A little over a week ago, the team here at PayStream Advisors (or the Stream Team) began our 
journey to San Antonio, Texas, to celebrate the event of the year- at least in our opinion. Some members of the office left on the weekend before to get a more authentic feel of the city, while others set out in the early morning hours of Monday, September 8th. Getting up early was worth it, however, because these three days were what PayStream had been waiting for all year.
StreamTeam’s Day Out
Our expectations weren’t disappointed. Not only were the conference events satisfying and informative, but the location was relaxing and accommodating. The hotel where the Summit was held, Hyatt Regency, was beautiful and the event staff that helped us put on the event were professional and efficient. The Riverwalk was right outside and the river itself actually ran through the complex. The city of San Antonio was every bit as exciting as we had hoped, and the Stream Team had a great time taking advantage of all it had to offer.
Tradeshift’s Booth
The first day of INNOVATE started off wonderfully—Henry Ijams and Tradeshift’s Vishal Patel carried the afternoon with sessions about emerging market trends in P2P automation and best practices. This solid beginning to the conference was finished off with a comfortable cocktail hour hosted by Tradeshift, the INNOVATE Title Sponsor, in the Exhibit Hall. This room remained a central area for congregation throughout the event, as it held many of the INNOVATE sponsors’ company booths. These sponsors included Tradshift, Ariba, Direct Commerce, ReadSoft, American Express, US Bank, BancTec, NVoicePay, Coupa, Comdata, and Scan One.
Throughout the next two days, we heard from some amazing people in workshops, panel discussions, and sessions based on a variety of AP and P2P themes. These speakers included leaders from organizations who have had great success in financial automation and business transformation, like James McDonald, the Director of Procurement at ING (soon to be Voya), and Linda Dyck, the Manager of Corporate Accounting for the Canadian Blood Services. Professionals from leading solution companies also led sessions, including NVoicePay CEO, Karla Friede, and Coupa’s VP of Customer Success, Kevin Turner.
Many of our sponsors were also hosts of the Innovate Dine Arounds, held in some of San Antonio’s best restaurants. These dinners were a great chance for PayStream to get to know this year’s INNOVATE attendees, and we discovered them to be interesting and unique. These professionals came from all walks of life and all areas of business, but they each attended the conference with the same anticipation of learning from and connecting with AP and P2P market innovators.
Overall, the event was exactly what PayStream hoped it would be—a great success. We heard on multiple occasions from INNOVATE guests how much they got out of the sessions, and how much they enjoyed the opportunity to see what solution providers had to offer on a truly in-depth and personal level. Over the next several weeks, we will be posting a series of blogs that will recap various INNOVATE sessions for those who didn’t get a chance to attend this year’s conference. PayStream believes all of our readers should get a chance to hear from the event’s innovators and hopefully, you’ll be inspired to hear from them next year in person!
provider of death care products and services. They have over 25,000 employees and operate 1,614 funeral homes and 489 cemeteries in 44 states, 8 Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. With such a big operation, it became increasingly important to control processes and costs, so in 2009, SCI created a 5-year Roadmap to transform their supply chain. They started seeking solutions to implement in their Procure-to-Pay process that would integrate their purchasing, tax, and payment procedures into one system. The Supply Chain and Accounts Payables teams reviewed multiple vendors and solutions before choosing Coupa to provide their automation software.
entire organizations, using innovative technological strategies to bring companies of all sizes together to transact, connect and collaborate with each other. They enable suppliers with free electronic invoicing, faster payments and predictable cash flow, and they empower enterprises to work more easily and productively with their entire supply chain, anywhere in the world. Their experience with supply-chain improvements has made them experts in improving the P2P process, and they will be able to provide vital insights into bringing those improvements to Summit attendees’ own companies. PayStream believes they are a perfect choice for the INNOVATE Leader.
ese sessions and the various networking opportunities throughout the conference, Summit attendees will have more than enough to take away from Tradeshift’s impressive expertise and inspiring improvement strategies. PayStream is sure that financial professionals looking for innovation at INNOVATE 2014 will not be disappointed by this year’s Innovate Leader. 
area of their business model over the past year. Some of the greatest achievements were their 100 percent increase in revenue over Q2 2013, and their >99 % subscription renewal rate which created 22 quarters of sequential subscription revenue growth.
pa that will make INNOVATE 2014 such an important and lasting experience for attendees. Other providers that will be attendance include Ariba, Direct Commerce, ReadSoft, and Tradeshift, and all will have vital things to share, either during the various networking events, workshops, panel discussions, or breakout sessions. We hope that our readers will 
nations, and shops. Foodies can take tours through acclaimed restaurants, local diners, and specialty shops, and craft beer enthusiasts can experience the Ranger Creek Brewery and Distillery or the Freetail Brewing Co., among others. The popular Pearl 
Brewery neighbors with the unique restaurant, Cured, and also hosts the expansive and diverse Pearl Farmer’s Market every Saturday. San Antonio’s shopping scene has few competitors—ranked in the top ten of America’s 25 Best Shopping Cities by Forbes magazine, it has many affordable, trendy, and accessible places to browse for memorable gifts and purchases, including the beautiful River Center Mall.
give passengers an alternative view of the walk activity, night and day. Live music and cultural events are held on the Riverwalk regularly, and for a list of events going on during the week of the Summit Conference, visit www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com.
importance on a connective strategy. By quickly and easily putting people who need rides in contact with people who have cars, Uber is displacing regular taxi services and transforming the transportation services industry. In the same way, Airbnb creates a peer-to-peer network through their booking service, diminishing the need for hotel rooms, and bringing diversity and personalization to a sometimes lonely travel necessity.
Uber, Airbnb, and the leading travel and expense management solutions provider, Concur. With this collaboration, business travelers can use these alternative services to book their trips and complete their expenses without sacrificing accuracy, visibility and manageability. For Airnbn, integration through Concur TripLink will enable employers to gain full visibility into each booking to ensure Duty of Care requirements are met. Uber’s integration with the Concur platform will provide Concur business travelers with the ability to request, ride, pay, and automatically expense their transportation– all from their mobile phone. According to Concur, both of these partnerships will make the benefits of collaborative consumption available to the business world.
host our annual 
s to the PayStream Purchase to Pay Summit at no additional cost. OR bring a co-worker. We highly recommend bringing at least two people so you can cover more workshops and get the most out of your conference experience. All you have to do is enter the coupon code BYOB to take advantage of this promotion. 
improvement retailer, Home Depot. Ms. Rich-Walker, who will also be a speaker at our 
Commerce. They began their automation journey with a self-service portal where Home Depot vendors could file issues and complaints. This portal turned out to be the game changer, and the foundation of Home Depot’s Value Creation Story. Ms. Rich-Walker said that the portal’s initial purpose was to be a dispute management center to relieve the pressure from her staff, but once they recognized its value, they rebranded it as a supplier self-service center, turning it into a one-stop shop for their vendors. It phased out Home Depot’s help-desk, eliminating the constant calls and time needed to handle problems. Additionally, the portal enables Home Depot to track the process of invoices and other documents, record suppliers’ concerns, and manage cash effectively. Today, the company spends 40% less on their processing costs, and they can now gain capital through early payments discount. With such a huge organization, a 40% cost reduction means millions of dollars in savings.
