Tips for Innovative Networking and Partnerships
If you’re coming to the IFDA Solutions Conference, you are probably planning to network with other attendees and learn about capabilities of solution providers.
Members of the $400 billion foodservice distribution industry are increasingly interested in identifying new opportunities to build connections and find innovative solutions in the face of competitive challenges.
We decided to check with an expert on how this industry can take innovative approaches to networking and partnerships. Lisa Broyhill, IFDA’s senior vice president of Industry Relations, focuses on strengthening member and partner engagement and fostering industry collaboration.
“Networking is highly important because it can lead to life-long connections to learn and share,” Broyhill said.
Here are six of her success tips
1. Don’t Skimp on Advance Work
You have a better chance of finding innovation if you prepare. Solutions Conference attendees — and especially first-timers — will benefit from researching and creating a conference game plan. “Ask yourself, which education sessions and Expo exhibitors line up with what I hope to accomplish?”
2. Focus on the Future
At the conference you will likely meet with potential partners for current needs, but make sure to explore future opportunities as well. “Be open to different ways of doing things,” Broyhill said. “Consider opportunities you haven’t thought much about yet. If you are meeting with a technology provider, investigate how their capabilities fit your future goals.”
3. Find Innovation Along the Way
Sometimes the innovation potential of a possible partnership isn’t immediately evident. It may require a long conversation, and then some, to identify it. “The innovation may be about a new technology, process or way of thinking,” she explained. “Let’s say you are a distributor meeting with a potential technology partner. The technology company executives should really listen to understand what you are trying to accomplish, where is the innovative opportunity, and what are the challenges.”
4. Be Patient About Progress
Building partnerships takes investments of time and resources. Patience is a virtue in this case. “It’s not necessarily just about a single use case. You also want to think about transformation and growing over time with a partner,” Broyhill observed.
5. Learn from Innovative Peers
It’s useful to spend time speaking to attendees from peer companies about how they have grappled with major challenges. Broyhill suggests asking yourself a couple of questions as you seek out peers at the conference. “Which other distributors are doing innovative things that I can learn from? How could they help guide me?”
6. Take Advantage of Additional Opportunities
There are other innovative opportunities at the Solutions Conference. These include workshops, express talks, a solutions “Discovery Zone,” and live recording of new episodes of Crave – The IFDA Podcast. “This is all part of the education you can take away from the event,” Broyhill said.
IFDA is well positioned to help guide attendees in making the most of their conference experiences, Broyhill added. While IFDA can’t promise every interaction will be innovative, the association will do its best to help make that more likely.
Article authored by freelance writer David Orgel.
