Rounding up opportunities

Over the past few years, the procurement roundtables have proven to be one of the most sought-after components of the event. According to Maribel DeLeon, director of procurement for the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the MED Week 2008 roundtables are no exception.

“This is an outstanding opportunity to bring buyers and MWBEs together using five-minute windows. The goal is to provide entrepreneurs the resources to begin the relationship-building process,” she said. “For instance, if someone is looking to meet the personnel from Texas Instruments, their representatives will be on-hand to guide people through the supplier-diversity process.” By design, the roundtable event will feature tables of 10 with buyers strategical ly placed at each table.  MWBEs will then visit appropriate tables in a revolving man ner, almost like a speed-dating process. This process has been extremely successful in the past. However, this year only one hour will be allotted for the tables. As a result, DeLeon’s team has embraced an industry-targeted approach.

“There will be a sectional area for each industry, and when vendors come in they will fill out pro-file information, which will allow us to direct them accordingly,” she said. Anticipated outcomes: Making connections - Participants are entering into the first stages of relationship building. Being able to meet with the right people and understand organization processes is instrumental in converting future bid opportunities into revenue. Networking opportunities In addition to meeting procurement professionals, roundtable participants will have the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs. These fellow MWBEs may become future clients or business part ners when approaching larger contract opportunities. Growth experiences - Through networking, matchmaking and going through the progressive process of refining the sales pitch, MED Week roundtables are all about helping businesses grow. With the steering committee projecting the participation of 25 corporate and public entities, a 25 percent increase over last year’s event, DeLeon highly recommended that MWBEs come fully prepared.

“We want MWBEs to bring a lot of business cards and all their marketing materials,” she said. “To make the most of this opportunity, vendors need to be ready to answer questions and prepared to stage their organizations for the future.” Maribel DeLeon