The charming town of Troyes en Champagne provided a perfect backdrop for the 5th PEPPOL Conference in more ways than at first appear. More than 200 people from 25 countries learned that the méthode champenoise was the standardisation of a process that many wine makers in areas around Troyes had undertaken in different ad-hoc ways for over 200 years.  It was the formalization of the méthode champenoise that led to Champagne’s explosive growth from a regional novelty to a universal product.

This message resonated with the attendees at the conference when Project Director, Andre Hoddevik, outlined the PEPPOL process – ‘le méthode PEPPOLoise’.

Andre reminded the audience that our common vision was that...

“... any company (incl. SMEs) in the EU can communicate electronically with any EU governmental institution for all procurement processes.”

And to this end...

“The objective of the PEPPOL (Pan-European Public eProcurement On-Line) project is to set up a pan-European pilot solution that, conjointly with existing national solutions, facilitates EU-wide interoperable public eProcurement.”

Significantly, as November 1st 2010 marked the official availability of PEPPOL services and specifications for production use, the Troyes conference was an opportunity to emphasise that now is the time to connect. 

At the same time the latest versions of all PEPPOL specifications are being made available on the OSOR.EU site.  These include references to the UBL Schemas that can be used to define the messaging content for PEPPOL implementations. The various PEPPOL work package teams will be providing support, software, specifications and other artefacts to the current PEPPOL community. 

Another significant aspect of the Troyes conference was the excitement within the ICT industry about PEPPOL and the opportunities it can create.  Thanks to the main commercial sponsors, IBM, SAP, GS1, Paradine and the General Council of the Aube, the exhibition hall proved to be the hub of the conference sometimes making it a challenge to get the audience into the presentations! Or perhaps, it was the results of the méthode champenoise that competed with the results of the méthode PEPPOLoise?

Certainly, as was stated in the opening address of Senator Philippe Adnot, the President of the General Council of the Aube, both are assured a bright International future.