first year on the Coupa App Marketplace. We're sending our best and brightest to the conference to discuss market intelligence for procurement, AI, digital transformation best practices, and future integrations for ProcurementIQ.
We just wrapped up a webinar with Amanda Prochaska at Wonder Services, where she and ProcurementIQ's own Lou Alexander discussed how to ensure what you learn at conferences becomes actionable change, as well as digital transformation best practices and what you should have on your checklist before implementing new technologies or change.
We highly recommend checking out Amanda and Lou's webinar for your conference prep, which you can view here. One of the things Amanda recommended prior to Inspire is to review the speaker list through the conference app and select who you might be interested in learning more from. By making your "must meet" list, you can ensure you attend their sessions and follow-up during or after the conference with those you were inspired by the most.
Amanda also made sure to highlight the cross-networking opportunities at Coupa. Of course, everyone wants to listen to the CPO keynote speakers and make connections with the titans in our field, but it's rare to have so many other talented procurement practitioners in one place. Make sure you connect with and learn from your peers. You might find their practices and insights just as useful as the keynote speakers', and you never know who might become the next great procurement pioneer!
Amanda and Lou didn't just talk about the conference, however, so even if you're not going make sure to check out their talk on best practices for change and how to implement new technologies. One of the unique solutions for change management Amanda presented was how Wonder Services defines key internal stakeholders responsible for successful change or tool adoption. Wonder Services groups key stakeholders according to a set of personas and how leadership can effectively engage those stakeholders based on their persona.
For the full list of stakeholder personas by Wonder Services, check out the webinar.
Which keynote speakers at Coupa Inspire should you see?
One of the biggest opportunities to learn at Coupa Inspire comes from the lineup of procurement innovators, executives, and thought leaders serving as keynote speakers. While every session will have great speakers and lessons to impart, these are the ones we're looking forward to the most:
Tuesday, April 23
Conquering Today's Confidence Crisis
8:45 - 10:15 AM
All of us are looking for insights, reliability, and stability. We’re desperate for answers and seeking solace in our decision making. But we’re plagued by an uncontrollable virus that’s attacking our confidence – in the markets, AI, data, and the geopolitical world at large. We’re facing a confidence crisis.
Join Coupa CEO Leagh Turner and CPO Fang Chang and Coupa customer leaders from RingCentral, Hilton and Danone to hear how we’re partnering to unlock AI’s potential and overcome the confidence crisis. Get a first look at new AI-driven platform innovations to help you seize control, stifle risk, and deliver durable, profitable growth.
Supply Chain Keynote: How to Accelerate Agility, Promote Profitability, and Sharpen Sustainability
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT
You lead your supply chain organization to reach higher profit margins. You push to achieve excellence in the face of irregularities, inconsistencies, and ever-changing realities on the ground. You’re grappling with what AI means for supply chains. And you see a responsibility to protect the future of your business with a lens toward sustainability. It’s no cakewalk. But it is possible. And you can catalyze the change required.
Hear from Microsoft about how they’re leveraging Coupa to predict, plan, pivot, and optimize for profitability and sustainability. Get an exclusive look at Coupa’s vision for AI-driven digital planning and orchestration and new innovations to equip you to fulfill your potential.
Sourcing, Procurement, and Finance: Partnering for Bottom-Line Impact
1:30 - 2:15 PM
Facing high inflation and economic uncertainty, Procurement and Finance leaders must work together to identify every opportunity to improve margins. In this session you'll understand how to seize these opportunities using your BSM platform.
Utilizing Sourcing Technology and Game Theory to Improve Negotiation Outcomes
4:00 - 4:45 PM
Many organizations tend to overpay within their procurement spend because suppliers do not have the right incentives to lower their prices. Traditional negotiation techniques accompanied by recent inflationary trends have prevented buyers from taking advantage of the leverage in their supply base and prices have remained high, leaving value on the table. The good news is game theory can help. In this session, you will learn the fundamentals of game theory, best practices for applying it throughout your sourcing process, and how it can help buyers gain the upper hand in their negotiations and drive value.
Wednesday, April 24
Keynote | Break the Mold: Fueling Innovative Thinking to Drive Transformation
8:45 - 10:30 AM
Transformation. We all seek it. We’re all tasked to achieve it. We’re also all curious about technology's role to accelerate it. But we cannot rely on technology alone. It takes purpose. It takes taking risks. It takes tenacity. It takes challenging traditional ways of thinking. It takes courage to pursue something that might sound crazy. This is what the Coupa community is all about.
Leadership Panel: Profit-Building Strategies for Navigating Market Fluctuations and the AI Frenzy
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
How do you build a profitable and high-growth business that can not only withstand, but thrive in today's constantly fluctuating macroeconomic environment? Even though interest rates appear to be stabilizing, and immediate concerns about a recession have subsided -- business leaders are reluctant to trust any sign of steady operations. Labor markets are still tight, and constantly emerging AI advancements bring about new challenges to ensure you’re embracing the technology strategically and responsibly.
Join this engaging panel discussion where industry experts share how they're shaping and shifting business strategies, balancing trade offs, and making smarter decisions for their business.
Invest in Women & Accelerate Progress - An Authentic Conversation
1:30 - 2:15 PM
Join this session and you’ll learn how three female leaders from Topgolf, Synchrony Financial, and Owens & Minor carved their own paths to success. They’ll share their personal stories on taking initiative, gaining recognition, and ultimately becoming trusted advisors in male-dominated industries. You’ll walk away with a renewed point of view on what it means to lead, how to take control of your own journey, and how to serve as an ally for the professional development of women.
What else should you attend at Coupa Inspire?
Beyond the keynote speakers and networking opportunities, there's plenty of other items to get excited for at Coupa Inspire. Here's a couple of our favorites:
Coupa Morning Run | Tuesday, April 23| 6:30 - 7:30 AM
Need to get your cardio in before heading over to the keynote sessions? Want to see if you can keep up with former NFL athlete and ProcurementIQ's own head of revenue, Lou Alexander? Register for this early morning run to kick off your day on the right foot!
Community Village
Tuesday, April 23 | 10:15 AM - 5:00 PM and Wednesday, April 24 | 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Interested in talking to ProcurementIQ's best and brightest, as well as our own procurement practitioner in residence? We'll be at the Community Village taking digital transformation, AI in procurement, market intelligence best practices, and more. We'll have cool merch--like custom procurement hats, tote bags, golf divots, and more--for anyone who stops by.
Actionable Insights
Coupa Inspire is an ideal platform to connect with the brightest in the procurement world, as well as tool providers. Networking is a crucial aspect of any industry event, and here's how you can make the most of it:
- Strategic Preparation: Before the event, research like-minded attendees and speakers, creating a targeted list of contacts to approach.
- Active Engagement: Participate in discussions! Ask questions, initiate conversations, exchange contact information, and don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect and share insights with your peers.
- Post-Event Follow-Up: Don’t forget to maintain your new connections by following up with your new friends and seek collaborations beyond the conference. If you see a tool or strategy you like, bring it back to your internal stakeholders, discuss the solution or strategy, and explore what it would take to implement. Don’t let all the ideas generated at the conference slip away two weeks after the event is over.
ProcurementIQ is proud to sponsor and partner with events like these, furthering our mission to provide invaluable solutions to the best and brightest procurement leaders around.
Follow ProcurementIQ on LinkedIn to get notified of the latest procurement news and market developments from our experts to yours.
