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Archives: Events

Promat 2025

ProMat 2025, held from March 17-20 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, was the premier supply chain and material handling trade event of the year, drawing over 50,000 attendees and featuring more than 1,100 exhibitors from across the warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing sectors. The event was characterized by high energy, extensive networking, and a strong focus on next-generation automation, robotics, and AI-driven solutions.

For Liberis this event provided firsthand exposure to the latest supply chain trends and technologies shaping the future of warehousing and distribution, particularly in automation, AI, and system integration. With thousands of industry professionals and over a thousand exhibitors, ProMat offered us unparalleled opportunities to network, identify potential partners, and connect with both established players and innovative startups—especially in the Startup Pavilion, which showcased emerging technologies so relevant to our focus clients

Hands-on demonstrations and direct access to new products was second to none – especially the state-of-the-art solutions from AI-driven analytics platforms to integrated robotics and wearable tech. But the Interactions with robots from Locus Robotics and Reflex Robotics stole the show.

In summary, ProMat 2025 was a critical event for Liberis Consulting, offering us insight into transformative technologies, fostering valuable industry relationships, and reinforcing its ability to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions to clients navigating the rapidly evolving supply chain landscape.

Catalyst LA – Art of Procurement

The AOP Catalyst LA Event, held in May 2025 at the historic NeueHouse on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, was an exclusive, invite-only gathering designed to empower procurement leaders and shape the next phase of organizational spend management. The setting—NeueHouse Hollywood, renowned as the world’s first purpose-built broadcast studio—provided a creative and inspiring backdrop, aligning with the event’s theme of merging the art of storytelling with the science of procurement strategy. The Catalyst Event was pivotal for our understanding emerging trends in procurement organizations and technology in 2025:

  • Operating Model Evolution: The sessions emphasized the shift from rigid, process-driven frameworks to more agile, stakeholder-led models, reflecting a broader industry movement toward automation and strategic value creation
  • Technology and Automation: Discussions highlighted the increasing role of AI, orchestration tools, and automation in procurement, with a focus on freeing up human talent for higher-order, strategic tasks
  • Strategic Leadership: The event underscored the need for procurement professionals to become market interpreters, relationship architects, and overseers of ethics and risk, as technology automates routine activities
  • Actionable Outcomes: Attendees left with concrete next steps and a clear vision for closing the gap between strategy and impact, addressing both technological and human factors in procurement transformation

Liberis Consulting was proudly represented by Constantine Limberakis, Founder and President. As a recognized thought leader with over 20 years of international experience in procurement and supply management, Constantine served as the master of ceremonies for the event. His expertise in engaging global business leaders and facilitating strategic content ensured that discussions remained insightful, focused, and actionable, emphasizing Liberis Consulting’s leadership in guiding the event’s narrative, fostering collaboration, and highlighting the intersection of technology, strategy, and human capital in procurement’s future.

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Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE

Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Chicago, hosted at Willis Tower on May 28–29, 2025, brought together top procurement, supply chain, and sustainability leaders for two days of high-impact networking, panels, and workshops. The event featured more than 60 speakers, including CPOs and CSCOs from global brands such as Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services, Danaher Corporation, Victoria’s Secret & Co., Best Buy, and The Clorox Company, the agenda focused on critical topics like risk and resilience, sustainable supply chains, the evolution of AI in procurement, and spend management strategies.

The Liberis Consulting’s team was actively engaged throughout the event fing the event invaluable for connecting with both established industry leaders and the vibrant community of procurement and supply chain startups present at the conference. Several dominant trends emerged from the event’s panels and workshops, which were central to Liberis Consulting’s conversations:

  • AI and Digital Transformation: The evolution of AI, particularly agentic AI, was a recurring theme, with discussions centered on how it is reshaping procurement strategies and enabling smarter, more efficient operations.
  • Sustainability Integration: The co-location with Sustainability LIVE underscored the growing importance of responsible, sustainable procurement and supply chain practices, with many startups offering solutions for ESG compliance and supply chain transparency.
  • Risk and Resilience: The need for robust risk management and resilient supply chains was emphasized, especially considering recent global disruptions. Startups in this space demonstrated advanced analytics and real-time risk monitoring tools.

A major highlight for Liberis Consulting was the opportunity to engage with innovative startups that showcased new solutions in areas such as:

  • Agentic AI for procurement automation and decision support
  • Digital procurement platforms streamlining source-to-pay (S2P) processes
  • Sustainability-focused supply chain management tools
  • Next-generation risk and resilience analytics

These startups brought fresh perspectives and disruptive technologies to the table, sparking conversations about how emerging tools can address longstanding pain points in procurement and supply chain management. Liberis Consulting’s team exchanged insights with founders and product leads, discussing practical applications of these solutions for enterprise clients and exploring potential partnerships.

For Liberis Consulting, this event was a catalyst for deepening industry relationships, staying ahead of technological trends, and identifying new avenues for client value creation. The firm’s active participation in conversations with startups and established players alike reinforced its commitment to driving innovation and supporting clients in navigating the rapidly evolving procurement and supply chain landscape.

Reuters Supply Chain USA

Reuters Supply Chain USA 2025, held in Chicago on June 9–10, brought together over 700 senior supply chain leaders from top retailers, manufacturers, logistics providers, and technology innovators. The event’s central theme, “Navigate Complexity in an Era of Uncertainty,” addressed the mounting pressures of economic disruption, workforce challenges, and the need for resilient, agile supply chains.

Liberis Consulting’s Attendance and Conversations

Liberis Consulting was actively engaged throughout the event, participating in panels, workshops, and dynamic breakout sessions. The team found tremendous value in the highly interactive format, which fostered intimate discussions and problem-solving opportunities with both established industry leaders and a vibrant ecosystem of startups.

Liberis Consulting’s representatives had in-depth conversations with startup founders and product teams, exploring how these technologies can be leveraged to address persistent industry challenges such as supply chain fragility, data silos, and the need for end-to-end transparency. These exchanges provided actionable insights into the practical deployment of cutting-edge solutions and potential partnership opportunities.

Several dominant trends shaped the event’s agenda and Liberis Consulting’s discussions:

  • AI and Machine Learning: There was a strong emphasis on the adoption of AI and ML to improve forecasting accuracy, optimize logistics, and generate actionable insights from supply chain data.
  • Resilience and Diversification: Panels and workshops explored strategies for building resilient supply chains through dual sourcing, contingency planning, and diversification, weighing these against cost and complexity.
  • Sustainability: The event highlighted the integration of sustainability into supply chain strategy, particularly through data-driven compliance, decarbonization, and ethical sourcing practices.
  • Collaboration and Integration: Many sessions focused on breaking down silos and integrating software platforms across the value chain to enhance visibility and responsiveness.

A key highlight for Liberis, was the panel discussion on Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) led by Constantine Limberakis, which brought together top executives and thought leaders to share real-world strategies and innovations. The S&OP panel featured:

  • Aaron Zelhart, SVP of Global Supply Chain, Mattel
  • Danny Antezana, dsm-firmenich
  • Prashant Gopalan, Philips

This session delved into how leading organizations are evolving their S&OP processes to drive greater alignment between sales, supply chain, and finance in a climate of constant disruption. Panelists discussed:

  • Leveraging advanced analytics and AI for demand forecasting and scenario planning
  • Breaking down organizational silos to enable end-to-end visibility and agile decision-making
  • Balancing cost, service, and risk through integrated business planning
  • The critical role of cross-functional collaboration and data-driven culture in S&OP success

KonnectHouse Agentic AI in Procurement

Last week in London, I, Constantine had the privilege of chairing the KonnectHouse Agentic AI in Procurement Conference—a day that proved just how quickly the future is arriving in our industry.

From the opening moments at Tobacco Dock, the energy in the room was electric. I framed the day around a simple truth: procurement has moved beyond SaaS as we know it. The new interface of work isn’t an app—it’s the agent. Intelligent systems that reason, adapt, and act on our behalf are no longer theory. They’re here, and they’re forcing us to ask hard questions about trust, governance, and accountability.

Throughout the day, I had the honor of guiding the conversations—introducing visionary voices like Kieran Gilmurray, Michael van Keulen, Lance Younger, and many more. We explored how agentic orchestration is changing procurement, saw live demos from innovators like Zip, ORO, Coupa, and askLio, and dove into hands-on roundtables tackling everything from data readiness to talent and AI maturity.

What stood out wasn’t just the technology—it was the dialogue. Attendees weren’t passive observers; they leaned in, challenged assumptions, and connected ideas to the real pressures they face every day.

By the time we wrapped with the closing “Ask Me Anything” panel, one message was clear: agentic AI isn’t tomorrow’s vision. It’s today’s reality. The challenge is how we shape it—responsibly, strategically, and with people at the center.

A huge thank you to KonnectHouse, our sponsors, and the incredible community that made this event a success. The conversations we started in London won’t end here—and I, for one, am excited to keep pushing this frontier forward.

DPW – Amsterdam

Digital Procurement World (DPW) 2025, held in Amsterdam from October 7–9, brought together procurement leaders, innovators, and technology providers around the theme “Put AI to Work.” The event marked a clear shift from AI hype to practical implementation, with more than 100 speakers and 80 sessions exploring how generative AI, intelligent agents, and orchestration technologies are reshaping procurement operations.

Discussions centered on integrating AI into supplier risk management, spend classification, and automation workflows, while tackling challenges such as data governance and change management. The expo hall featured a vibrant mix of established providers and startups demonstrating “AI-first” solutions, emphasizing composable architectures and interoperability. But my favorite session was from VP at Google DeepMind, Kareem Ayoub discussing the power of Transformer architecture as the basis of all GenAI based on the parallel processing power; but that this development did not happen overnight.

Beyond the mainstage, DPW fostered collaboration through networking events like the Founders’ canal cruise, a Padel tournament, and its signature Expo Bash. The key takeaway for us was clear: AI is no longer an experimental tool but a core enabler of procurement transformation.

For firms like Liberis Consulting, DPW 2025 underscored the growing need to help our technlogy clients move from digital strategy to AI adoption — help bridge the developments of the latest in AI to real outcome focused discussions.

KonnectHouse Technology Sourcing 

Liberis Consulting to Participate in Technology Sourcing 2025 by KonnectHouse in Chicago

Liberis Consulting will be participating in Technology Sourcing 2025 on November 4–5, 2025, at Navy Pier in Chicago.

This year’s theme — “The Future of Tech Sourcing Starts Here” — will explore how procurement is evolving into a strategic value driver and profit center. Discussions will focus on the latest advances in AI, automation, and supplier collaboration, and how these innovations are shaping the future of sourcing.

At Liberis Consulting, we help technology firms translate innovation into clear market value through effective product marketing, positioning, and go-to-market strategies. Events like Technology Sourcing 2025 will reaffirm the importance of connecting vision with execution.

If you’re attending the event, we’d love to connect and discuss how product marketing can accelerate your growth in procurement and supply chain technology. Connect with us at info@liberisconsulting.com

Hope to see you there!
https://www.konnecthouse.com/events/technology-sourcing/