https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

issue_20030801


Public-Sector Purchasers Head to Austin for Annual Roundup

Public-Sector Purchasers Head to Austin for Annual Roundup

Hip, high-tech capital of Texas welcomes the National Purchasing Institute's 35 th Annual Conference and Products Exposition Located in Central Texas
  • Written by Catherine Radwan
  • 13th August 2003

Hip, high-tech capital of Texas welcomes the National Purchasing Institute’s 35 th Annual Conference and Products Exposition

Located in Central Texas on the Colorado River, Austin sizzles with intellectual, creative, and high-tech vibes, yet maintains a down-home friendliness and comfort. Photo courtesy of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Texas state flag features one lone star. Photo courtesy of the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Strategically located within 200 miles of Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, Austin, TX, boasts a trifecta of attributes that help make this dynamic city of over a half million residents the business star of the Lone Star State.

Austin is the capital of Texas state government, home to seven academic communities including the University of Texas at Austin, and a hub of high-tech industry. These government, education, and technology industries as well as diverse business services, life sciences, film and music, and logistics firms all contribute to Austin’s hot economy. The region is home to major employers such as Dell Computer Corp., Motorola, Inc., and IBM Corp.

From October 19 to 22, 2003, audacious Austin will welcome members of the National Purchasing Institute (NPI), the public-sector affiliate of the Institute for Supply Management, for NPI’s 35 th Annual Conference and Products Exposition, to be held at the Doubletree Hotel Austin.

Promoted as the Texas Lone Star Roundup, NPI’s conference will attract purchasing professionals representing government, public, educational, and nonprofit entities to development sessions, workshops, and round-table discussions that will present fresh perspectives and the newest trends in E-business and procurement.

Before the conference begins, NPI will offer an exam review session on Saturday, October 18, for members taking the Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) exam on site on Sunday, October 19. Space for the computerized certification exam is limited and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants must register and pay the exam fee in advance using the conference delegate registration form or apply online by September 26 at www.nationalpurchasinginstitute.org

Other highlights of the four-day event include pr es entat ion of the ei ghth annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Awards and the one-day Products Exposition on October 21, showcasing the newest in products, technology, and procurement services.

Professional Development
Conference attendees can take advantage of breakfast sessions, workshops, and distinguished speakers covering a selection of topics designed to help them utilize new technologies, enhance buyer/seller relationships, and service their constituencies.

Networking opportunities with other purchasing and supply-management colleagues from across the country will allow members to share work experiences and also to gain new perspective on their own work processes.

To enhance the Products Exposition, no conference sessions will be held during exhibit hours, enabling attendees to meet one-on-one with exhibitors and ask questions about their products and services. Likewise, exhibitors will have the opportunity to present their products directly to those individuals representing millions of dollars spent annually in procurement for local, state, and federal governments, utility districts, airports, educational institutions, tax-supported and public entities, and special districts. The exposition also will feature an incentive program that will encourage delegates to vis it every vendor booth by awarding various prizes.

Taking Care of Business
Event registration opens on Sunday, October 19, at 2 p.m., followed by a first-time attendees’ reception at 5 p.m., then by the general welcome reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Conference business starts bright and early Monday morning, October 20, at 7:30 a.m., with the opening breakfast and keynote address given by Ben D. Welch, Director of the Center for Executive Development in the Lowry Mays College & Graduate School of Business at Texas A&M University, and the presentation of NPI’s Achievement of Excellence in Pr ocur ement Awards by Wayne Casper, C.P.M., the director of procurement for the city of Tucson, AZ.

In addition to general sessions, delegates will be able to choose from several concurrent sessions offered on subjects ranging from paperless purchasing, e-mail, and electronic marketplaces to alternative dispute resolution, collections, and ethics in public purchasing, all presented by industry experts.

Also during the conference, NPI will conduct its annual business meeting and sponsor optional events such as the Buyer/Supplier Round Table Luncheon and the President’s Banquet, with a presentation of awards and the installation of officers.

The conference wraps on Wednesday, October 22, with a drawing for prizes at the conclusion of the final general session at 5 p.m.

Explore Austin’s City Limits
During the four-day conference, delegates will have many opportunities to explore and enjoy the capital city.

A tour of the Capitol building and outlet mall shopping are two of the conference-sponsored activities available. However, the city itself has much more to offer.

In addition to its intellectual and high-tech reputation, Austin boasts the title of “Live Music Capital of the World,” due to its thriving industry of musical entertainment. Austin’s music scene supports thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars for the local economy. Downtown offers more than 125 live-music venues including coffeehouses, honky-tonks, and clubs showcasing an eclectic mix of country, blues, rock, jazz, Latino, and classical.

Other attractions include museums, nature trails, cultural events, historical sites, and bat watching.

Austin has the distinction of being home to North America’s largest urban bat population that roosts every year from March through October under the city’s Congress Avenue Bridge. Each evening at sunset, thousands of humans hang out beneath the bridge to watch the nightly exodus as up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge to feed on insects and put on an aerial show.

The National Purchasing Institute, founded in 1968, establishes cooperative relationships among its members for the development of efficient purchasing practices in governmental, educational, and institutional procurement. Members are directly engaged in the purchasing and supply-management activities of their entities as procurement managers, supplies managers, purchasing agents, and buyers.

In 1990 NPI affiliated with the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM), now the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), a nonprofit association of over 48,000 private and public-sector purchasing and supply-management professionals.

Tags: ar issue_20030801 mag

Most Recent


  • What’s my truck worth?
    Truck Value VIN Decoding & Make/Year/Model Lookup
  • Public-Sector Purchasers Head to Austin for Annual Roundup
    Calendar of events
    A list of NIGP courses, conferences and webinars for NIGP members held in December 2012 and January 2013.
  • Public-Sector Purchasers Head to Austin for Annual Roundup
    UPPCC new certifications
    The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council announces that 208 individuals successfully completed the spring 2012 UPPCC certification examinations administered in May 2012.
  • Public-Sector Purchasers Head to Austin for Annual Roundup
    Performance data on the latest certification exams
    The UPPCC has released key performance data from the May 2012 examinations.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Purchasers Strike a Balance With Best Value Procurement
  • Citys Software Solution Empowers E-Business
  • Distribution Center is the Toast of Liquor Control Boards
  • Interoperability: Communicating in a Crisis

White papers


Arizona Arts Center Meets Rapid Deadline with Hundreds of Thousands in Savings

26th April 2022

3 Esports Recruitment Strategies & Why They Worked for These Colleges

26th April 2022

Critical Steps Procurement Can Take with their Cooperative to Fight Cyber Threats

26th April 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don’t touch their retirement plans for a decade dlvr.it/SQKMjp

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Four steps to ensure your budget prioritizes equity dlvr.it/SQJgZz

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Victims of Surfside condo collapse settle for nearly $1B in class action lawsuit dlvr.it/SQJffb

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Impact investing merges making money with making a social impact dlvr.it/SQGBgv

12th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amazon Business caters to the public sector with technology-driven features and benefits dlvr.it/SQF2Gm

12th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

For local governments, keeping the lines of communication with constituents open and easily accessible is more crit… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

11th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

When thinking about green energy and new construction, build smarter dlvr.it/SQ6L8j

10th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Looking to increase civic engagement? Support the local press dlvr.it/SQ2dQF

9th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X