BPC Dallas 2022 Takeaways

Our latest installment of Bid & Proposal Con went swimmingly and it was such a pleasure to see professionals from across the globe connect once again. We had a final count of 967 bid and proposal professionals and it was an amazing week, to say the least. Although it would be nearly impossible to fully summarize all the various speaker sessions and networking events at this year’s BPC, we wanted to offer some major takeaways for those who didn’t attend! And here they are:

• DEI is important but reinforcement among CEOs is essential. Here are some takeaways from APMP’s Affinity Group session focused on DEI; 
  • Regina Boyd of the Professionals of Color Affinity Group said the business models are important but the people are really what matter.The Bottom line is important but the premium should be on the people. 
  • Sarah Miranda, CF APMP, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt of the Young Professionals Affinity Group said that young professionals are an investment and companies should develop their talent. If the company hires a young pro, listen to them. 
  • Jason Decker with the APMP Military Veterans Affinity Group said the Veteran employee is capable and ready and should be considered for upward mobility. 
  • Lisa Howe from the Texas LGBTQ community said authenticity at work leads to quality work and a performing employee. Companies that honor Inclusion and encourage authenticity will always win.

• APMP’s Young Professionals Affinity Group session at BPC Dallas 2022 left us with several key takeaways; 
  • Ageism is never funny. Joking that millennials are lazy will nearly guarantee they start looking for other opportunities.
  • Millennials care about social issues and want their companies to care too.
  • Their multitasking and research skills are on point. Remember, they have been using the internet and tech tools since they were kids.
  • Millennials are highly motivated to reach the next position and they know when they are being lowballed.

• The first Keynote Speaker at BPC Dallas was Jackie Freiberg and here are some takeaways from her speech;
  • Keep writing through criticism and the odds. We are writers.
  • Refine and enrich your story. Reflect on those who motivated you.
  • Ask yourself if you are adding something valuable to your story. Use that focused energy and keep writing.

• David Gray of AM Bid & Jon Darby of BidCraft conducted a session called ‘Leadership in a Hybrid Future’ and here are some takeaways from that session;
  • It’s challenging to build trust across a hybrid bid team, but it should be an essential investment in time and energy to do so. The payback is a motivated and high-performing team.
  • Remember to celebrate your successes, including individual contributions and team achievements, and not *just* the bid wins – but celebrate those too, of course! 😄

We’d like to thank all of our attendees and sponsors for making this year’s BPC such a blast! If you’d like to add to this list of BPC Dallas 2022 Takeaways, you should consider writing an article about your BPC experience on our Winning The Business blog! We hope to see all of you at next year’s BPC in Orlando!