The ME B2B Summit, an event held by Mercadoe, and e-commerce reference among companies, took place last Thursday (September 19), on Buyer’s Day.

The attendees enjoyed more than eight hours of knowledge, through lectures and discussion forums with renowned professionals in the market. Curated by HSM, the event gathered nearly 800 people among buyers and sellers, to discuss key industry trends, and showcase practices and expectations of this scenario to professionals.

We would like to thank all the attendees, and tell them to get ready, because we will soon share, at our social networks, the contents of lectures and podcasts recorded behind the scenes, along with all that you deserve, in order not to forget any teachings.

And those who couldn’t be there are now invited to join us next time and live this special meeting in September 2020.

In the meantime, keep on reading, as we have summarized the highlights of this year’s event.

 

ME B2B Summit 2019: an unprecedented market format among businesses

The second edition of the ME B2B Summit proposed an unprecedented format, with content targeted at intercompany buyers and sellers.

In the morning, participants split up to watch two different knowledge trails, geared toward their business models. Buyers spent the morning at Theatro NET, while sellers packed the Kinoplex movie theater.

In the afternoon, all of them met at Theatro NET to attend joint lectures, do networking, exchange many experiences, and understand how to foster long-term relationships, in order to generate more business value.

 

Innovation’s pendular movement: what will be valuable and what tasks will be left for human beings

Arthur Igreja, TEDx panelist in Brazil, USA, Europe and South America, opened the Knowledge Day at the ME B2B Summit 2019 by giving one of the event’s most acclaimed lectures to both audiences.

Arthur talked about technological changes, which are usually faster than our comprehension power and frighten everyone in the job market.

In his speech, he showed that panic is unnecessary, and that the future can have a more optimistic view than we can imagine. After all, human beings will play a key role in the construction of such future.

 

Special trail for buyers

The knowledge trail for buyers had special lectures and discussion forums.

Priscila Miguel, FGV-CELog’s coordinator, introduced a theme called “Business Risk Management: How to prepare a resilient organization”. The presentation showed that increasing supply chain complexity, increasing market volatility, cybersecurity threats and political uncertainty are just a few examples of risks to which organizations are subjected today. But even in this scenario, it’s possible to adapt to change and develop new opportunities to become a resilient company.

The discussion forums invited executives from large companies to discuss interesting topics. The panel called “How companies are preparing for Procurement 4.0” brought together Daniela Ferreira (head of procurement area at Bridgestone), Eduardo Lo Valvo (supply chain management director at Siemens Brazil) and Bruno Santos (procurement director at Saint-Gobain) to discuss the challenges of digital transformation in corporate procurement areas.

Another panel, called “How to achieve more competitiveness and procurement efficiency in the global market”, closed the morning with the participation of Jerson Nascimento (CPO at JBS South America), Fernando Cotrim (supply director at Invepar) and Paulo Silvério (procurement director at Bunge), with tips on how to negotiate in the international market.

 

Special trail for sellers

In this edition, salespeople also had lectures dedicated to their business. Paulo Teles, IT Director at Sonepar, introduced a theme called “Key B2B KPIs: What and how to measure to increase your sales performance”. He said that many companies are closing down because they are unable to measure their KPIs, and provided several tips to salespeople, so they could understand the performance of an organization’s processes.

Daniel Baunds, founder of VendasB2B, gave a lecture called “Sales Machine: How to leverage your sales with a predictable and scalable process”. His presentation included examples to prove the importance of having a sales machine in the company, along with a step-by-step procedure to implement the methodology.

Salespeople’s morning ended with a panel called “What big companies value when choosing a supplier”. Marcelo Pereira, supplier management director at Mercadoe, mediated the discussion – which was conducted by João Gritti (supply chain director at Maxion Wheels), Celina Maria (supply and import manager at Sotreq) and Oswaldo Zanotti (procurement manager at Solvay).

 

In the afternoon, buyers and sellers gathered to attend common themes

Trust and collaboration in postmodern management

Poliana Abreu opened the lecture afternoon at the ME B2B Summit 2019. As HSM’s content and innovation head, she presented a theme called “Trust and collaboration in postmodern management”, which made one thing clear to all participants: the old and inflexible leadership model hasn’t room in the job market anymore. Leaders must do their homework and reach other maturity and awareness levels if they are to stay active.

 

Fostering long-term buyer/seller relationships to drive business value

The last panel of the ME B2B Summit was perhaps the most anticipated of all. Clarissa Otsuka (senior procurement manager at Mosaic), Marcelo Santos (indirect procurement manager at Nestlé) and Edmur Vellozo (supply director at BRK Ambiental) discussed the role of buyers and sellers to create win-win relationships.

According to them, benefits go well beyond savings and competitive prices. Exchanging experiences can foster innovation and process improvement within companies.

 

Reframing: learning to resignify events

How to turn problems into solutions? Luis Rasquilha, CEO at Inova Consulting and TEDx speaker, gave also one of the most commented lectures in the event. The expert showed the importance of reframing in everyday life, particularly in a time when absolute truths are being questioned.

The methodology, created at the THNK.org Dutch school, helps people to rethink attitudes in the face of constant change.

 

Negotiation: Tactics and tricks you may never have perceived

Alex Leite, educational director at Live University (Inbrasc), took the stage at the ME B2B Summit to conduct a fun game between buyers and sellers, and pose the question: do you know how to negotiate?

During 50 minutes, Alex showed points that go unnoticed, and that the art of negotiation can be a watershed to sell more and build customer loyalty.

 

Digital weapons vs. digital soul: building relationships in the new age

Walter Longo, keynote speaker at ME B2B Summit 2019, took the stage to bring the event to a perfect end.

The administrator, publicist and international panelist made everyone think about the future of mankind, and how brands must fit into a reality where nothing is defined by the average but by individuality.

In a game of words, Walter stated that we are leaving the Middle Ages and entering the Media Ages – that is, “an era where each of us is a universe apart, respected in his individuality and able to influence society”.

 

This is a brief summary of everything that happened at the ME B2B Summit 2019. You will soon be able to follow each of the subjects in more detail right here, at Mercadoe blog.

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