As a pricing professional, attending conferences is a large part of your continuous learning process. It is an opportunity to meet other pricers, learn about the latest trends, best practices, overcoming common challenges, and gain insight from industry experts. We’ve just wrapped up our 34th Annual Spring Pricing and Workshops conference in Dallas, TX and it contained all those opportunities and more. So, whether you regretfully missed out or proudly attended, this blog post is for you. Here is a rundown of the exciting highlights from the conference.
Check out the conference PHOTO GALLERY here!
Keynote Speakers
The conference hosted eight renown keynote speakers who shared their experiences, hurdles, and expertise in selected areas throughout their career. That lineup was led by Laura Preslan, Commercial Partner & Incentives Strategy Team Leader at Microsoft. Her wit, knowledge and humor set the tone for the day and left our pricers in high spirits itching for more knowledge.
In addition to Laura was Reed Holden, author, senior executive coach, and founder of Holden Advisors consulting firm in Concord, Massachusetts. Before leading the discussion on “Pricing During Turbulent Times”, Reed found out he was the PPS-selected recipient of the inaugural “Founders Award”, a recognition of achievement, renown accolade, and excellence in the pricing community with multiple years of high-level success in their career.
Other astounding keynote speakers that left our audience amazed were:
Manoj Chopra - Vice President, Strategic Pricing, Cinemark
Richard Braun - Vice President of Strategic Pricing, Parker Hannifin
Adam Echter -Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Grace Shafer - Senior Director of Pricing Strategy, Iron Mountain
Sudipto Banerjee, CPP - Partner, KPMG
Tim J. Smith, Ph.D., CPP - Founder & CEO, Wiglaf Pricing
One notable nugget we all learned from our conference-leading speakers is that being a leader is more than just a title. Effective leadership requires collaboration, guidance, and support to get real results.
Workshops and Breakout Sessions
With 10+ workshops and 20+ breakout sessions available for the choosing (upon attendee registration), you can only imagine the amount of overall pricing knowledge that was being distributed during this single week. From topics about analytical pricing approaches to “handling” inflation to artificial intelligence, our workshop and breakout session speakers covered a wide range of areas taking the pricing community by storm. The smaller, more intimate, setting of these sessions allowed attendees to easily focus on areas of their interest, share experiences, learn about new technologies and solutions, and network with their peers.
Networking Opportunities
Networking is an essential part of any conference, and this conference did not disappoint. Chances to connect with other attendees, speakers, and sponsors offered great value to those who took advantage of the opportunities.
Some of our headlining networking events included:
New Members Coffee Reception
Industry Connections Luncheon
Infusion Luncheon – Discussing diversity and inclusion in the pricing workforce.
The PROS Luncheon- a private, invite-only, event.
The CPP Breakfast
Thursday Night Reception
Our other, less formal, networking opportunities came from:
The PPS Scavenger Hunt
The Conference Sponsor Hall
Our “Dining with PPS” dinner night
In addition to daily coffee breaks, off-site meet ups, etc.
It was fascinating to hear about what others are doing in their organizations and share our own experiences with professionals, both seasoned and entry-level.
Takeaways
In conclusion, attending our annual conferences is an opportunity to learn, network and gain more insight into the latest trends and best practices within any industry, but especially pricing. Our attendees learned a lot about effective leadership, navigating economic challenges, and new solutions that can be used to improve organizational success. But perhaps the most significant take away was the chance to connect with peers and build new relationships that can be leverage moving forward.
If you missed this conference, don't worry, more events are coming up this year that you can attend. Be sure to take the time to do your research, select an event that matches your interests and join. Who knows, you might meet your next employer, business partner or mentor there! We look forward to seeing you in the future as we continue to grow our knowledge and expand our professional networks!