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Virtual Conference Agenda

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The IBC Virtual Conference will run from Thursday, October 15th until Friday, November 13th.  Most content will be recorded and emailed to all participants, if attendance at the live event is not feasible.

Announcements regarding content, awards and instructions will be emailed to all participants once registration closes.

Round robin, one-on-one, appointments will be conducted over the course of a one month period Monday, October 19th – Friday, November 13th .  Suppliers will be asked to setup the appointment directly with the distributor based on the match making priorities that were previously established weeks before.  If the supplier is unsuccessful, IBC will assist in securing the appointment with the distributor.

Key Dates

Monday, September 14

Conference Registration Closes

Monday, September 21

Virtual Round Robin Prioritization Begins

Friday, October 2

Virtual Round Robin Prioritization Closes

Monday, October 5

Round Robin Priority Lists Delivered

Monday, October 5 –
Friday, October 16

Scheduling Round Robin Appointments  (Suppliers to contact distributors)

Thursday, October 15
1:00 PM EDT

Live Opening Keynote Address (Suppliers & Distributors)

Friday, October 16
1:00 PM EDT

Live Supplier Presentation (Suppliers Only)

Monday, October 19 –
Friday, November 13

Virtual Round Robin Meetings Conducted

Thursday, November 12

Live Member Think Tank Networking Session (Distributors Only)

For a complete calendar view of events and content release dates, please view the calendar below. Times listed are Eastern Time.

Event Calendar

No event found!

*Times listed are Eastern Time.

Event Calendar

2020 October

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Kickoff Address (Live)
1:00 pm
16
Supplier Only Presentation (Live)
1:00 pm
17
18
19
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Keynote Address: “Navigating the Next Normal – Critical Trends in Industrial Distribution That You Need to Heed”
1:00 pm

IBC kicks off our 4-week presentation series with an entertaining exchange between Scott Bebenek, IBC’s VP – Buying Group, and Ian Heller, founder of Distribution Strategy Group. Ian’s open, no-holds-barred opinions on trends in the Industrial Distribution sector come from years of relevant experience from his se

, ...
20
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
21
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
22
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
23
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Live Q&A on 1st Round of Distributor Content
1:00 pm
24
25
26
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Product Information Management (PIM) 101 – Launching/Maintaining Your “Online Branch”
1:00 pm

Does your business lack an online catalog for your customers to place orders, research the products you sell, and manage their account information?  Or have you invested in your own catalog and are frustrated justifying the time to collect and maintain the data you need?  Or are you displaying another company’s onl

, ...
27
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
“Navigating the Next Normal” – how well is your distribution business positioned to meet the needs of a rapidly changing business environment?
1:00 pm

There is no denying the rapidly growing trends towards eCommerce in both the B2C and B2B sectors – they are well documented.  Learn how the pandemic has influenced these trends for manufacturers, distributors, and group purchasing organizations, and what does each respective supply chain link need to be doing today

, ...
28
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
29
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
30
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Live Q&A on 2nd Round of Distributor Content
1:00 pm
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

*Times listed are Eastern Time.

Distributors & Suppliers

Distributors Only

Suppliers Only

2020 November

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
1
2
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Product Information Management (PIM) 201 – Demo-ing The IBC Member Child PIM & Choosing The Right Online Platform
1:00 pm

IBC is pleased to welcome Mark Farr, President of XOLogic, and Adam Casto, EVP – Sales & Marketing for XOLogic, who are going to give IBC members their first look at how an IBC member’s “child PIM” looks and functions.  Mark and Adam will also showcase the XOLogic ecommerce platform to get members started

, ...
3
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Plugging Margin Leaks in Your Business – Automating Supplier PO’s & Payables
1:00 pm

This presentation is essential for ALL IBC members, whether they are currently connected to IBC Connects – Central Bill or not.  IBC Connects has now been expanded to complete the automation of the entire “PO-to-Payment” process that ties up extensive manual resources in your business.  Making/expanding your

, ...
Effective Supplier Recruitment & Retention
1:00 pm

This presentation is also essential for ALL IBC members. Buying Group programs with suppliers provide members with additional financial returns and resources and help level the “playing field with nationals”. We will be discussing simple, effective, foundational best practices that all members can implement at thei

, ...
4
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
5
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
6
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Live Q&A on 3rd Round of Distributor Content
1:00 pm
7
8
9
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Need new customers? Want to grow existing business? Trying to save a current end user from defecting to a big box? IBC’s End User Program is YOUR answer!
1:00 pm

If you haven’t had the opportunity to view an IBC National Accounts presentation in the last few months, please join us to learn how IBC’s award-winning contract management division has been strategically evolving through end user feedback. Benefit from the experts regarding how to take advantage of IBC’s Minorit

, ...
Let’s Split a Truckload or perhaps… A Container? – Bulk Buys | Importing
1:00 pm

Since COVID-19 fired up in March, IBC and many distributor members have needed to go beyond their normal purchasing and sourcing means to help customers with PPE demand!  Learn how IBC and some distributor members created opportunities with importing and Bulk Buys with other members.  IBC has started to explore a NEW

, ...
10
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
11
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
12
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
IBC Member Think Tank
1:00 pm

You, the IBC member, get the floor as IBC winds down our Virtual Conference, and allows members to bring forward issues in this open session to be facilitated by Scott Bebenek, IBC’s VP – Buying Group.  When registering for this event, each member will be asked to forward questions, topics for discussion, and pers

, ...
13
Open Format Round Robins
All Day
Live Q&A on 4th Round of Distributor Content
1:00 pm
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5

*Times listed are Eastern Time.

Distributors & Suppliers

Distributors Only

Suppliers Only

Keynote

Monday October 19th / 1:00 PM EDT

“Navigating the Next Normal – Critical Trends in Industrial Distribution That You Need to Heed”

IBC kicks off our 4-week presentation series with an entertaining exchange between Scott Bebenek, IBC’s VP – Buying Group, and Ian Heller, founder of Distribution Strategy Group.  Ian’s open, no-holds-barred opinions on trends in the Industrial Distribution sector come from years of relevant experience from his senior level positions at Grainger, Home Depot Supply, and as co-owner of MDM Magazine.  Scott and Ian will engage in a lively dialogue, and question period, covering such topics as:

  • The typical independent distributor’s preparedness for the end-user’s evolving ecommerce and website expectations;
  • Third party ecommerce sites (e.g. Berkshire eSupply) – are they the right long-term solution;
  • The evolution of the traditional distributor field sales force;
  • What is happening to a distributor’s traditional Value Proposition to end-users and manufacturers in a market being infiltrated by online retailers

You and your staff won’t want to miss this mostly-unscripted exchange between 2 industry veterans with strong opinions on the shifting grounds underneath your business!

Speakers

Ian Heller
Distribution Strategy Group

Scott Bebenek
VP of Industrial Buying Group, IBC

Learning Track
Session #1

Monday October 26th / 1:00 PM EDT

Product Information Management (PIM) 101 – Launching/Maintaining Your “Online Branch”

Does your business lack an online catalog for your customers to place orders, research the products you sell, and manage their account information?  Or have you invested in your own catalog and are frustrated justifying the time to collect and maintain the data you need?  Or are you displaying another company’s online catalog, and are disappointed by the results?  If you answered “yes” to either of these 3 questions, and have not yet looked at IBC’s initiative to build a centralized database of rich-content, imaged, digital supplier data, then you won’t want to miss this game changing presentation!

Speaker

Scott Bebenek
VP of Industrial Buying Group, IBC

Learning Track
Session #2

Tuesday October 27th / 1:00 PM EDT

“Navigating the Next Normal” – how well is your distribution business positioned to meet the needs of a rapidly changing business environment?

There is no denying the rapidly growing trends towards eCommerce in both the B2C and B2B sectors – they are well documented.  Learn how the pandemic has influenced these trends for manufacturers, distributors, and group purchasing organizations, and what does each respective supply chain link need to be doing today in order to be optimally prepared for the “next normal”?

Building on the content of last week’s keynote speaker, Ian Heller, this unique panel discussion, moderated by IBC’s Mark Higgins, looks at “change” through 3 different lenses:

  • The Distributor – Jim Terry, Owner, PF Markey
  • The Manufacturer – Jeff Kraez, Director of Channel & Market Development, Widia
  • The Buying Group – Scott Bebenek, VP – Industrial Buying Group, IBC

Attendees will hear perspectives on the following:

  • What difference has the pandemic made to the lives of distributors, and how well are they positioned for these changes?
  • How has buyer behavior been impacted, and what should a distributor do to cater to the new buyer persona?
  • What is technology, and the effects of the pandemic, doing to the traditional Value Proposition of the small-to-medium sized industrial distributor?
  • How has the critical information buyers seek for making purchasing decisions been changing, and are distributors and manufacturers adapting to these changes?

Panelists

Jim Terry
Owner, PF Markey

Jeff Kraez
Director of Channel & Market Development, Widia

Scott Bebenek
VP of Industrial Buying Group, IBC

Learning Track
Session #3

Monday November 2nd / 1:00 PM EST

Product Information Management (PIM) 201 – Demo-ing The IBC Member Child PIM & Choosing The Right Online Platform

IBC is pleased to welcome Mark Farr, President of XOLogic, and Adam Casto, EVP – Sales & Marketing for XOLogic, who are going to give IBC members their first look at how an IBC member’s “child PIM” looks and functions.  Mark and Adam will also showcase the XOLogic ecommerce platform to get members started on their journey of what to look for in a platform to create the ideal online experience for their customers.  This presentation is a must-see for IBC members that have committed, or are intending to commit, to the IBC PIM initiative, as it will allow them, and key staff, to get an advance look at the XOLogic PIM tool and ecommerce options available to their company.

Speakers

Mark Farr
President of XOLogic

Adam Casto
EVP – Sales & Marketing, XOLogic

Learning Track
Session #4

Tuesday November 3rd / 1:00 PM EST

Plugging Margin Leaks in Your Business – Automating Supplier PO’s & Payables

This presentation is essential for ALL IBC members, whether they are currently connected to IBC Connects – Central Bill or not.  IBC Connects has now been expanded to complete the automation of the entire “PO-to-Payment” process that ties up extensive manual resources in your business.  Making/expanding your IBC Connects connection IS FREE, and opens up significant new rebate revenue streams for members to complement the internal savings from automating process flows.  This webinar will show you how it works and how easy it is to connect, and give you an opportunity to ask all your questions.

Effective Supplier Recruitment & Retention

This presentation is also essential for ALL IBC members. Buying Group programs with suppliers provide members with additional financial returns and resources and help level the “playing field with nationals”. We will be discussing simple, effective, foundational best practices that all members can implement at their companies. Topics will include: review of current support of IBC suppliers and suggestions to easily increase our results; purchase data is king and critical;  groundswell best practices; how to engage suppliers with win-win outcomes; “new normal” best practices (“out of your comfort zone”, IS/CSR potential).

Speakers

Scott Bebenek
VP of Industrial Buying Group, IBC

Mark R. Higgins
Business Development, Supplier Relations & Recruitment, IBC

Learning Track
Session #5

Monday November 9th / 1:00 PM EST

Need new customers? Want to grow existing business? Trying to save a current end user from defecting to a big box? IBC’s End User Program is YOUR answer!

If you haven’t had the opportunity to view an IBC National Accounts presentation in the last few months, please join us to learn how IBC’s award-winning contract management division has been strategically evolving through end user feedback. Benefit from the experts regarding how to take advantage of IBC’s Minority status to increase and defend your business. View IBC’s best practice-sharing tool that allows distributor teams to easily collaborate when working together to service a National Account. Please join us as we explain how your customers can have the best of both worlds: “a corporately managed program for process and cost improvements, coupled with the attention and expertise provided at the local level through IBC’s network of independent distributors”.

Let’s Split a Truckload or perhaps… A Container? – Bulk Buys | Importing

Since COVID-19 fired up in March, IBC and many distributor members have needed to go beyond their normal purchasing and sourcing means to help customers with PPE demand!  Learn how IBC and some distributor members created opportunities with importing and Bulk Buys with other members.  IBC has started to explore a NEW member Bulk Buy program extending beyond the safety category that could include importing containers, securing even deeper discounts to drive sales and margin growth.  Help IBC determine if a Bulk Buy program is something we should pursue as yet another Member Benefit!

Speakers

Ron Nunez
President and COO,
IBC

Bob Linderman 
Director, Strategic Account Management,
IBC

Think Tank Session

Thursday November 12 / 1:00 PM EST

IBC Member Think Tank

You, the IBC member, get the floor as IBC winds down our Virtual Conference, and allows members to bring forward issues in this open session to be facilitated by Scott Bebenek, IBC’s VP – Buying Group.  When registering for this event, each member will be asked to forward questions, topics for discussion, and personal opinions to IBC beforehand to help shape the session led by Scott.  Whether it be continuing dialogue on some of the issues presented in prior 4 weeks of distributor content, a best practice you may wish to share with your fellow members, or a reverse best practice covering a problem you’re having in your business, make sure you have a pen and plenty of paper ready for the flurry of useful information that will be shared in this fast-paced session.

Facilitator

Scott Bebenek
VP of Industrial Buying Group, IBC

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