So… this is it. This is the last week of webinar recommendations for 2018. There are no less than 12 events taking place this week (and one on the calendar for next week). My official events coverage will start again for the week of January 7th, but I’ve already started adding events to January, so feel free to peek ahead. If you are planning your webinar schedule beyond this week (or year!), I recommend ‘5 Steps to Reach AP Excellence in 2019’ from basware and Ardent Partners on January 15th.

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I can’t even believe it is December already. And if you thought your personal schedule was out of control, you should look at this weeks’ calendar!! The November ISM-New York Report on Business will be released on Tuesday, December 4th at 9:45am ET and Public Spend Forum is hosting a Happy Hour in Arlington, VA that same evening. If you are planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend ‘Understand the Risk Big Picture — It Doesn't Stop at Supplier Risk’ from riskmethods’ Bill DiMartino and Peter Smith on December 13th at 9am ET).

Right now it still looks like December 10-14 will be the last week of webinar recommendations for this year. I’ll know for sure next week, but I’ll absolutely start them again on January 7th.

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This week, Procurement Leaders’ Data, Intelligence, and Technology Forum is taking place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. If you are planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend ‘Achieving Agility in Procurement Operations: Beam’s Transformation Journey’ from ISM, Scout RFP, and Beam Suntory on December 11th.

A quick note as the end of the year approaches: I’m watching the event listings for December, and as of right now it looks like December 10-14 will be the last week of the year. If the week after fills in, I’m game, but if it doesn’t, I’ll stop my event recommendations posts on December 17th and pick up again on January 7th.

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This week, ProcureCon Marketing is taking place in San Diego, CA Monday through Wednesday. You may also notice that this week gets off to a slow start, as many companies observe Veterans’ Day on Monday. If you are planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend ‘Improving Supplier Diversity Outcomes: How innovative tech can uncover the diversity spend you already have’ from tealbook on December 5th.

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This week, Procurement Leaders’ Asia Pacific Congress is taking place in Singapore on Thursday and Friday. If you’re planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend “Why Procurement Needs Digital Risk Management—and How to Get Started” on November 14th from ISM, The Hackett Group, and riskmethods.

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As we close the book on October, ProcureCon MRO is taking place in Fort Worth, TX this week on Monday and Tuesday. I’d also like to invite everyone to join me on Wednesday at 11am ET for a webinar I am presenting on a new way to approach talent development: a 3-Part Framework for Procurement Talent Transformation: Vision, Realism, and Accountability.

If you’re planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend "Understanding the Digital Procurement Transformation Journey" from SpendHQ and Bain & Co on November 15th at 2pm ET.

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This week continued to fill up, with new events being added to the calendar as late as Friday. Make sure you take a look at the full listing of events, which include a couple of ‘Lunch & Learns’ from Public Spend Forum.

If you’re planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I invite you to join me on October 31st for a webinar I’m presenting at Zycus’ invitation: “3-Part Framework for Procurement Talent Transformation: Vision, Realism, and Accountability”.

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This is a ‘sleepy’ week on the BMP events calendar, but don’t worry! If you had something else in mind, there are already 7 webinars on the calendar for next week.

If you’re looking to plan your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend ‘Are you really MANAGING Procurement? (Or Does Stuff Just Happen…)’ on October 23rd from Per Angusta, Peter Smith (Spend Matters UK/EU), and Glen Lovett, Head of Group Procurement at FirstGroup.

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This week’s webinars present another interesting combinations that are likely to be top of mind for leading procurement professionals. If you’re looking for something really different, I invite you to join #TakeActionOctober – this is an initiative started by my colleague and good friend Phil Ideson (Art of Procurement). Every day he posts a 5 minute podcast that includes a great message and an “action challenge”. I did it all last week, and it really is an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes a day. If you’re interested, it isn’t too late to get caught up. The full list of #TakeAction micro-pods can be accessed here.

If you’re looking to plan your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend 'Integrating Supplier Risk Management into Your Procurement Processes' from SIG and SAPAriba on October 25th. In a rare webinar appearance, we’ll get to hear from Harold Good, Procurement Advisor, Futurist and Influencer for Procurement Pros Group LLC – although you probably know him better as @Hal_Good, Twitter influencer extraordinaire.

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While we don’t have as many events to choose from this week as we did last week, the topics are fantastic. In fact, neither of the webinars I’m recommending is a straight on procurement-directed event. Taking in information on leading general business topics not only helps us come up with progressive ideas, it also keeps our eyes focused on the big picture of enterprise performance.

If you’re looking to plan your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend “Risk is on the Rise, But Your Head Count is Not — How to Build a Business Case” from Lexis Nexis and Spend Matters’ Pierre Mitchell on October 25th at 2pm ET.

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The last full week of September is going to be a busy one. There are 12 webinars taking place in three days and ProcureCon Indirect West will take place Monday through Wednesday in Scottsdale, AZ. A few of our good friends will be there, including Greg Tennyson, Michael Shaw, Joanna Martinez, Phil Ideson, and Bill Michels.

If you’re looking to plan your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend RPA -  The BIG Picture 2018 from IRPA AI and Virtual Operations on October 10th at 12n ET.

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This week presented me with a challenge on two levels – it was hard to select just three of the nine fantastic webinars taking place in the next few days, but it was just as difficult to decide which longer term event to suggest. At the end of the day, I compromised on a tie; both of the following events look amazing:

• The Future of Procurement: Why is Technology Lagging Behind? (ATK, IACCM, SirionLabs, Forbes) on September 25th at 11am ET
• The HFS Super Machine Learning Debate (HfS Research) on October 5th at 11am ET

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Although webinars are primarily a ‘sit back and listen’ format, this week’s recommended webinars are all designed to SPUR you into action! There’s only so much talking procurement can do before the conversation turns to measurable results, and there is a lot of work to do if we are going to deliver in line with procurement’s full potential.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Putting Data at the Center of Digital Procurement” with ISM and Zycus on September 18th at 2pm ET.

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I thought this week might be so quiet that there wouldn’t be any webinars to recommend… Wrong-O! Monday will be a ghost town in most of the U.S. because of the Labor Day holiday, but things pick right back up for the rest of the week. Next week is already busy too, with 8 webinars and one conference already on the calendar.

If you’re planning a little further out, I invite you to spend an hour of time with Phil Ideson (Art of Procurement) and I on September 11th or 12th. We’ve scheduled 3 live, virtual workshops that cover every conceivable time zone, so you really have no excuse not to be at one! By the end of the hour, you’ll have completed your own unique procurement catalyst plan for action – so have a pen and paper handy! Click here for more information.

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For being the last ‘official’ week of summer, there are quite a few events listed – including two strong late additions, one from the Economist Intelligence Unit and another from IACCM. I’m not listing the EIU event on Mexico as one of my core recommendations, but I’ve already registered to attend – and for 2 reasons: 1. I’m a news junkie and want to get a business perspective on Andrés Manuel López Obrador (or “AMLO”), Mexico’s new leader, and 2. anyone in supply chain in North America owes it to themselves to understand the implications of such major a political shift.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Taming the Long Tail - The Strategic Opportunity in Indirect Spend” from SIG and Bonfire on September 13th at 1pm ET. This webinar touches on a theme I’ve been thinking and writing about for a while now, that the path to strategic procurement goes straight through (not away from) our tactical responsibilities.

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It was really hard selecting just three events to recommend this week – even the webinars that I’m not highlighting below sound fantastic. They include a Supply Chain Now Radio event on attracting top supply chain talent and an ISM/LexisNexis event on applying the PESTLE framework. We also have ProcureCon Direct taking place in San Diego, CA on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “How a Leading Wine Producer Is Making Digital Order Management a Reality” from HfS Research on September 6th at 11am ET. Come for the wine, stay for the digitalization.

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After a clear events calendar last week, we’re back – and with five events to choose from! I’ve also started adding some great events for September, including AI and manufacturing, next generation operating models, and community intelligence. Take a look and get something in your schedule to start the fall off right.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Securing the Internet of Things” from SIG and Mayer Brown on September 25th at 1pm ET.

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This week and next are slow in terms of virtual events, maybe because we’re changing the calendar to August on Wednesday? There is a live event though – ProcureCon Contingent Staffing taking place in Minneapolis, MN on Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll also be releasing the July ISM-New York Report on Business results and commentary on Thursday, so the week isn’t going to be completely quiet.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Fundamental Philosophies in Negotiation for Buyer and Seller”, being hosted by SCN Radio, TalentStream, and APICS Atlanta and presented by my good friend Mark Bilgin on August 24th. Sign up now while you’re thinking of it!

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We’re slowly chugging through the summer – in fact, next week’s recommendations will move into August. Actually, we’re already there in a way, because my long term recommendation for this week is just before Labor Day weekend: “Supply Chain and Safety: The Imperative of Partnering to Effectively Manage Contractor Performance and Risk” from ISM and Veriforce on August 29th.

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This week’s webinar cover a wide range of topics, with a healthy dose of creativity scooped on top! If you’re planning a little further out, I’d like to invite you to join me for a panel-format webinar hosted by Tradeshift on August 16th at 2pm ET: The 5 Most Expensive Mistakes AP Can Make – And How To Avoid Them. Dena Weinstein, Global Controller at Tradeshift, Richard Porcaro, VP Procurement at ChainIQ and I will discuss how AP teams can become a driving force for positive cash flow. Mark your calendar!

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