Next month hundreds of operations and fulfillment people will flock to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend Multichannel Merchant’s Operations Summit. We don’t like to toot our own horns, but the Operations Summit conference is the only show in town when it comes to covering operations and fulfillment.
The Operations Summit, which is held on April 22 to 24, will offer five separate tracks and when I say we cover it all, I mean it. As someone who has attended every single show, I want to say that I have never been more excited about this year’s show. We have an insane line up of speakers and probably the best series of sessions in the shows history.
So, without further ado, here are my five reasons why you NEED to join me at this year’s Operations Summit:
The man, the myth, the legend. Emmitt Smith, yes that Emmitt Smith, will be there.
On April 22, legendary football player, Emmitt Smith will be our Keynote Speaker. During his keynote address, Goals, Dreams and Focus: Lessons from a NFL Hall of Famer, Smith will outline the principles that helped him become a winner on and off the football field – maybe, just maybe, you can get this Dancing with the Stars champ to teach you a few dance moves while you’re there.
Operations and fulfillment expert, Bill Kuipers, will open your eyes to O&F Best Practices.
One of our most popular speakers at the Operations Summit is arguably Bill Kuipers, partner with Spaid, Kuipers & Co. While Kuipers will be speaking during the main conference, he is also devoting all of April 22 to the Operations & Fulfillment Best Practices pre-conference workshop.
I can tell you from experience that anything he does at the Operations Summit is a must see. If going to a Kuipers session is on your list, and it should be, I want to advise you to get there early. Every Kuipers session is jammed-packed with attendees and as soon as the seats fill up, so will the aisles because this man is considered a rock star in the Operations and Fulfillment world.
Exchange ideas and get answers with fellow executive peers. 
One of our conference highlights has to be our Executive Forums moderated by none other than Curt Barry, president of F. Curtis Barry & Company.
These sessions are like no other offered at the Operations Summit. This is not a speech but an exchange between panelists in the industry and the audience on the challenges they face and the solutions they need. The beauty of these sessions is that they are very laid back and more of a way for attendees to talk shop with the experts.
Tours. Tours. Tours.
As someone who has attended many facility tours at past shows, I have to say these events are a fan favorite at the Operations Summit. Not only do attendees get to meet and chat with fellow attendees in a less than formal setting, but they can always take a peek and see what their colleagues are doing in their own warehouse space.
We have pre-arranged tours with the following facilities where you get to see firsthand how these companies are ensuring that the fulfillment process is fast, efficient and pleases every customer: FedEx, the OSP Group, OHL, LaCrosse & Danner, Ingram Micros, and IDS.
If you haven’t registered for a tour yet, do it now because these sell out quick!
Networking. Networking. Networking.
One of the things we pride ourselves on when creating and planning the Operations Summit year after year is the ability to get our attendees to talk to each other. If it’s at our networking dinner at Weber Grill, our Operations Summit Special Ops Welcome Party, during our tours or while mingling in our Exhibition Hall, or at one of our 50-plus roundtables, attendees are encouraged to get out and mingle at the show.
Hundreds of high level decision makers will be in attendance in Indianapolis for the 2014 Operations Summit and this is your opportunity to get in front of them, extend your professional network, share ideas on all things operations and fulfillment, and make life-long connections.