Integra hosted over 200 members, guests, and representatives from 49 key partners, at the 2024 ‘Elevate Your Business’ National Conference, which took place at The Hilton, St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trent, on March 6
Integra’s National Conference is firmly established in the calendar as a must-attend event in the industry. Year on year members feedback on the invaluable opportunity to come together under one roof, to network with like-minded business owners, share ideas in a non-competitive environment, and take best practice back into their businesses. The Supplier Exhibition remains a key component of the event, with members and suppliers alike valuing the opportunity to meet
in person, to discuss sales strategies, promotions, and get a first look at new product launches for the coming year.
Opening address
The agenda included a series of highly topical and informative keynote presentations.
Integra CEO Aidan McDonough opened the proceedings, reflecting back on some of the changes in the industry over the past thirty years and applauding members for continuing to adapt and evolve to address ever- changing market demands.
He pointed out that Integra is the members’ business, on a one member, one share basis, reported the Group is financially sound with a strong balance sheet and provided a recap on adjacent cash-generative solutions including Catalyst, the Initiative brand and the Integra Creative studio.
Sustainability was also another topic he covered, urging members to take advantage of the opportunities to sell more eco-friendly products and to take steps now to develop a net zero strategy with the group’s Green Initiative platform and partnership with the Planet Mark there to help them.
Is the office still relevant?
Nathan Budd, Consulting Director at IDC provided a comprehensive data set that clearly demonstrated that today’s office is no longer a fixed static place, and that the future of work will be a flexible and hybrid model.
After setting the scene and illustrating the point that after pay, the working environment is the main reason people leave their jobs, Budd discussed the purpose of an office. He referenced the advantages of being present in the office to build people’s skills through shadowing and mentoring for example, and spoke about the impact of AI, stating that widespread adoption of the technology will augment how people work, in terms of automating mundane, repetitive tasks, thus freeing up people to make decisions.
“AI is the most dramatic change in the workplace,” he said, adding: “However, providing a competitive advantage will only come from people, not machines.”
Moving on to explore best practice, Budd stressed the importance of companies adopting a digital-first infrastructure, focusing on security, and flexible space management, the use of sensors to track movement and measure how the space is being used, as well as ensuring the user experience is seamless.
“Organisations will need to define what an office looks like based on what they need and the ability to manage, predict and pre-empt the office environment as critical factors for success. It will be key to make the workspace work for people and organisations, if we are to encourage people to come back in,” he concluded.
AI and managed content
In this highly informative session, Patrick Donnelly, Business Unit Leader at ES Tech Group tabled a number of practical ways in which members can elevate their business using AI and managed content. He focused on four key areas that need to be aligned: Commerce – via a best-in-class B2B platform; Content – product content that sells; Connectivity – integration with ERP platforms; and Communication – personalisation and customer segmentation to drive engagement and conversion.
Donnelly explored some of the challenges around not deploying the four ‘Cs’ effectively, citing the pandemic which saw e-commerce become the top strategy for survival, with 34% of small businesses attempting it and poor execution leading to low success rates.
In terms of best practice, Donnelly urged members to partner with vendors with a track record of innovation and investment, and to use data and analytics to drive decision-making.
Speaking about AI, he said: “AI is going to turn the world upside down.”
The future of B2B sales is hybrid
According to Gordon Christiansen, Partner at Highlands, the future of B2B sales is hybrid – involving a combination of digital and in-person sales techniques. He reflected back on the traditional sales role, strategies and approaches, pointing out how times have changed. “Unless you’re adding value to the sales process, your job will be replaced by technology,” he warned.
He spoke about how today’s B2B buyer wants to self-educate before engaging face-to- face with a salesperson and that they typically expect sales professionals to use up to ten channels from chat, to email, through to social media, during the decision journey.
“Research reveals that 75% of buyers want to totally self-serve and trends point to the fact that they are prepared to spend high without any human interaction,” he noted.
“Buyers expect a B2C-like personalised experience from all websites and in terms of the digital path to purchase, three-quarters of buyers will check a company’s website and 66% their social feeds,” he added.
Christiansen described today’s buyer as being digitally-savvy, a social media user, happy to self-serve, and expects a value-add, this, he says has changed the sales role irrevocably. He encouraged members to widen the net and consider that today’s sales professionals are looking for a hybrid role. “Salespeople today should be relatable, a good listener and use a variety of tools. Relationships aren’t dead, people buy from people they can relate to and trust,” he concluded.
Supplier Exhibition
A packed exhibition hall, saw members taking the opportunity to engage with service providers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors who pulled out all the stops to support them, talking through new solutions, products and promotions, as well as network with their peers.
This year’s exhibition housed 49 key partners across all industry sectors including VOW Wholesale, Dynamic Office Solutions, DAMS Furniture, Stabilo, 3M, Hamelin, Pentel, JGBM, Fellowes, Acco Brands, Beeswift, Nestle, Prima Software, Snopake, Antalis, Verbatim, Bi-silque, Pukka Pad, and many more.
An audience with Ben Fogle
The highlight of the day for many was the chance to sit down for an audience with broadcaster, traveller and adventurer, Ben Fogle. He has racked up an inventory of incredible achievements from rowing the Atlantic Ocean, crossing Antarctica on foot, completing a 160 mile race across the Sahara Desert, and crossing the Empty Quarter on a camel.
He spoke eloquently about his adventure-driven journey which began with a year-long experience on the BBC project Castaway in 1999, which he described as extraordinary and one which led him to embark on a set of personal challenges. He explained how each challenge tested him in different ways both physically and mentally, admitting that despite all of the preparation he put into rowing the Atlantic, it was only on the morning of the race, he realised he had forgotten to learn to row!
Fogle has had a few near death experiences; the most harrowing was when he entered the death zone of Mount Everest and with just 48 metres left before he reached the summit, his oxygen tank exploded. His co-climber gave him his own supplementary oxygen tank (he later fashioned a new mask out of an empty coke bottle) and urged him to go on. After a gruelling two hours, he reached the roof of Everest.
In closing, he encouraged everyone to “follow your dreams and climb your Everest” before opening up the floor to questions.
Gala dinner and awards evening
Sebastian Walton, previous winner of The Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year Award entertained guests pre and post dinner. The after dinner entertainment continued with Elvis Presley Tribute, Paul Larcombe, taking to the stage.
Integra’s guests once again demonstrated their generosity, helping to raise over £2,500 for three chosen charities. The final amount will be split equally between Hospice Isle of Man, ANDYSMANCLUB and the British Heart Foundation in memory of Bob Clague, Steve Bilton and Ken Trenberth.
