When the Eighth Biennial Enhancing Sales Force Productivity Conference arrived in Finland for the first time in May 2024, we had the unique opportunity to participate in its organization. As marketing students, the theme of the conference particularly appealed to us. The importance of combining sales and marketing is often discussed on our courses, but our sales skills have remained fairly superficial. What better way to learn than to spend a few days in the same room with top sales professionals!
Held at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, the conference allowed sales researchers and experts to share their thoughts on sales development, particularly the role of artificial intelligence. Over three days, numerous presentations were given where researchers presented current findings in sales research, and company representatives responded by showcasing the current state of sales from the organizational perspective. We particularly remember the keynote speeches, which addressed the practical use of AI in sales. The topics of the research presentations ranged from motivating sales representatives to analyzing buyers’ personalities, making it challenging to choose the most interesting one.
Our role at the conference was to ensure the event ran smoothly. Distributing name badges to guests, picking up farewell cinnamon rolls, and playing Darude’s Sandstorm to signal the end of breaks are just a few examples of our diverse job description. We also became familiar with the conference guests as we solved phone issues together and brainstormed suitable Finnish souvenir ideas. Despite our assisting duties, we had plenty of time to listen to the presentations and even comment on them.
In addition to the presentations, the conference included other activities, such as a sightseeing tour to Vapriikki Museum Centre and a cocktail reception organized by the City of Tampere. The relaxed and warm atmosphere of the conference was somewhat surprising to us, as we had expected a more serious tone. In reality, the event also served as a networking opportunity, judging by the eager chatter among the participants.
We owe this opportunity to our university lecturer, Mika Yrjölä, who served as the co-chair of the conference. We also want to thank the entire exceptional organizing team, whose friendliness and hard work ensured a pleasant conference experience for us and all the participants.
We would summarize the conference’s most important message as follows: AI will not replace the sales expert, but the sales expert who leverages AI will replace the one who avoids it.
Fourth year marketing students B.Sc. Henrietta Häkli and B.Sc. Julia Penttilä