Chicago bound

From the May-Jun 2024 edition of Supply Chain Management Review.

May-Jun 2024

In each issue I try to leave you with some of my limited knowledge in this space. Or at least give you something to think about. I think it is our job at Supply Chain Management Review to -- hopefully -- leave you…

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In each issue I try to leave you with some of my “limited” knowledge in this space. Or at least give you something to think about. I think it is our job at Supply Chain Management Review to—hopefully—leave you with at least one bit of knowledge from each article inside our issues. This time, though, I’m going to leave you with the secret to learn more than one thing: Sign up to attend the NextGen Supply Chain Conference in October.

Yes, I’m dedicating this space to self-promotion, so I hope you stay with me. To start, let’s go over a brief history of the NextGen conference. For that, I’d like to share something that Bob Trebilcock, the longtime editor of Supply Chain Management Review, shared with me upon his official retirement from Peerless Media at the end of March (if you are reading this, Bob, thanks and enjoy your retirement).

“[The] vision for the conference was to focus on NextGen technologies like robotics, IoT, AI and ML, and blockchain in a context that was relevant to a senior-level executive—the SCMR reader. As we worked it out, we wanted to present Gartner-level content by, and for,  senior-level executives in a format that was more conducive to networking and sharing … Instead of 5,000 attendees, we’d shoot for 200.”

The conference has evolved from that first foray in 2019, but its mission has remained steadfast: Provide Gartner-level content and do so in an engaging way, and in a format that is conducive to networking. After all, you can learn a lot by watching someone present on stage. You can learn a lot more by engaging with them and others from the audience throughout the entirety of the conference. Try to find the time to have an in-depth discussion of ideas with a presenter at a 5,000-person conference. You will be lucky to shake hands and say a quick hello.

There is so much more I could write about the conference, but there isn’t the space here to do so. I’d encourage you to visit our website at nextgensupplychainconference.com.

Last year, we had speakers from industry, academia, associations, and the consultancy world. The same will be true again this year.

In addition, we hand out a number of awards, including the NextGen Visionary Award, the Startup Award, the End User Awards, and the Solution Provider Awards. We are now accepting applications for our 2024 awards. You can find the registration form at nextgensupplychainconference.com/awards. I’d encourage you to apply if you have a good story to tell.

We are working hard on building an agenda that continues our mission of providing the type of content that informs, educates, and inspires. We will be releasing more information on speakers and sponsors soon. (To put on my “sales” hat for a moment, if you are interested in a company sponsorship, click the “sponsors” tab on the NextGen website for more information.)

This year’s event, which will take place Oct. 21-23, will once again be held at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel in downtown Chicago. Discounted hotel rates are available until Oct. 4. More information on the hotel, including links to secure rooms at the discounted rate, is available here: nextgensupplychainconference.com/venue.

I hope I have piqued your interest and you’ll consider joining us. If you would like to register, visit ngsc.regfox.com/nextgen-supply-chain-conference-2024. I hope to see as many of you as possible in Chicago.  

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