Building Your Procurement Team’s 2027 Operating Plan
AI Execution, Efficiency & Delivering More Value Than Ever Before
Leave with an active blueprint for your operating plan: your top three 2027 AI priorities, a clear read on where MCP servers fit, and peer-validated solutions to your team’s hardest challenges. CPOs and VPs of Procurement, one focused day, hosted at the Ericsson campus in Plano.
Request Your Seat
Seats are capped at 40 attendees. Register your interest here and we will reach out in 2 business days to confirm your seat and provide further details.
Our Workshop Facilitators
Conrad Smith
& Supply Chain
Agenda
Most procurement events aren’t designed for people at your level. The keynotes are polished. The panels are safe. You leave with a notebook full of ideas and no time to act on any of them.
The Grand Prix format is built differently. We keep the room small — 30 leaders — so every conversation is worth having. Sessions are structured for peer-to-peer problem solving, not passive listening. No vendor pitches. No recycled talking points. Just senior procurement leaders working on real challenges in real time.
If you’re building your 2027 operating plan, this is where that work gets done.
Speaker: Conrad Smith - Graphite
Opening remarks framing what’s changed heading into 2027, what’s at stake, and how the day is structured to produce real output — not inspiration.
Speaker: Amanda Prochaska - Wonder Services
2027 is the year procurement moves AI from experiementation to execution. Amanda opens with the shifts reshaping the function, then walks the room through an eight-lever AI Operating Model, from data and governance to talent and adoption. You'll decide which model fits your organization (centralized, federated or hybrid), set your top three 2027 priorities, pressure-test one with your table, and leave with a first move for Q1.
Speaker: Conrad Smith - Graphite
An honest look at the supplier data challenges choking modern procurement teams. Attendees examine the structural shifts required to clean up data pollution, conquer systemic inefficiencies, and transition their organization into an operationally elite powerhouse.
Speaker: Ericsson + Vonage Leadership
How cross-organizational collaboration drives massive operational efficiency. Real-world case studies on how unified supplier networks allow global enterprise brands to move fast without breaking compliance.
Speaker: Boyce Bleak - Graphite
Get up to speed on MCP servers, the next big wave in AI. See how they combine data from the multiple systems your team already runs, walk through real procurement use cases, and leave with a sharper basis for your build vs. buy AI strategy and roadmap.
Table Moderators | Topic: How to Move from Paper Pushing to Value-Add
Interactive peer-to-peer roundtable on 2027 strategic planning. Small groups tackle a shared challenge: how to eliminate manual administrative burdens, safeguard data integrity across multi-brand portfolios, and refocus talent on high-margin strategic value.
Speaker: Conrad Smith - Graphite
Key insights synthesized. Immediate action items for the 2027 roadmap. Networking reception to follow.
Details TBA
MCP SERVERS
The Next Wave in AI — On Ericsson’s Campus
Most procurement teams already have AI tools. Few have them connected to the data that matters. Supplier records sit in one system, contracts in another and spend and risk data in a third. MCP servers are how that changes.
In this session, Graphite's team breaks down what MCP servers are and how they pull data together across systems. You'll also see where they're already working in real procurement use cases, such as intake, triage, supplier follow-up, and status reporting.
You’ll leave with:
- A working understanding of MCP servers and how they connect data across your systems
- Real procurement use cases to map against your own workflows
- A clearer basis for your build vs. buy AI decisions heading into 2027
The Finish Line
You won’t leave this workshop with another binder of frameworks or a 47-slide deck you’ll never open. You’ll leave with an active blueprint for a Living Strategy: your top three 2027 AI priorities, pressure tested by peers, a clear view of how MCP servers fit your AI roadmap, one first move to make in Q1.
Who Should Attend
Seats are limited to 30-40 participants and filled by direct invitation. If you’re reading this page, you were referred or invited — we don’t run open registration.
This workshop is designed for senior procurement executives who own the 2027 operating plan or are actively building it:
- Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs)
- VPs of Procurement
- Heads of Strategic Sourcing
- Sourcing Leaders and Supply Chain Directors
Cross-industry. One room. No vendor pitches.
Event Details
This in-person workshop is part of Graphite’s 2026 Grand Prix Series — a multi-city tour for senior procurement leaders, each stop focused on a different operational challenge. Breakfast and lunch are included. Every event stands alone — attend the stops most relevant to your current priorities.
The Dallas stop is hosted at Ericsson’s campus in Plano, TX, on October 22, 2026.
Grand Prix in Action
A look at what happens when the right room gets to work.
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Date and Location
