The Summit helps us find vendors we need to improve our operations

“We are purchasing software from a company we had not heard of prior to the Summit. It can potentially replace three of our existing vendors,” said Eric Norman, Vice President for Student Affairs, Austin Peay State University, a delegate at Marcus Evans University Leadership Summits.

What possibilities and business opportunities have the Summits brought to your organization?

The Summits have brought to my attention different areas of operation that we need to go into in the future. I have learned about different software packages and services, examined learning management services and customer relation software, and better understood how we can synchronize different systems to communicate with each other. The Summit reinvigorates me. It takes place at the perfect time of the year, right after we get through reopening, which is when many different issues emerge.

Are you planning to work with any of the vendors?

Right now, we are trying to obtain a contract with one vendor. The package we are looking at can potentially replace three of our vendors. The software can help us facilitate and optimize student retention and graduation. We are auditing our programs to identify gaps and overlaps, so that we can reduce the number of our programs we use, and purchase this package.

I have truly enjoyed the scheduled one-on-one meetings, and have developed and sustained very strong relationships with many of the vendors.

Did you know this vendor before the Summit?

I did not. Every day, many vendors contact me, but I do not have time to speak to them. If we do not already have a connection or relationship, I do not respond. It is not easy to get through our door, to become one of our vendors.

Is the one-on-one meeting format an efficient or effective way to meet different vendors?

I like it. It allows us to have 30-minute discussions with each vendor. The good thing is, if we are very interested in their products or services, we can always carve out additional time later to have a deeper conversation with those executives.

Have you attended many other industry events? How would you compare the Summit with those?

I prefer the Marcus Evans Summit over other conferences and meetings. The format is much better. It has a good combination of interesting presentations, one-on-one meetings, and networking sessions where we can mingle with various executives and dive deep into not only the issues, but the solutions. This is where Marcus Evans sets itself apart. That composition just doesn’t exist at other conferences. I take part in two major industry events, but the attendees are all from Student Affairs or a specific unit. I have also attended other accreditation conferences, but the folks there tend to be from institutions in that region, which limits scope. Usually vendors have booths in a separate area, and you have to walk through the fair to find interesting products and services. It is not the same as getting a live demo and having those deeper conversations. The Marcus Evans Summit seems to be the perfect combination of individuals and experiences, so you can get into deeper discussions, which is not feasible at any other conference.

Find out more about the next University Leadership Summit