CHICAGO — September 16, 2025 — The Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) recently hosted its 2025 Executive Conference, August 27-29, 2025, at the Sofitel Magnificent Mile in Chicago. The annual event brought together more than 70 attendees for three days of education and networking that leaned heavily on the theme of resiliency, and also showcased that resiliency at work across the beautiful and dynamic city of Chicago. One thing that made this event different from previous editions though was the introduction of a game simulation on the last day of the conference.
Building on the theme of resiliency, the game simulation was designed to provide attendees an opportunity to step out of the classroom, network in a creative way, and apply learnings from conference sessions and conversations. The team activity encouraged participants to work together to address some of the challenges facing our industry, using predetermined prompts and scenarios.
How It Worked
Conference attendees were grouped into teams and tasked with creating a U.S. sewn product brand that they pitched to investors at the end of a 90-minute workshop session. Attendees were assigned different industry roles and the groups were hit with a variety of challenges (supply change, climate, geopolitical, etc.) and opportunities (government contracts, viral products, automation, etc.) that they had to address to ensure the viability of their company.
Each team’s pitch was judged by a group of industry thought leaders — the “investors” — who ranked the proposed brands based on clarity and customer insight; decision quality under disruption; plan feasibility; ecosystem strategy; sustainability; workforce impact; plus the team’s ability to storytell with conviction.
The Winning Idea
Following a brief deliberation, the team of judges named “New Oasis Wearables” or NOW, as the winner of the game simulation. Based in Denver, NOW was presented as a company that created wearable tech base layers designed to regulate body temperature, monitor vitals, and protect from environmental elements. Prospective customers extended beyond traditional consumers to include members of the Department of Defense, government contractors, and industrial safety professionals. What set NOW apart from the other brand concepts was its creativity, scalability, and durability in the face of disruption.
The Mind Behind the Game Design
The concept behind the game simulation came from Sarah Krasley, founder and CEO of Shimmy Technologies and member of SPESA’s Board of Directors. Krasley not only presented the concept to the SPESA team as a possible activity for the 2025 Executive Conference, she supported the planning and execution of the entire simulation process. Following the simulation, Krasley shared: “It was an honor to guide this group through an experience designed to build resilience skills and spark the kind of divergent thinking that’s often squeezed out by the day-to-day firefighting we’re all caught in.” She added, “SPESA is creating a rare space for real reflection and forward-looking strategy — something our industry urgently needs.”
While the game simulation was new for SPESA, the exercise of “wargaming” has been utilized across multiple industries to help organizations “stress-test their strategies in a controlled environment, in which failure becomes a valuable learning opportunity.” A recent article from nonpartisan research organization, RAND, stated the following: “Wargaming in the resilience space can help develop new strategies and plans, while testing the assumptions underpinning existing ones…The ability to foresee potential pitfalls and adjust strategies accordingly can mean the difference between success and failure in an increasingly complex world.”
“Our team is always seeking new ways to educate and engage attendees during our meetings. And the game simulation was a perfect example of that,” said SPESA President, Michael McDonald. “There are always learnings when you try something new, but the biggest takeaways from this activity is that it was a resounding success and it needs to be done again. We look forward to exploring ways to modify the concept, and grow SPESA’s event offerings beyond traditional education and networking.”
Event attendees who participated in the game simulation provided overall positive feedback and indicated that they would be interested in doing it again. Several attendees also shared that they would like to see more interactive experiences at industry events. SPESA will use the feedback provided, lessons learned during the simulation process, and data collected to inform future opportunities to engage event attendees.
A full recap of the 2025 SPESA Executive Conference is available here. Looking forward to 2026, SPESA will continue to seek new and unique networking and learning opportunities for its members and the greater sewn product industry. The next SPESA Executive Conference will take place in San Antonio, TX, in Fall 2026. Please visit the SPESA website to learn more about upcoming events and activities.Thank you to everyone who joined us in Chicago for the 2025 SPESA Executive Conference! From the packed agenda to the packed after-party, this may just have been our best event yet.
Posted September 17, 2025
Source: SPESA
