As we’re heading into summer (at least here in Sweden), conference season is winding down for a couple of months before kicking off again in September. This spring I had the privilege of attending Ivalua Now and Coupa Inspire and found both very useful and well arranged.
User conferences take an incredible amount of work to organize and execute but can be extremely useful for existing users, prospective customers, and last, but not least, analysts. I’ve always viewed user conferences as a sign of maturity of the solution provider (which is not the same as saying you need one to be mature). Getting customers on stage and be willing to allow users to interact with each other — and in some cases analysts — shows confidence in the product and company.
So, in today’s article, I’ll discuss why user conferences are useful for the different kinds of attendants, and give some tips on what makes a good user conference.
Talk To Actual Users
User conferences are excellent places to have impromptu meetings and discussions with actual users of the solutions in question. It’s a significant opportunity to talk to users who aren’t formal references to get more forthright opinions. I’ve had many interesting discussions over breakfast and lunch throughout the years that provided interesting insights. Use these types of discussions to verify solution providers’ claims and get information of what doesn’t work as well.
For existing users, it’s obviously a great chance to connect with other users to compare issues, find best practices, and perhaps join forces in product development requests. Face-to-face meetings tend to spark ideas and discussions, not to mention build relationships, in a way that online forums (that some providers also offer and host) don’t provide.
Closer Look at the Solution(s)
Most solution providers bring plenty of solution consultants and product experts to their conferences. This presents the opportunity for more spontaneous and unscripted demos that give additional information about the solutions.
Getting time to dig into details that are difficult in online briefings and demos is also super useful to analysts.
Access to Management (and Others)
Alongside all the solution consultants, the entire management team of solution providers are usually present at the conferences. If it’s a bigger conference, you might have to pre-book meetings with senior management members to ensure availability, but if it’s a smaller conference, ad hoc meetings are a good opportunity to learn about the company and get more insight into how strategy and visions align.
What Makes a Good User Conference?
My perspective on what makes a good conference might differ slightly from the average conference attendee, given that I attend far more conferences each year. But I’m always looking for the specifics — what are the new functionalities, what did the customer achieve (ideally compared to what they achieved before), why did the customer pick this solution and provider specifically, and so on. Typically, the more customers that are on stage the better, but solution providers also need to vet the speakers (for both content and presentation skills). Users who can validate the claims of solution providers builds credibility.
My final tip is to make sure there is seating for everybody at lunch … or if that’s not possible, at least stand-up tables. I’ve been to conferences where you’re expected to balance plates, cutlery, a drink, a laptop, and whatever else you’ve got with you — and let’s be honest, nobody likes that.
Take Advantage of the User Conference Opportunity
I would advise any organization that is evaluating different procurement solutions to include a visit to a user conference, if possible. Having the opportunity to learn more about the solution, talking to more solution provider representatives — as well as other customers — can provide critical input into the evaluation process. Yes, there are costs involved but compared to the total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the solution, it’s well-invested funds.
I would also recommend existing customers send a couple of representatives to hear about the latest innovations, best practices, and network with other users.
Hopefully, we will meet out there after the summer when round 2 of conference season starts up once again! I know I’m looking forward to attending more solution provider conferences!
RELATED RESEARCH
Magnus Mondays: Ivalua Now 2024 — All in On Generative AI
Magnus Mondays — Coupa Inspire 2024: From BSM to Margin Multipliers
