European Forum 2023

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    European Forum 2023

    22 May 23 - 24 May 23
    22 May 2023

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    European Forum 2023

    22 May 23 - 24 May 23
    22 May 2023

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    European Forum 2023 

    AGENDA TO DOWNLOAD: EUROPEAN FORUM 2023 FULL AGENDA

    Book now: 22 – 24 May 2023, Pest ana Amsterdam Riverside, Amsterdam

    The OPI European Forum will be held from 22 – 24 May 2023 at the Pestana Riverside Amsterdam. 

    This unique pan-European event is a great opportunity to meet your peers from across the industry and share ideas. It has a topical agenda to discuss and analyse the issues impacting our industry.  

    Please find below the outline schedule:

    OPI European Forum 2023
    22 May 2023
    19.00 – Welcome dinner

    23 May 2023
    09.00 – 17.30 – Conference sessions and breakouts
    19.00 – Group dinner

    24 May 2023
    09.00 – 14.00 – Conference sessions

    Venue: Pestana Riverside Amsterdam

    OPI Forums

    As a senior executive in the business products industry, the opportunities to meet with your industry peers – the people who understand the uniqueness of your sector and recognise the importance of working together as an industry – are very rare. To help in these challenging times, OPI hosts forums in both Europe and the US for senior executives and leaders within the business products industry.

    OPI European Forum

    The European Forum focuses more directly on the uniqueness and the issues of the European market.

    This is not a large conference but a small forum exclusively for senior executives from the leading resellers, manufacturers and wholesalers of office products, and “non-traditional” resellers and vendors from the increasingly important FM and consumer electronics categories.

    Agenda

    We have an inspiring agenda featuring high quality keynotes, panel discussions and roundtable sessions to stimulate thought and debate. See the full programme by visiting the agenda page above or click here: https://www.opi.net/eventer/european-forum-2023/#Agenda

    We understand that networking is important, so there is also plenty of informal time for more private discussions. To ensure this can be accomplished in an appropriate environment, the European Forum will be a private meeting operating under Chatham House rules.

    We are confident you will find the event a really valuable experience and a very good use of your time.

    If you are interested in attending or would like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

    Steve Hilleard
    CEO, OPI

    Email: steve.hilleard@opi.net

    OPI European Forum 2023 

    Monday 22 – Wednesday 24 May 
    The Pestana Amsterdam Riverside 

    Monday 22 May 

    17.00     Registration  
    19.00     Drinks reception & welcome dinner 
    22.00     Drinks in the bar  

    Tuesday 23 May  

    08.00     Registration and breakfast 

    08.50     Welcome and opening remarks from the Chair 

    09.00     The state of the European Business Supplies industry
    The recently published OPI State of the Industry Report is an invaluable insight into the current state of the business supplies market. Using this resource the presentation will explore the market size of core business supplies, volume, value changes and margin trends. It examines the top performing and the most declining product categories as well as reviewing the distribution channels that have increased and decreased the most. This snapshot of the market will offer a great foundation for the rest of the Forum and insights that are invaluable to your business.
    Chris Exner, Chief Commercial Officer, OPI

    09.20     State of the industry panel 
    The opening session will set the scene and examine the current state of the industry following several tumultuous years of challenge and change. It will comprise short, focused interviews with key leaders from a range of channels who will share their thoughts on the opportunities over the coming months.   
    Speakers: 
    Christian Horn, Chief Product and Supply Chain Officer, RS Group 
    Alain Josse, Managing Director, Office Supplies Europe, Raja Group 
    Christian Langvad, VP Operations, Schäfer Shop Group 
    Lee Mellor, VP Europe, SC Johnson Professional 
    Cezary Mońko, President, ACCO Brands EMEA 

    10.25     Morning break for refreshments & networking 

    10.55     Is the office still relevant? 
    Hybrid working is now working. The office today is a place primarily for social interactions, and they need to be redesigned and organised to reflect this change. Workers also need to be engaged to keep productivity levels high and employers will need to manage this as they cope with economic pressures and lease arrangements. The good news is that all this means increased spend in office equipment! Join Mick Heys as he discusses the office of the future. 
    – The emergence of hub & spoke 
    – How companies are investing in redesign 
    – Impact on technology sales 
    Mick Heys, VP, Imaging & Future of WorkSpace Practice Lead, IDC 

    11.40    How everywhere commerce can drive sales and loyalty
    Gaining visibility and driving long-term consumer engagement in an increasingly complex digital world is a challenge. The available touchpoints are vast in number, and ensuring they are knitted together to achieve your strategic goals and optimise ROI is time-consuming and can be expensive and resource intensive. Overreliance on Amazon is problematic, as is the disintermediation of the actual ‘end user’ from the seller. During this presentation, Gordon Christiansen will outline many of the levers available to brands across the digital landscape and provide practical examples of how they can build plans that carry consumers through the modern sales funnel. 
    Gordon Christiansen, Partner, Highlands 

    12.30     Networking lunch 

    13.30     Managing price in an inflationary market 
    James Brown and Juriaan Deumer will explore how best-in-class companies are managing price in today’s high inflation market. They will set the context, looking at both the drivers behind the price rises we are seeing as well as the capability gap that exists across industries when it comes to navigating this environment. 
    They will then share select case examples and a nine-step programme for boosting the likelihood of successfully implementing price increases. 
    James Brown, Senior Partner, Managing Director UK, Simon-Kucher & Partners 
    Juriaan Deumer, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners 

    14.15     Roundtable session A:  
    Delegates can attend one of the following roundtable discussions, limited to around 15 participants. 

    1. Driving sales through digital engagement– what have you done and what can you do?
      Driving customer engagement is essential in this complex digital age. Whether you’re at the start of your journey or have deep expertise there is always something to learn. If you wish to share a personal story, come prepared to discuss what you have done in your business and the learnings you have taken from your experiences. What has worked and what hasn’t? What may be the quick wins and what needs a more strategic approach?
      Gordon Christiansen, Partner, Highlands  

    2. Practical steps to price increases 
      Interrogate the experts about the best way to manage price increases.  
      James Brown, Senior Partner, Managing Director UK, Simon-Kucher & Partners 
      Juriaan Deumer, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
    3. Equipping workers and workspaces in the future office
      What will the future office need and how can you service that need? Technology will naturally be a big focus, as will furniture, but there are some surprising other categories too. 
      Mick Heys, VP, Imaging & Future of WorkSpace Practice Lead, IDC
    4. B2B marketplaces – what can we expect and how can we be prepared? 
      B2B marketplaces are growing exponentially in every channel. It is estimated that within ten years, 40% of all sales will take place on this type of platform. Compared to the US and Asia, Europe is probably five years behind these economies and their marketplace development, so what can we learn from their experience and how can they help us prepare for what will happen here? 
      We have seen a number of marketplaces open in the European business supplies channel – B2B cash-and-carry giant Makro-Metro, MRO specialist Sonepar, Lyreco, Conrad and Merxu, for example. At the same time, B2C marketplaces are opening up as ‘Pro’ variances.  Besides these, large purchasers are opening procurement marketplaces like Accor and Boeing.  Buyers realise these platforms enable them to simplify procurement while allowing flexibility and (local) purchasing options. If you want to take advantage of this, it is essential that you understand the processes involved and ensure that your business is ready to explore the opportunities.
      Bob Boekema, MD, TFE Agency
    5. How can sustainability breathe new life into your organisation and your clients
      Culture is an essential part of the modern workplace and hybrid working is making this hard to maintain. Increasingly, current and potential employees care about working for an ethical organisation that dovetails with their core values.   The winners of the Vendor and Reseller Sustainability Excellence categories at the 2023 European Office Products Awards will share their insights on how sustainability has changed their company culture, improved employee engagement, driven growth and created loyal customers.  They will answer your burning questions about sustainability and examine future challenges and opportunities.  (Please note this session will only run once)
      Simone Hindmarch, Managing Director, Commercial
      Charles Nusse, Managing Director, Exacompta

    15.15    Afternoon break for refreshments & networking 

    15.45    Roundtable session B: 

    1. Driving sales through digital engagement– what have you done and what can you do?
      Driving customer engagement is essential in this complex digital age. Whether you’re at the start of your journey or have deep expertise there is always something to learn. If you wish to share a personal story, come prepared to discuss what you have done in your business and the learnings you have taken from your experiences. What has worked and what hasn’t? What may be the quick wins and what needs a more strategic approach?
      Gordon Christiansen, Partner, Highlands  

    2. Practical steps to price increases
      Interrogate the experts about the best way to manage price increases.  
      James Brown, Senior Partner, Managing Director UK, Simon-Kucher & Partners
      Juriaan Deumer, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
    3. Equipping workers and workspaces in the future office
      What will the future office need and how can you service that need? Technology will naturally be a big focus, as will furniture, but there are some surprising other categories too.  
      Mick Heys, VP, Imaging & Future of WorkSpace Practice Lead, IDC 
    4. B2B marketplaces – what can we expect and how can we be prepared? 
      B2B marketplaces are growing exponentially in every channel. It is estimated that within ten years, 40% of all sales will take place on this type of platform. Compared to the US and Asia, Europe is probably five years behind these economies and their marketplace development, so what can we learn from their experience and how can they help us prepare for what will happen here? 
      We have seen a number of marketplaces open in the European business supplies channel – B2B cash-and-carry giant Makro-Metro, MRO specialist Sonepar, Lyreco, Conrad and Merxu, for example. At the same time, B2C marketplaces are opening up as ‘Pro’ variances.  Besides these, large purchasers are opening procurement marketplaces like Accor and Boeing. Buyers realise these platforms enable them to simplify procurement while allowing flexibility and (local) purchasing options. If you want to take advantage of this, it is essential that you understand the processes involved and ensure that your business is ready to explore the opportunities.
      Bob Boekema, MD, TFE Agency 

    16.45 Transition/comfort break 

    16.50    From order-taking tool to selling machine: The consumerisation of B2B e-commerce
    For a long time, B2B websites just had to work – no one expected them to be beautiful. However, the online world does not stand still for long and COVID accelerated everything. The pandemic sent business users online, even those who had never considered it before. A lot of websites were launched that just performed the basic functions and saw companies through that challenging time. 
    However, the post-COVID landscape is now evolving with online B2B users becoming more sophisticated and, with Amazon and others raising the bar, these customers now expect a more consumer-style experience from a website. Not only should B2B sites be beautiful, they should be seamless too, integrating all parts of the business to give the user a smooth and unified experience.
    This session will discuss what the consumer expects and how you can achieve a best-in-class website experience to drive sales and customer satisfaction. 
    Patrick Donnelly, Managing Director, ES Tech Group

    17.30     Close of day one conference programme 

    19.00     Drinks reception & group dinner 


    Wednesday 24 May
     

    08.00     Breakfast  

    09.00     Opening remarks from the chair 

    09.15     Hygiene as the foundation for a healthier business 
    In 2023, businesses are facing new challenges to create clean and healthy environments for their employees and customers. Both are now hyper-aware of hygiene in the wake of the pandemic. With unprecedented levels of transferable illnesses (cold & flu, strep A, RSV), resulting in 145 million workdays lost each year, the need to maintain hygiene in the workplace has never been greater. This is why Dettol Pro Solutions believes “Hygiene is the Foundation of Healthier Business”.
    This session will cover key trends impacting the cleaning and hygiene market. How manufacturers and office supplies companies can partner together to create clean and hygienic spaces, saving time and reducing costs with less absenteeism and improved productivity, to give end customer businesses a competitive advantage, using Dettol Pro Solutions as a case study.  
    Jonathan Weiss, Commercial Director B2B Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Reckitt  

    10.00       How to stop Amazon eating your lunch: the secret to competitor pricing intelligence with four key takeaways for success 
    With online growth continuing to outpace expectations in a turbulent global polycrisis, retailers are looking for innovative strategies to stay competitive. This presentation delves into why competitor pricing intelligence matters and how it can be used effectively as a secret weapon by business product suppliers. You’ll gain a solid understanding of how competitive pricing intelligence gives you the edge, with actionable insights on how to leverage data and make better-informed pricing decisions to lift volumes, revenue and margins. 
    Andrew Senior, founder, Skuuudle 

    10.50   Morning break for refreshments & networking 

    11.20      Stories from the coalface 
    Independent expert Robert Baldrey has been in the industry for almost 40 years, working for Spicers, EVO, Staples Solutions and Office Depot Europe among others. 
    In this session, he will look back on his turnaround and restructuring experience, highlighting common pitfalls and problems that typically prevent profitable growth and value creation. Some of this may be common sense, but Robert will undoubtedly provide delegates with helpful and entertaining food for thought for their own businesses. 
    Robert Baldrey, independent industry expert 

    12.05     Conclusion and wrap-up 

    12.30     Buffet lunch 

    14.00     Close of OPI European Forum 2023 

    Confirmed speakers at the OPI European Forum 2023. Please visit regularly for the latest updates. 

    • Robert Baldrey, independent industry expert
    • Bob Boekema, MD, TFE Agency
    • James Brown, Senior Partner, Managing Director UK, Simon-Kucher & Partners
    • Gordon Christiansen, Partner, Highlands
    • Juriaan Deumer, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
    • Paddy Donnelly, Managing Director, ES Tech Group
    • Mick Heys, Vice President, Imaging & Future of WorkSpace Practice Lead, IDC
    • Simone Hindmarch, Managing Director, Commercial Group
    • Christian Horn, Chief Product and Supply Chain officer, RS Group
    • Alain Josse, Managing Director, Office Supplies Europe, Raja Group
    • Christian Langvad, Vice President Operations, Schäfer Shop Group
    • Lee Mellor, Vice President Europe, SC Johnson Professional
    • Cezary Mońko, President, ACCO Brands EMEA
    • Charles Nusse, Managing Director, Exacompta
    • Andrew Senior, Founder, Skuuudle
    • Perry Timms, Founder & Chief Energy Officer – People and Transformational HR
    • Jonathan Weiss, Commercial Director B2B Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Reckitt 

    The European Forum 2023 is being held at the fabulous Pestana Amsterdam Riverside Hotel.

    This beautiful hotel is housed in a cluster of 19th century Neo-Renaissance-style buildings and two modern annexes on the banks of the Amstel River in “De Pijp”, a quiet location just outside the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam’s inner canal belt. It features elegant guestrooms, a stunning lobby with beautiful ceilings and arches, an indoor swimming pool and secure valet parking.

    Reservations
    Rooms at The Pestana Amsterdam Riverside are now very limited.
    To check current availability at the hotel please follow the instructions below:  

    1. Access the Pestana website, select Pestana Riverside Amsterdam
    2. Select your dates, number of guests and then choose “code/voucher” in the “special rates” dropdown box
    3. Enter code EUROFORUM23 and then click search
    4. Our group rate of  will be the only option available
    5. Click “book now” and proceed with your reservation as normal

    Subject to availability, rooms at our group rate of €249 inc VAT and breakfast are available for three days before and after the conference.

    Once our room block has sold out we will operate a waitlist. If you are unable to make a reservation and would like to be added to the waitlist please email lisa.haywood@opi.net

    Venue Address
    Pestana Amsterdam Riverside
    Amsteldijk 67
    1074 HZ
    Amsterdam
    Tel:+31202206900
    Get Directions

    If you need any assistance, please get in touch: events@opi.net

    Booking to attend the OPI European Forum:

    Super Early Rate: available until 17 March 2023

    • 1 Ticket – €2,395.00
    • Second delegate – €1,850.00

    Discount Rate: available from 18 March to 30 April 2023

    • 1 Ticket – €2,495.00
    • Second delegate – €1,950.00

    Standard Rate: available from 1 May 2023

    • 1 Ticket – €3,100.00
    • Second delegate – €2,100.00

    Independent Dealer (turnover less than €150 million) €1,650.00

    OPI corporate members are entitled to free and discounted places at the forums. If you are a Club Member, please contact lisa.haywood@opi.net to reserve your place. If you are interested in more information about corporate membership, please contact Chris Exner at chris.exner@opi.net or visit www.opi.net/corporate-membership/

    OPI MEMBERS
     

    VIP Membership
    OPI VIP members are entitled to a 10% discount at the Forums. Please enter your VIP discount code in the box above and click ‘Apply code’. If you do not have the appropriate discount code then either contact lisa.haywood@opi.net  or login in here: https://www.opi.net/vip-membership-discount/

    Corporate Membership
    OPI Corporate members are entitled to a 10% discount at the Forums. Please enter your Corporate discount code in the box above and click ‘Apply code’. If you do not have the appropriate discount code then either contact lisa.haywood@opi.net or login in here: https://www.opi.net/corporate-member-discount/

    If you wish to find out more about the substantial benefits and discounts our corporate members receive, please contact chris.exner@opi.net  or visit https://www.opi.net/memberships/ 

    REDUCED FEES

    Diversity Offer

    OPI would like to make the Forums more diverse, especially looking at encouraging engagement from younger and/or female executives.

    To encourage their attendance we have decided to sponsor additional places to go to anyone younger, female, of colour or in any way adding diversity to the event. We also hope that by bringing new people to these events we can encourage them to stay in the industry by offering them education and a view of the complexities of the channel – so they can see it’s not just selling paper clips!

    We are offering a limited number of registered delegates the opportunity to bring an extra person to the Forum at no charge. We would only ask you to cover their travel and hotel.

    When you register you will see the option to add an extra place. Alternatively contact janet.bell@opi.net for assistance. 

    * Cancellation terms and conditions

    • All cancellations received before 1st May 2023 will be refunded in full. 
    • No refunds will be made for any cancellations made after 1st May 2023.
    • All cancellations must be made in writing to events@opi.net. A replacement guest may attend at no extra charge at any time. 

    COVID-19
    Although COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed nothing is guaranteed. If we need to reschedule the event due to COVID-19 your delegate place will be automatically transferred to the new dates. If the new dates are not suitable for you, we will arrange a credit for another OPI event, product or service, or you can request a refund.

    If you need to cancel at any time, please contact us – we will try to be as flexible as we can. 

    For more information, please contact janet.bell@opi.net directly.

    3M
    Absolute MBA Office National
    ACCO Brands
    Ace Office Environments Ltd
    Acme United Europe GmbH
    Adler Business Systems Ltd
    Advantia
    Adveo
    AF International
    Alpha Office Solutions Ltd
    ALSO International
    Amazon
    Art Woods Office Supplies
    Aston & James Office Supplies
    Avansas Office Supplies UK
    Avery
    Banner
    BIC
    Bi-silque
    Bisley Office Furniture
    BOSS Federation
    BPGI
    Brassardburo Inc.
    British Safety Industry Federation
    Brother UK
    Bruneau
    Centraal InkoopBureau
    Central Office Supplies
    CF Synergie AG
    Clover Technologies Group
    Coastal Office National
    Codex
    COLOP
    COLOP Digital
    COMERCIAL DEL SUR DE PAPELERIA S.L.
    Commerce Connector
    Commercial
    Complete Office Supplies
    Dacris
    DeskToo
    Durable Hunke & Jochheim GmbH & Co. KG
    Durable UK
    Dutch Mansion
    eBay
    edding
    energizer
    EO Group
    Equipement de Bureau Robert Legare LTEE
    Errebian
    Essity
    Europa Worldwide Group
    Everything Office Ltd
    EVO Group
    Exacompta
    Excel Office Solutions
    Exertis Supplies
    Fellowes Brands
    FIRMO – Papéis e Papelarias
    First Base Group
    Focus 7 International
    Frasers Office Innovation
    Front Foot Drive Limited
    FusionPlus Data
    Gensler
    GH Johnson Furniture
    GNS Wholesale
    Grand & Toy
    Greenspeed
    Gruppo In Ufficio
    Guernsey
    Hamelin Brands
    HB Associates
    Heatons Group Ltd
    Highlands
    HP UK & Ireland
    HSM
    Office World Group
    Image Office Supplies Ltd
    Incontrol Marketing Group Ltd
    indoff
    Infotark AS
    Inovocom (Pty) Ltd
    Integra Business Solutions
    Interaction
    International Paper
    Irongate Group
    ISSA
    JGBM
    Jones Business Systems
    Jose Silva
    Kaisen Digital
    KanzOboz
    KOLOK
    Legamaster International B.V.
    Lotus Stationers
    Lyreco
    Madill – The Office Company
    Makro
    Mason Complete Office Solutions
    Mayer-Kuvert-Network GmbH
    Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
    Mitsubishi Pencil Co
    MOE Office Products Depot
    Mondoffice SRL
    Monolith GmbH
    NCS
    Nemo
    Newell Brands
    Ninestar
    Northern Fixtures
    Novexco
    Novus Dahle GmbH
    NWL Germany Office Products GmbH
    Office Brands
    Office Choice
    Office Club
    Office Depot
    Office Distribution
    Office Essentials
    Office Friendly
    Office Gear
    Office Power
    Office Sense
    Office Supplies Denmark A/S
    Office Supplies Now
    Offix Holding AG
    OT Group Limited
    PA Consulting
    Patel Surat Trading CC
    PBS Holding
    PBS Network GmbH
    Philips
    Pierre Henry UK Ltd
    Pilot Corporation of Europe
    Polstar Holdings
    Posturite
    Prima Software
    Printus GmbH
    Product Promotion Services
    Quantore
    Quick Corporate Australia
    Quirk Solutions
    Quocirca
    RAJA Group
    Rapesco Office Products Plc
    Reckitt
    Reef Stationers
    ReSolve Cyber
    Retail Performance Solutions
    Revelx
    Rexel Office Products
    RNA Stationers
    Roland Berger
    RTC Proffice
    Safescan
    Sales-i
    Soennecken
    Soft carrier
    Solcrown Business Supplies Ltd
    Sourcing Partner
    South West Office National
    Spectrum Industrial
    Springfield Business Supplies Ltd
    Stabilo
    Stadex Stationery
    Staples Solutions
    Stewart Superior
    Superstat
    Supplies Network
    Supplies Web
    Supply Chimp
    tesa
    TFE Agency
    The Navigator Company
    Theo Paphitis Retail Group
    TPPS World (HK) Limited
    Trodat 
    UHU GmbH & Co. KG
    UKOS PLC
    Unilever
    United
    Upstream Workplace Solutions Ltd
    VOW Wholesale
    Warehouse Direct Workplace Solutions
    Westcoast
    Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation
    Zermatt.aero