More than 100 technologists and business leaders will meet next week in San Francisco at the PPAI Technology Summit. This is largest-ever gathering of industry technology leaders. You can view the PPAI Technology Summit agenda here. The summit will include discussions on search engine optimization, security, project management and about a dozen other relevant topics, including industry standards.
Industry standards will drive significant changes in the coming years for all businesses by making it easier for suppliers and distributors to communicate electronically. Standards are of increasing importance to suppliers and distributors in the promotional products industry. During the summit, several sessions will focus on electronically exchanging information, including:
- Inventory
- Order status and shipment notifications
- Product data
SAGE and PromoStandards will present the standards and related integrations sessions. PromoStandards is a group of industry suppliers, distributors and service providers who are committed to the concept of “open standards” so that anyone can benefit from the standards. You can read more about PromoStandards at www.promostandards.org.
My favorite part of the summit is the collaboration among the participants. While no one shares any competitive secrets, the attendees do share many ideas and tips that help them do their jobs better. The collaboration continues all year, thanks to the relationships formed while at the summit.
While most of you reading this likely will not benefit from attending the PPAI Technology Summit yourself, nearly everyone likely will benefit from the collaboration taking place. You can keep track of the summit by following the hashtag #PPAITech on Twitter or Facebook.
