What is DPW Amsterdam?
DPW (Digital Procurement World) Amsterdam is regarded as a leading technology conference for procurement and supply chain professionals, combining both in-person and virtual experiences in the heart of Amsterdam.
Returning from 7-9 October, DPW Amsterdam will transform the Beurs van Berlage into its 2025 home.
Attendees can expect multiple stages, intimate spaces, conversation lounges and much more – all right in the centre of the city.
For procurement and supply chain leaders, it marks one of the most significant and influential gatherings in the diary, bringing together influential figures from across the globe to explore cutting-edge innovations and strategic insights that shape the future of procurement and supply chain management.
From frustration to innovation: The DPW origin story
DPW Amsterdam was launched in Amsterdam quite deliberately. The Dutch capital is defined by innovation and entrepreneurship, and has risen rapidly over the years as an industry hub on the continent.
Much like Amsterdam, DPW Amsterdam is something of a crossroads that brings together multiple disciplines, turning fresh ideas and transforming them into opportunities for organisations of all shapes and sizes.
In 2019, seeking a procurement conference to showcase his then-employer, a startup in the space, founder Matthias Gutzmann was left frustrated by an apparent lack of suitable options.
He deemed existing events to be too expensive, lacking in investors and failing to attract startups – critical to digital transformation and innovation in procurement.
However, Matthias saw the gap in the market as an opportunity. He left his role in New York and moved into his parents' house in Germany. From there, he took all his savings and invested them into launching DPW Amsterdam.
In September 2019, DPW Amsterdam's launch conference boasted an attendance of more than 400 industry leaders from 33 countries and was dubbed "the best new procurement event in years".
Since then, it has continued to flourish.
- 2019: DPW launches in Amsterdam, attracting 450 attendees
- 2020: DPW's launch conference was awarded the silver medal in the Best New Conference category by the Conference & Events Awards
- 2021: DPW Amsterdam goes fully virtual with a digital-only, two-day event, attracting more than 3,000 attendees
- 2021: DPW's 2021 conference wins bronze for Best Virtual Event
- 2022: DPW Amsterdam launches hybrid format, which attracts over 5,000 attendees
- 2023: DPW Amsterdam 2023 reaches record attendance numbers and launches the 'Make Tech Work' theme
- 2024: DPW's biggest event yet, with 10X as its theme and 40% growth in corporate attendees
In 2024, seeking to build on already-impressive growth, DPW Amsterdam announced Herman Knevel as its new CEO.
Herman co-founded DPW LABS and brings a wealth of experience in global outsourcing, corporate innovation programmes and fostering collaborations between corporations and startups.
As CEO, his vision is to extend DPW's reach and impact, establishing it as the go-to platform for transformative digital procurement and supply chain technologies.
The leadership transition saw Matthias step into a new role of MD of Events and shift his focus towards scaling the company's rapidly-growing event community, including the flagship DPW Amsterdam conference and the company's first US event, the DPW NYC Summit.
"I'm excited to experience the next phase of DPW's growth with Herman as our CEO," said Matthias. "The time has come to expand our impact in procurement and supply chain and to go 10X."
The 2025 instalment of DPW Amsterdam is set to feature more than 80 talks, performances and more from 47 confirmed speakers.
Stay tuned to Procurement Magazine over the next few weeks for all the build-up to DPW Amsterdam.