immixGroup sales summit takes on major trends in government market

The government market is about to undergo a significant transition as we move from Obama administration to a new administration, whomever that may be.

It’s against that backdrop that the immixGroup holds its annual Government IT Sales Summit. Unless we have a repeat of the contested 2000 election, we’ll know who the next occupant of the White House is when the summit takes place on Nov. 17.

But the focus of the summit isn’t impacted by party or personality because many trends to be explored will continue to drive the market no matter who wins on Nov. 1.

Besides the often stellar budget briefings put on by immixGroup analysts, some of the other sessions that caught my eye include one looking at contract vehicles and procurement requirements. While the immixGroup website doesn’t say who will be speaking at this session, it does mention the topics include category management, the transactional data reporting rule and OMB’s government strategic sourcing initiative.

Another session will focus the shifting of dollars from the capital expenditure side of the budget to the operating expense side. This shift, which immixGroup says is gaining momentum, is primarily driven by the increased use of as-a-service procurements.

The impact of the Internet of Things on mobility and cybersecurity will be the focus of another session.

As I said, the topics of these sessions and others will continue to be top of mind at the government no matter who is in office.

The lunch time keynote also should entertaining and informative. immixGroup is bringing in author and literal rocket scientist Adam Steltzner to share insights from his time as the team leader and chief engineering for NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity.

Steltzner has written a book, The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership and High Stakes Innovation. The tag line should resonate with the GovCon market. His talk will focus on the role team dynamics play with moving projects and innovation forward.

And as is usual with these kinds of events, there should be plenty of networking opportunities. Last year, the summit drew 900 attendees, so you should easily find someone to connect with.

The summit will be held Nov. 17 at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Va.