Elevate Australia 2024 took Sydney and Melbourne by storm, transforming into the ultimate rebate strategy summit for visionary thought leadership, groundbreaking discussions, and unparalleled networking opportunities.

The event had everyone talking as industry leaders and rebate innovators connected over two days, sharing forward-thinking strategies set to revolutionize rebate management. From spotlighting the game-changing impact of AI to exploring the future of strategic partnerships in a fast-evolving supply chain, it was a true meeting of minds.

In this blog post, we’ll recap the event’s key highlights, dive into thought-provoking ideas, and showcase inspiring stories from our leading rebate strategists.

Your Future in a World of Accelerating Change

To kick off Elevate 2024, Andrew Butt, CEO of Enable, delivered a keynote on the future of rebate management, likening its evolution to the rise of personal computing. He emphasized rebates as a strategic growth tool, impacting over 80% of global trade and driving profitability for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.  

Andrew urged businesses to view rebates as drivers of desired outcomes, outlining a "rebate reset" process: reflect on current practices, strategize for improvement, and implement gradual changes. His message was clear—embrace technology and reposition rebate management as a key factor for success in a competitive market.

How to Overcome 7 Common Points of Rebate Failure

Chris Hutchins, the CEO of Profectus, shared insights on the top seven points of rebate failure and the complexities surrounding rebate management. Chris highlighted the challenges businesses face outside the rebate world, including the decreasing human attention span due to mobile devices, the changing workforce dynamics with millennials making up a significant portion of the workforce by 2025, and the transparency of job opportunities through online platforms.  

The top seven points of rebate failure according to Chris include:

1. Beginning without the end in mind: Failing to design rebate programs with clear objectives and strategies for value creation and sharing.

2. Relying on vendor data as the source of truth: The importance of verifying vendor-supplied data to ensure accuracy and integrity.

3. Loose agreement design: Agreements that are too vague or broad, making them difficult to enforce or leverage effectively.

4. Agreements being too complex: Overly complicated agreements that are hard to interpret and manage, potentially leading to value loss.

5. Agreement storage anarchy: The lack of a centralized and accessible storage system for agreements, leading to inefficiencies and lost value.

6. Agreements not being properly executed: The failure to have legally enforceable agreements due to lack of proper execution.

7. Manual tracking of rebates: The inefficiencies and risks associated with manually tracking rebate agreements, emphasizing the need for automated systems.

Transforming the Future of Rebate Management with AI

After lunch we heard from Meraj Imani, Associate Vice President, Product at Enable, as he discussed the transformative role of AI in rebate management. Drawing on his enterprise software experience, he explained how AI can simplify rebate processes, enhance accuracy, and uncover growth opportunities.  

Meraj introduced Enable's upcoming AI-powered analytics tool, designed to provide deep insights into rebate performance and identify areas for improvement. This tool offers a personalized experience with AI-driven insights for teams and trading partners, smart analysis of trends and outliers, and proactive change analysis to track performance shifts over time.

Improving Governance to Transform Rebate Strategies

Next up was Juanique Vorster, Merchandise, Planning/Buying, Training & Development Specialist at David Jones. She touched on the importance of training and equipping teams with the necessary skills and knowledge to manage rebates effectively. Juanique highlighted David Jones' complexities of managing thousands of claims and the challenges faced, including governance issues and training gaps. To streamline operations David Jones implemented templates, approval processes, and better document storage, reducing unprocessed agreements from 40% to 10%.  

Crafting Rebate Programs that Drive Results  

Ron Murray, Business Strategy and Partner Manager, and Dane McIndoe, Head of Enterprise Procurement at OneNZ, shared their approach to crafting effective rebate programs. They highlighted the complexities in managing multi-tier rebate programs in the telecommunications industry, leading to "rebate leakage." One New Zealand tackled this challenge by adopting a phased approach, starting with procurement services, which rely heavily on rebates. Despite challenges like resource constraints and a lack of understanding of supplier value, their strategic rebate management aimed to capture untapped rebate potential, drive business results, and foster stronger supplier partnerships.

Buy-In at the Top: A C-Suite View on Rebates

At the Elevate conference, Jamie Kaiser, CEO of Floorworld, and Jacqui Whitaker, VP of Business Finance at Schneider Electric, engaged in a panel discussion about the strategic importance of rebates in their respective industries and how these programs are communicated and valued at the C-suite level.

Jamie highlighted the significant role rebates play at Floorworld, accounting for more than 50% of the company's income. He emphasized the importance of establishing clear and equitable rebate structures with suppliers to drive mutual growth and maintain a competitive edge. Jamie shared insights into the direct conversations he has with suppliers about rebates, stressing the need for these discussions to ensure alignment and support business objectives.

Jacqui discussed rebates from a broader strategic perspective, noting their importance in Schneider Electric's partner strategy and overall business performance. She pointed out that rebates should not be viewed merely as a cost but as a tool for driving profitable growth and fostering collaborative relationships with partners.  

The Science of Incentives: Transforming Behavior into Dollars

In the final session of Elevate Australia, Mark Gilham, Vice President of Rebate Advisory at Enable, explored the transformative power of rebates. Passionate about rebates, Mark used storytelling and a Formula One analogy to stress the importance of strategic planning in rebate programs. He highlighted common pitfalls, like the year-end rush to hit targets, and advocated for thoughtful, real-time adjustments.

Mark emphasized providing actionable insights over raw data and addressed generational shifts favoring collaboration and sustainability. He introduced the RESET framework—Reflect, Evaluate, Strategize, Engineer, and Transform—urging businesses to rethink rebates for innovation, collaboration, and shared success.

Want to experience the world's only rebate management conference in 2025? Register here.