In addition to the events listed below, this week also marks the release of the ISM-New York Report on Business and other major economic reports. Obviously, we are all watching them closely as they provide yet another month’s worth of insight into the global economy and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The calendar continues to fill up, and this week I added events that are scheduled well into the month of July. There are 12 events taking place this week alone. Unlike other years, when things slowed down more for the July 4th holiday, there will definitely be event recommendations for the week of June 29-July 3. In addition to the events listed below for this week, I’d like to recommend two longer term events:

Another week, another 10 events added to the calendar – all of which are taking place between now and the first week of July. There are 8 webinars this week and 11 next, and several events already listed for the week of July 4th. That may indicate that the pause in business that typically surrounds the July 4th holiday in the U.S. will be shorter than in more typical years.

Last Tuesday I announced that Buyers Meeting Point has acquired MyPurchasingCenter, a website and online community much like BMP. This step increases our reach, audience, and – most importantly – our content base. Some of the best known writers in procurement and supply chain were authors for MPC, including Jon Hansen, Bill Michels, Dr. Tom DePaoli, Rich Weissman, and Elaine Porteous. Look for more on that front starting this week!

As we turn the corner into June, the pace of even virtual events has slowed back to what I would expect to see in the summer months of a ‘normal’ year, which this decidedly is not. One sign of light at the end of the tunnel is this: I added a live event (yes, live – in person and with people in attendance) for November of 2020. Time will tell if that is going to hold and what it will look like, but it feels like a glimmer of hope all the same.

If you are outside of the U.S., just a quick reminder that Monday is Memorial Day, a Federal holiday and the unofficial start to summer. Most people are still marking the day in some fashion, but I suspect that very few will be taking to the roads, so the week should be relatively business-as-usual starting on Tuesday. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I recommend “How BNY Mellon is Building a Value-driven Procurement Organization” on June 2nd from IACCM, BNY Mellon, and SirionLabs.

Holy webinars Batman! I added 14 new virtual events to the calendar last week. Clearly companies are embracing this method of reaching their desired audience (in the absence of an alternative). I just hope they aren’t all sad COVID-19 fallout events. If anyone hears about a webinar focused on how the ‘murder hornets’ are expected to affect the supply chain, please let me know?

The schedule continues to be full of events, and I am noticing that they don't hit the calendar with as much lead time as I would expect under normal circumstances. The good news is that they are almost all available on demand. If you ever need helping tracking one down, don't hesitate to ask. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I recommend “Money in Hand How to Adapt Promptly and Conserve Your Cash” from JAGGAER on May21st.

In addition to the events listed below, the ISM-New York Report on Business will be released on May 4th at 9:45am ET. Watch the BMP blog or the ISM page for details. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I recommend “Key Takeaways from Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2020” from the team at Supply Chain Now and Mike Griswold, Vice President Analyst, Supply Chain Research at Gartner.

In addition to the events listed below, we also get one other fantastic gift this week – we FINALLY get to turn the calendar from April to May. I can’t think that I’m the only person that is past ready to bid farewell to April 2020 forever. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I recommend “Contract Management Tips to Prepare for the Next Global Pandemic!” from IACCM and ContractPodAI on May 5th. BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your inbox each Monday.

We have another strong week of events this week – in fact, you may have noticed that there are several webinar series being hosted in the industry right now. The events this week from Tealbook and Corcentric are part of series where you can register once and receive sign in information for the entire series. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I’d love to have you sign up to join me on an event next week hosted by Fairmarkit and also featuring Jill Robbins, Senior Director of Global Indirect Procurement at Elanco, and Erin McFarlane, Head of Strategy at Fairmarkit, Click here to register. BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your inbox each Monday.

If you want to attend a webinar about COVID-19, you have plenty to choose from. The reality is, every webinar about every topic is being either officially or unofficially reworked to reflect the world's short-term focus on the pandemic or longer-term projections about what may come next. A word of caution about predictions: consider your own ‘visibility horizon’. How far into the future can you look and say with any level of certainty what will happen? Don’t assume that, just because someone seems authoritative, they have more information than you do. Take in all of the quality information you can, and then make your decisions locally. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, another weekly webinar series just hit the calendar. Corcentric will host a webinar each Thursday for the next three weeks (starting on April 16th) focused on Navigating During Disruption. BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your inbox each Monday.

I’m continuing to add new webinars to the calendar at a blazing fast pace. Over a dozen new events hit this week, quickly filling in what had previously looked like a rather bleak April. I’ve also noticed a shift away from the 2pm ET time slot and towards something that overlaps with a WHF ‘lunchbreak’. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I recommend checking out the weekly webinar series from Tealbook. Every Wednesday at 12n ET, they are holding a 30-minute webinar on the supplier data crisis now through May 13th. Each webinar will feature a thought leader like Chris Sawchuck, Walter Charles, or Tim Herrod. BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your inbox each Monday.

This week and last week were incredibly busy, quickly filling up with COVID-19 webinars and in-person events going personal. Now that we’ve gotten through the initial blast, it looks like things may be slowing down for the month of April. I’ll continue updating the calendar weekly, adding events as I learn about them. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I recommend, How to Quarantine Your 3rd Party Relationships (IACCM, Determine) on April 7th at 11am ET. BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your Inbox each Monday.

When life hands you lemons… right? On the one hand, we’re all trapped in our homes with spouses, kids, and pets, trying to make sense of this new reality. On the other hand, I’ve never had so many pleasant, optimistic calls with colleagues in my whole life. This is and amazing and resilient community! Oh, and there are 12 webinars this week – 6 of which I added to the calendar yesterday. If you are planning your schedule further ahead, I’m going to go big picture this week… I recommend going back to the office and sending your kids back to the school. Go to a store, meet a friend for lunch, HUG… shake hands… date TBA. BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your Inbox each Monday.