Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1496178
18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2023 content, leave ample time to start and grow relationships, learn from peers, and help influence the industry. This past year in San Diego (held during IPC APEX EXPO) was no exception. We certainly discussed very relevant content: sustainability, the economy, today and tomorrow's supply chain , c yb er s ec ur it y, wor k f orce tr aining , continuous improvement in the factory, and more. To foster relationships and learning from peers, we had more than three hours of an agenda dedicated to roundtables and member- to-member conversations, not to mention a participant-only dinner that evening. To garner more influence in the industry, not only did we have a meeting with more than a dozen IPC leaders who shape future content and programs, we left with several new ideas regarding how to better serve the industry as a result. When we were done, 96% of surveyed attendees indicated that they planned to attend next year and 100% agreed they would refer the event to a colleague. One subtle, but very important change over the past few years has been encouraging executives to invite their future leaders to attend as well. The meeting has traditionally been limited to senior executives, but we felt that with so much demand for talent at all levels of the industry, this event could be a great development opportunity for high-potential managers to benefit from the experience. We knew that the opportunity to listen first-hand to the conversations between current CEOs and senior executives as they discuss today's hot topics was a great way to learn and gain insight into their future roles. We have had several companies use this opportunity over the past few years and the feedback has been excellent. We don't feel it has detracted from the foundational goals and we will continue to promote this event as a development opportunity for a broader group of attendees. We certainly welcome any size EMS company to participate. We saw companies attending that range from a few million dollars of annual revenue to over $1 billion. That said, the meeting is typically 90% attended by EMS companies that are at $100 million and below. One of the more recent off-shoots of the EMS Leadership Summit has been the emergence of regional meetings. There is a group in the Northeast that has been meeting for many years as a complement to the annual IPC event. IPC has been working with several companies over the past year to help them form additional virtual and face-to-face events that are much more regionally focused and can complement the annual meeting. Overall, I have always enjoyed the attitude of the attendees, who understand that with the ongoing combination of growth and challenges in the electronics industry, there is more than enough opportunity for everyone over the long term. The attendees come really wanting to both learn and share with one another. It is rare that participants receive without giving insight and there is a very appropriate level of "coopetition," which makes it a unique opportunity. SMT007 Mark Wolfe is a former director of supply management/ VP of supply management and strategic partnering at John Deere, and now runs a consulting company, and is a consultant for IPC. The content has always been relevant, but relationships are one of the primary reasons I keep returning.