Why DPW Feels Like Coming Home for Axiom

Every industry has that one event that feels bigger than the agenda. An event where industry leaders clamour not just to be heard….but also to listen to new ways of thinking, and to learn. An event where ideas spark, where partnerships form, and where there’s a sense that the future is being shaped.

For Procurement that event is DPW.

Why DPW Will Always Be Part of Axiom’s Story

But to us DPW is so much more than just an event, or an opportunity to launch new features, to start and / or continue conversations, and to share ideas. For us it’s a reminder of where it all started.

If you’ve been following our journey over the last five years, you’ll know that DPW Labs is where the Axiom adventure began - when we responded to a start-up competition being run by Roche and DPW. We were one of 55 start-ups / scale-ups that entered the competition, and were delighted when Roche took the leap of faith to select us to start a co-creation journey with.

18-months later, after an incredible period of understanding needs & challenges, developing concepts & ideas, rapid MVP testing, adapting & evolving, we launched our Enterprise MarketPlace Platform at DPW in 2023.

It was during an interview with DPW's CEO Herman Knevel and Roche's Patrick Foelck (Head of Strategy & Transformation and Head of Insights & Enablement Procurement) where we unpacked the co-creation approach and the dynamics of how a small start-up & global enterprise organisation work so well in unison, that Herman referred to our approach & relationship as a “perfect marriage”! And that’s a theme that we’ve continued as we’ve further developed additional functionality and capabilities – adopting the same open-minded co-ideation / co-creation approach to problem solving.

It was slightly humbling to hear Shakil Nathoo (Kearney) celebrate this new approach and journey in his keynote speech at DPW 2024.

From the perspective of the event itself, we’ve always enjoyed the wider DPW experience – using each year’s iteration to launch a new capability (MarketSource at AMS 2024, MarketMaterials at NY 2025), and to showcase our deepening functionality. We’ve loved the opportunity to speak on the main stage, as well as the start-up stages and to be part of the Tech safaris.

Here’s our story in motion, watch how it all came together below:

But most of all, we love the energy of the week, created not just by the content & speakers (which continues to surpass itself every time 😀) but by the people in attendance. It doesn't matter whether they’re practitioners, consultants, vendors, influencers or thought leaders, its a common mindset and a feeling of collective energy to drive the industry forwards.

You just don't get this vibe anywhere else. DPW has managed to combine the traditional event elements (vendor stands, key note speeches, etc.) with a environment of open learning and debate. I remember a post before last year's event about how they were trying to avoid the old-school approach of the A-list CPO flying in, standing on stage telling people how to do things and then jetting off to more important meetings!! In other words, missing the point of connecting with real people with real challenges and real solutions. I suggested (slightly tongue-in-cheek) that DPW should make it a condition of speaking on the main stage that these key individuals should make time to meet with a handful of start-ups with new ideas - giving both the start-up an audience with a potential key prospect and the speaker the opportunity to step out of their echo-chamber!   Whilst not adopted formally, I witnessed (and personally experienced) exactly this happening on numerous occasions during AMS 2024. This 360 degree mindset is fantastic to see and long may it continue! These individual interactions, the variety of sessions, talks, side events and connected activity outside Beurs van Berlage gives DPW a festival feel, with a forward looking focus. As much focus on 'what can we achieve next' as on celebrating what 'has been done'.

That mindset fits perfectly with how we think and work at Axiom. Where we thrive on the concept of co-ideation and co-creation to solve real challenges.

Looking ahead to DPW 2025

This year we return to Amsterdam with more exciting developments share. We’ll be talking on a range of topics from challenges we're solving, to some of our global rollouts to measurable savings and sharing interesting user adoption stories. We’ve seen procurement teams cut buying times by a factor of three, save around 15% and recover up to 60% of their time. We'll also be hinting at a super exciting development coming in Q1 next year which we believe will have a transformative effect on the challenging area of Tail spend as a whole - so watch this space!!

And of course, we’ll remember where it all started

Again, this brings us back to where our journey started and why DPW is more than just a date in our calendar. It's a reminder of those who believed in us early on, and what can happen when a singular mindset comes together with a shared vision for the future. It's a common being that has shaped our story and one that continues to inspire our next chapter. For our part, we'll go all-in to feel, to share, to listen, to learn and to imagine what comes next.

To coin a famous quote: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

It’s almost as if Mary Angelou was talking about DPW when she said those words!