ISM’s Innovation Park Is More than a Trade Expo
No conference is ever complete without a trade show. The Innovation Park at Institute for Supply Management®’s (ISM®) Annual Conference goes beyond the typical trade show to being the ultimate supply chain information, learning and gathering space.
The expo features (1) suppliers offering supply chain products and services, (2) the Ascend Solution Studio, (3) three other stages with presentations and discussions about AI, trends and solutions (4) networking and meeting spaces and (5) the Central Hub for meet and greets or group talks with ISM experts, as well as vendor presentations.
Attendees from all over the world have convened at ISM World 2026 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado.
The expo creates a sense of community and energy, pairing supply chain professionals and suppliers together, said Debbie Fogel-Monnissen, Interim ISM CEO. It’s where vendors bring solutions that help practitioners advance their careers and perform better. It’s where attendees — practitioners and suppliers alike — can walk around, meet people and learn, she said.
“It’s really hard to get procurement people in one room and to just do some brainstorming and thought leadership,” said Mehreen Khan, senior account executive at Amazon Business, whose company has a booth in the expo. But the Innovation Park offers that opportunity, she said.
Central Hub meet-and-greets included sessions with Fogel-Monnissen and the World Bank’s Gallina Vincelette, vice president, operations policy and country services, and a presentation by ISM Vice President Melanie Larimer on the new Certified Professional in Supply Management® (CPSM®) Pilot program.
“I’ve taken a lap or two around (the expo) and everybody has different products or services,” said Jenny Meisel, client development manager at Element Fleet Management, which had a booth at the Innovation Park. “I love going around to all the different booths. It’s also been fun to listen in to the sessions. The (Innovation Park) is a really good source of different information.”
Historically, Element has focused on big fleets, those with thousands of vehicles, Meisel said. The company recently added a small-medium fleet division, which she works with. “While here, we’ve been able to meet people here from all over the board — those in that small-medium space and people who have larger fleets. And it’s really fun because we get to address the whole scope,” she said.
This is the third year that Richmond, Virginia-based Healex Systems Limited has had a booth. Each year, the company has scaled up, this year choosing a “waterfall” booth after previously having kiosks, said Christy Dunsmore, sales associate at Healex. In addition to the booth, the company also did a presentation Monday on its vendor-managed inventory solution, Nocturne, on the Central Hub stage.
Alex Place, Healex’s sales manager, liked the ability to engage with the audience about the solution, which has customizable dashboards with stock level status, performance metrics, and more. he said.
Among the other presentations on the Central Hub, Transform and Insights stages:
- “Happy People, Higher Impact: How to Boost Joy at Work.” Presenter Mari Hart-York, CPSM, CPSD, supply chain director at Northrop Grumman Corporation, talked about the four pillars to boosting joy: mindset, circle of control, purpose and relationships.
- “First 100 Days in Your Procurement Leadership Role,” an interactive session on aligning procurement with investor priorities and more by Flavio Alberino, vice president of procurement and supply chain at TK Elevator.
- “Agentic AI in Procurement — the Future Is Now.” Speakers from Zycus talked about how agentic AI marks a shift in how the technology can make a difference for supply chains.
(Photo credit: Ember Light Media)