At the 93^rd Annual International Supply Management Conference and Educational Exhibit in St. Louis next month, all eyes (and ears) will be turned toward the economists speaking at the business survey and economic outlook presentation. Traditionally the session is well attended, but with the economy looking so uncertain this year, the event is sure to draw even more interest than usual.

Barry B. Bannister, managing director of industrial and basic materials research at Stifel Nicolaus, and David Hensley, executive director and global economics coordinator in the economic research department at JPMorgan,are slated to enlighten conference attendees with their views on the economy for the rest of the year, following the release of the ISM Semiannual Economic Forecast.

The conference, which takes place May 4–7 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, also has a few new wrinkles this year.

The 2008 event provides the first opportunity for registered attendees to take the exam for the organization's new CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) credential, at a reduced rate. The exam, which tests knowledge, skills and abilities needed by professionals to excel in 21^st century supply management, will be given on Wednesday, May 7. A C.P.M .(Certified Purchasing Manager) exam and a bridge exam (for qualified C.P.M.s) also will be given during the conference.

And, for attendees not yet ready to take the exam in May but who want to know more, there are two workshops on the conference agenda that focus on general requirements for the CPSM and the bridge exam as well as timelines and results from pilot testing conducted earlier this year.

Also new to the conference are seven educational tracks developed based on feedback from attendees, practitioners and the ISM Conference Leadership Committee. Attendees can select workshops from a single track for more intense training on one particular topic or they can mix and match for more of an overview of what's new in the profession.

The tracks are: Lean supply management, leadership in supply management, sustainability and Green strategies, the decade ahead in supply management, business continuity, project management and global strategies. Many of the workshops are led by purchasing and supply practitioners.

In addition, the event features exhibits by more than 100 suppliers that provide a variety of goods and services from software and office supplies to travel services and purchasing cards and MRO (maintenance, repair, operations) items.

ISM expects more than 2,000 purchasing professionals from more than 27 countries to attend its conference this year. If you plan to go and have not registered yet, you may download information from the ISM website at www.ism.ws.

Purchasing will be on hand with a booth in the exhibit hall and at many of the workshops, where editors Paul Teague and Susan Avery will report on news of the event in a daily e-newsletter.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to meet with recipients of the Third Annual ISM R. Gene Richter Awards for leadership and innovation in supply management. Typically, ISM adds these educational sessions, which are led by purchasing professionals at the winning companies, after it announces the names of those honored. Last year, Alltel Wireless, BP and Johnson & Johnson each received the award.

Sure to spark lively debate is an interactive discussion about ethics led by members of the ISM Ethical Standards Committee: David D. Adler, director of operations and corporate purchasing at Sybase; Judith Baranowski, CPO, integrated supply chain, at Motorola and Leah Kalin, director commodity management, clinical technologies and services at Cardinal Health.

There's also a panel discussion led by members of the ISM Committee on Social Responsibility that conference attendees may not want to miss. On the panel are DeLynne Ano, director of supplier diversity and development at The Walt Disney World Co.; Cathy A. Rodgers, vice president of global opportunities and business development, IBM Global Services and Drew Schramm, vice president of global supply and quality at Herman Miller. Dennis M. Gawlik, vice president of enterprise spend management at Washington Mutual, moderates the session.

Educational sessions of note feature Osamu Uehara, CEO of ISM—Japan, who speaks on strategic supply management of Japanese companies overseas operating facilities, and Christina De Luca, CPO, refining and marketing at BP and chair of the ISM Board of Directors, addressing attendees on the impact of the external environment on companies.

Also led by purchasing practitioners are these sessions:

• "Social responsibility: A plan for the growth of socially responsible procurement" by Dennis M. Gawlik, vice president of enterprise spend management at Washington Mutual.
• "Sourcing in Eastern Europe" by Kristin L. Kern, senior project manager, supply chain, at MeadWestvaco Corp., and Craig Reed, vice president of procurement and logistics at MeadWestvaco.
• "How to balance Green with getting the green" by Drew Schramm, senior vice president of global supply and quality, at Herman Miller.
• "Supplier risk management: The supply manager's new role" by Ernest G. Gabbard, director of corporate strategic sourcing at Alleghany Technologies.
• "Service contracts: What is the right price?" by Clark Terrill, manager of procurement and contract services at the J. Paul Getty Trust.
• "Supplier management capabilities maturity model" by Pat Birmingham, director of procure to pay at Pfizer.
• "Supply market analysis for a competitive advantage" by David Hargraves, director of strategic sourcing at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The event begins at 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, with registration at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis. But not everyone need be up that early. Conference attendees may register at any time throughout the day. Registration takes place until 5 p.m. and resumes again at 7 a.m. on Monday, May 5.

Navigating and networking at the conference is the topic of the first workshop at 9 a.m. The exhibit hall opens later at 11 a.m. Lunch will be served, followed by a networking session.

The conference officially opens with a keynote address at 2:15 p.m. by Brigadier General Nick Halley, who is retired from the U.S. Army and author of the book Leadership Under Fire! Workshops begin at 3:45 p.m.

To end the day, there will be a reception in the exhibit hall at 5 p.m.

A Conference Career Center hosts representatives of purchasing operations at world-class companies who will conduct interviews with prospective new-hires. Purchasers interested in hearing about opportunities with these companies and who have registered for the conference may post their resumes to the confidential Career Center database developed exclusively for the event.

And always popular is the conference Cyber Café that has access to the Internet. It's where attendees stop to check e-mail.

On Tuesday, May 5, Norbert J. Ore, chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, and group director of strategic sourcing and procurement at Georgia Pacific, will present the committee's Manufacturing Semiannual Economic Forecast. Anthony S. Nieves, chair of the ISM Non-Manufacturing Business Survey Committee and senior vice president of supply management at Hilton Hotels Corp., will present the committee's Non-Manufacturing Semiannual Economic Forecast.

Keynote speaker at a luncheon later that day is Gerd Hofmann, head of strategic purchasing at Hugo Boss. His talk focuses on sustainability.

Added to the agenda on Tuesday afternoon will be sessions led by recipients of the Third Annual ISM R. Gene Richter Awards for leadership and innovation in supply management. Conference goers will find signs posted in the registration area.

The J. Shipman Award and Volunteer Appreciation Banquet follows in the evening. The award honors an individual's career in supply management. Norbert Ore received the award in 2007.

Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes is the keynote speaker at a brunch on Wednesday, the final day of the conference. She will speak on the topic of "Success is a Journey, Not a Destination."

If all this isn't enough, ISM also offers a line-up of pre- and post-conference seminars on such topics as the psychology of influencing and negotiation, finance for the supply management professional, purchasing and the law and how to develop a supplier diversity program.