THE WESTIN O’HARE
SEPTEMBER 25-26, 2024
ROSEMONT, IL
JOIN US 2024 INNOVATION SUMMIT
In this current era of exponential change, endless disruption, volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, we know that innovation is a must-do , not just a nice-to-have. Now is a pivotal time for thought leading distributors to get curious, innovate, and engage in developing a clear vision for their future. Those who make purposeful choices to reinvigorate their business and support those choices with a customer first mindset, people development, as well as embrace a digital strategy, can yield superior results. The ASA Innovation Summit is designed for those in your organization tasked with leading, evolving your future, creating a more compelling customer value proposition, and growing digital capabilities that differentiate, renew, and support future success. Join us to cultivate insights, embrace digital, and see around the corner of the PHCP & PVF Industry future.
Kicking off the ASA Innovation Summit, our keynote speaker, Jeremy Gutsche, MBA, CFA, is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning innovation expert, “one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on the planet” (The Sun Newspaper), and CEO of Trend Hunter AI - the world’s #1 trend firm and innovation consultancy with over 3.5 billion views and 10,000 projects completed. Trend Hunter is also the host of Future Festival, FuturistU, InnovationStrategy.com and The Innovation Assessment. His team and AI machine is relied on by 1,000+ brands, billionaires, CEOs, and world leaders to make innovation and change happen, including Google, Sony, Disney, Pfizer, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, IBM and Adidas. He’s even helped NASA prototype the Journey to Mars and advised NASA HQ on how to make AI happen. We are thrilled to have Jeremy kick-off the Summit.
Whether you have just begun on the road to digitization, are trying to remain responsive to evolving customer expectations, or seeking to add capabilities and innovate to renew, you and your team members need to attend this first-of-its-kind event. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to invigorate your team in a scenario planning workshop, be inspired to reinvent and renew your company through innovation and be exposed to related technologies from some of the most knowledgeable minds in innovation. Space will be limited so sign up today.
MICHAEL ADELIZZI, CEO
AMERICAN SUPPLY ASSOCIATION
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
7 a.m . REGISTRATION OPEN
7:30 a.m. – 8 a.m. NETWORKING BREAKFAST
8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m GENERAL KEYNOTE SESSION: CREATE THE FUTURE
9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m . BREAK
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. SCENARIO THINKING WORKSHOP
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. NETWORKING LUNCH
1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. DATA GOVERNANCE & CYBER SECURITY PANEL DISCUSSION
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. BREAK
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. NO EXCUSES INNOVATION
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. NETWORKING RECEPTION (DINNER ON YOUR OWN)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
7:30 a.m. – 8 a.m. NETWORKING BREAKFAST
8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. SEE THE FUTURE TO BE THE FUTURE
11:30 a.m. INNOVATION SUMMIT WRAP-UP
NO-EXCUSES
INNOVATION STRATEGIES FOR SMALL & MEDIUM SIZED MATURE ENTERPRISES
BRUCE VOJAK BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION ADVISORS
In contrast to large companies, Small and Medium-Sized Mature Enterprises (SMMEs) are on their own to win or lose in the marketplace. They may lack the relative economies of scale and scope, available to large companies to understand and invest in innovation. Often they are in a position of sustained disadvantage with no perceived path of renewal.
As SMMEs approach maturity, it is common for them to choose to only maintain what they believe to be the safety of maturity attained rather than to opt for a strategy that also includes constant reinvention and renewal. But as Bruce Vojak, founder at Breakthrough Innovation Advisors would argue, this path of seemingly least risk and least resistance can be the most detrimental to the company in the long run.
The real risk is to not innovate!
Bruce will discuss his most recent book, No Excuses Innovation - Strategies for Small and MediumSized Mature Enterprises. In it, Bruce defines and makes the case for innovation, the necessary balancing act between current operations and the hunt for renewal, commitments required from senior leadership, and an organizational culture to enable it all. He covers essential frameworks and tools like: design thinking, emotional design, and various forms of project management. Finally, Bruce will highlight the crucial role of the innovator and the unique support required to enable those individuals toward collective success.
PANEL DISCUSSION DATA GOVERNANCE & CYBER SECURITY
HOW BUSINESS LEADERS ARE PROTECTING THEIR COMPANIES
The cyber threat landscape has never been more concerning to business leaders. According to Accenture’s Cybercrime study, nearly 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses. Only 14% have prepared to face such an attack. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, nearly three-quarters (73%) of US small business owners reported a cyber-attack over the past year, with employee and customer data most likely to be targeted. 82% of ransomware attacks in 2021 were against companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. Cybersecurity breaches have become alarmingly common, and while tools to deter such incidents have become more sophisticated, so have the methods of hackers. Panelists from Coburn Supply, Texas Plumbing Supply, NIBCO and WinSupply will discuss navigating cybersecurity challenges, realities and strategies to better protect your organization’s digital assets. Topics include:
• Current challenges in cybersecurity
• Lessons learned from cyber-attacks
• Cybersecurity dos and don’ts from the trenches
SECURITY
SEE THE FUTURE BE THE FUTURE
IMPLICATIONS FOR DISTRIBUTORS AND MANUFACTURERS
MARGARET
REGAN PRESIDENT & CEO FUTUREWORK INSTITUTE
Take a visual journey into the digital future with futurist, Margaret Regan, President & CEO of The FutureWork Institute, to see how the world will change over the next 10 years. What does Futures research tell us about the game-changers that will impact our life and work through 2030?
What will distribution, logistics, and the global supply chain look like with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual/Augmented Reality, the Metaverse, Chat GPT, DALL-E2?
In 2030, the last of the Baby-Boomer generation reaches retirement age – that’s 1 in 5 Americans. Millennials, GenZs, and GenAlphas will become the majority in the workplace. What will attract them to our company’s products and services? This interactive multimedia guided exploration, includes a trip into virtual reality and will focus on current challenges and opportunities as well as what you need to consider, to see the future so you can embrace it in a VUCA world.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
“THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS of many of the businesses in our industry will be dependent on their ability to build innovation strategies and tactics now. Executing those strategies and tactics will be critical as we face new competitive threats that will force us to be more efficient, more nimble, and more innovative than ever before.”
Katie Poehling Seymour President & CEO First Supply
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
1. Current business models are at risk of being disrupted and innovation is essential for business relevance and renewal.
2. Future business success is dependent on innovating today.
3. Enhancing customer multi-factor experience, driving revenue growth, and developing new products and services are top drivers for innovation.
4. More Executives are committing to designating innovation leader roles within their firms to foster innovation culture.
5. High-growth companies invest in digital technologies that support innovation.
6. Innovation leaders expect AI innovations to have a high impact on their businesses within the next 3 – 5 years.
7. Everyone wants to learn more and identify how their firms can adapt and benefit!
CREATE THE FUTURE TACTICS FOR DISRUPTIVE THINKING CREATE THE FUTURE
JEREMY GUTSCHE TREND HUNTERS FOUNDER AND CEO
In this exciting and highly visual kick-off keynote session, Jeremy Gutsche guides you through disruptive thinking, innovation, and change, and how business leaders can understand and take advantage of innovation. This session will be paired with The Innovation Handbook, an updated version of the award-winning book, Exploiting Chaos. The 360-page bestseller is loaded with the same tactics, tools, and frameworks that Gutsche’s team uses to accelerate 700 of the world’s most powerful brands, billionaires, CEOs, and NASA. In short, you are capable of much more than you think, and our current period of chaos in presenting you with a unique window of opportunity. Millions of businesses have already been disrupted, many more are about to fail, and yet, new consumer needs are creating an opportunity that could reshape your future.
FOLLOW UP WORKSHOP SCENARIO THINKING: MAPPING OUT YOUR FUTURE
Decision making has become far more complex than ever before, taking place in a fast changing, highly uncertain, information-driven environment, where values, behaviors, and social structures are no longer as stable and predictable as they once were. The complexity of the environment undermines our ability to understand what the future will look like. Traditional planning and forecasting practices on their own are not enough to serve our needs in getting insights and answers to the future. In this roundtable session, Jeremy Gutsche will follow up his keynote presentation and lead discussion groups in industry scenario thinking to prepare you and your team for the future.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
“NEVER BEFORE HAS INNOVATION BEEN MORE CRITICAL to our industry than it is today. I hope that our members and potential sponsors take full advantage of the ASA’s Innovation Summit.”
John Gillespie Senior Account Executive
ATS Software
ASA Embracing the Future
Strategic Council Chairman
