INVITATION-ONLY WORKSHOP | GRAPHITE GRAND PRIX

High-Performance Procurement: Building Operational Speed

Name: High-Performance Procurement: Building Operational Speed - Graphite Grand Prix
Start: 2026-11-04T08:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-11-04T15:30:00-05:00
Location: M1 Concourse

Like the best drivers, the best procurement teams don’t choose between speed and control. They master both.

One cohort of senior procurement leaders. One day, one question: what actually separates the operational elite from everyone else? 

You’ll start on the track with a timed autocross run at M1 Concourse, then move from adrenaline to engagement.

Wednesday, Nov 4^th
8:30 AM

M1 Concourse

Pontiac, MI

Request Your Seat

Seats are capped at 40 and filled by invitation. If you’re on this page, you were referred or invited directly.

THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Come for the Drive — On the Track at  M1 Concourse

You won’t watch a demo. You’ll drive. Before the sessions begin, you’ll take M1’s autocross course firsthand — a timed run through a cone-outlined course, track vehicle provided. It’s not a gimmick. It’s the entire thesis of the day made physical: elite performance is control at velocity — never a trade between the two. The best drivers and the best procurement teams win the same way.

Included:

Timed autocross on M1’s Arena, track vehicle provided
Professional oversight and on-site instruction
A working cohort of senior peers for the rest of the day

Closed-toe shoes required. Additional track and safety details follow upon confirmation.

Request Your Invitation

A Different Kind of Working Session

Most procurement events aren’t built for people at your level. The keynotes are polished, the panels are safe, and you leave with a notebook full of ideas and zero time to act on them.

The Grand Prix format is built the opposite way. We keep the room to a single cohort 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.

The Day's Agenda

8:30 AM

Registration & Networking

Welcome coffee, registration, and first-lap peer networking.

9:00 AM

Green Flag: The Driving Experience — M1 Concourse Arena

Take M1’s autocross course firsthand — a timed, high-performance run through a cone-outlined course, track vehicle included. It makes the day’s lesson physical: elite speed comes from control, not recklessness.

11:30 AM

Lunch & Panel: From Vendor to Partner — Up-Leveling Supplier Collaboration

High velocity requires total alignment. Senior leaders unpack how they’re modernizing supplier collaboration — turning unified data, shared demand signals, and collaborative governance into faster execution, less friction, and de-risked global operations.

12:30 PM

Data Deep Dive: What Defines Procurement’s Operational Elite?

Speaker: Conrad Smith - Graphite

An exclusive look inside Graphite’s proprietary dataset. The specific operational benchmarks, cycle times, and structural traits that separate elite procurement teams from the rest of  the pack.

1:30 PM

Fireside Chat: Speed & Synergy

A candid, off-the-record conversation with a senior procurement leader on operating at speed without breaking compliance.

2:15 PM

The Brain Trust: “What Now?” — Building Your Transformation Roadmap

The capstone. Leaders split into working groups to attack live bottlenecks and, using the day’s insights, draft and peer-review a customized action plan — the roadmap you take home and put to work Monday.

3:15 PM

Checkered Flag: Closing Remarks

The synthesis, resource distribution, and how to access follow-up benchmarking support.

3:30 PM

Happy Hour & Networking

Keep the conversation — and the connections — going.

Who Should Attend

Seats are limited and filled by direct invitation — we don’t run open registration. This room is built for the leaders who own operational performance: