Our Top 10 Reasons to
Attend Supply Summit & Showcase
Being there will help you make good business decisions. We’re tackling topics like changes to the equipment distribution model, robotics in manufacturing, and the agriculture economy. Hearing from—and talking to—experts on these subjects leads to better strategy.
Good things come when you can clear your head. Matt Westendorf, an Association board member and general manager at Westendorf Manufacturing, says it is tough to make the time, but “as soon as you get to a meeting, you realize that when you step away from your day-to-day work, important things come out. Your mind clears, you hear what others in the industry are doing … it just gives you a broad approach and a bigger picture.”
Omaha is easy. Flights are abundant and affordable. It’s an easy drive for Midwesterners, and while you’re on the road, you can visit your dealers. Then there’s the steaks.
You’ll find solutions to problems. We hear stories every year of a manufacturer meeting a supplier at the product showcase and stumbling onto a game-changing solution. Former Association president John Tye with Lubbock Fastener Supply describes it like this: “You walk by a table and look at something, and you say, ‘That’s the sort of thing we are looking for, but it needs to be like this. Can you make it like this?’ In most cases, the answer is ‘If you want to buy it, we can make it.’”
Let’s be honest, your golf game needs work. Practice your swing while you talk about the price of steel or finding the best people in a tough labor market.
Relationships are the key to success, and this meeting is about relationships. Long-time Association member Don Landoll, also a former Association president, said he finds value in not only talking to his counterparts but getting to know his competitors.
It will save you time, seriously. In three days, you can take a tour of a robotics plant, meet suppliers, learn from industry experts, and get ideas from a couple hundred industry colleagues.
Everybody is doing it. Our registration is approaching 300, which makes this a blockbuster Supply Summit. We hear repeatedly that the greatest value of these meetings is simply connecting with colleagues. That makes this year the right year to attend.
It can drive growth. John Brown from Myers Spring, a member of the Supplier Board of Governors, said the company’s business has grown as a result of the Summit. “We’ve met a lot of decision makers here. Myers Spring is a larger part of the ag market because of (the Association).”
This is a moment in the industry and nation when a little creative thinking may lead to a breakthrough. With changes in tax law (we’ll cover that), health care (learn more about that, too), and technology in purchasing (on the agenda)—and with the agriculture economy hinting at a recovery—this is a good time to pursue innovations not only in product development but workplace strategies. You may find your ah-ha moment in Omaha.