A different experience is on deck for the second big air cargo conference of 2017.
      While some of the faces will undoubtedly be familiar to regular conference attendees, the vast majority of the speakers are unique. This year also introduces a varied and inventive new program.
      “This year,” said IATA Cargo Network Services (CNS) President Lionel van der Walt President, who is about to launch the first program of his own making, “I have challenged the CNS team to leave no stone unturned to ensure the 2017 CNS Partnership Conference (April 30-May 2) in Orlando, Florida, delivers a huge success in terms of value to each and every attendee!”
      “Maximum effort is being made to ensure that the conference will exceed attendees’ expectations, especially in terms of our greatly enhanced agenda,” Lionel added.

       
CNS Is About Business

      “Our all-out effort to deliver at CNS is driven with the clear understanding that the raison d'être of the conference is to facilitate and promote partnerships and business.
      “This objective to facilitate networking is at the forefront of all our decision making.”

      “Based on my personal experience and the numerous feedback received from last year’s attendees, CNS Partnership this year will focus the agenda on topics that drive home added value to attendees in their day-to-day business, once they get back to the office after our event. “

Heart & Soul Effort

      The official conference program begins on Monday, May 1st, with the Opening Plenary from 8am to midday.
      This year, the CNS Partnership theme is “Preparing for Tomorrow’s Reality” with Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen (right) as keynote speaker.
      “As a freight forwarder,” Lionel said, “Flexport utilizes technology to overcome and manage the complexity of international trade.
      “Ryan will be sharing his thoughts with attendees as to what the industry could do better in order to achieve further efficiency and to address some of the key challenges we will be facing in the months ahead.”

      “The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion where a cross section of shippers will provide the audience with their perspective as to what the U.S. air cargo industry needs to change in order to better meet their needs,” Lionel said.
      “We tend to overlook the shippers at our events, and this is something I want to change going forward.
      “Shippers play a key role in our value chain and we should pay more attention to what they have to say.”
      Rogier Spoel, (left) Policy Manager at the European Shippers Council, will lead that panel, which will include representatives from companies such as Bridgestone and Caterpillar, amongst others.

A Day With Jones Day

      “Our opening day will also include a legal and geopolitical overview by the company Jones Day, where current legal and political trends and their potential impact on the air cargo value chain will be discussed.
      “Michel Looten, (right) Director, Maritime at Seabury Group, adds an update on the future of sea freight and its potential impact on the air cargo industry.”

Clancy Closer

      “The last session of day one is the much anticipated economic and air cargo landscape update by Brian Clancy, (left) Managing Director at Logistics Capital & Strategy.
      “The afternoon of day one of CNS Partnership Conference 2017 has been reserved for meetings and much needed networking,” Lionel said.

Humanitarian Morning Session

      “This year at CNS Partnership we have decided to strengthen the content of our day two agenda based on feedback received from last year’s conference attendees.
      “The agenda runs from 08:30am to midday, and we kick the day off with an Airlink humanitarian relief update.”

The Value Chain

      “The important and vital role air cargo plays in the world is followed this year by a panel discussion on the potential impact of current and new technologies on the air cargo value chain in the short to medium-term.
      “IATA Head of Cargo Glyn Hughes will lead the discussion, which will feature Freightos CEO Zvi Schreiber, CargoMatrix Inc. CEO Eytan Sheetrit, UPS Vice President of Engineering John Dodero, and PROS, Inc. Executive Account Manager Zeke Ziliak.”

       
The Panel Talks Compliance

      “Next, Tim Strauss, current VP Cargo at Hawaiian Airlines and soon to be VP Cargo at Air Canada, will lead a panel on the future of government regulatory compliance and agency modernization projects.
      “Discussion participants include M. Craig Clark, Branch Chief, Advance Data Programs and Cargo Initiatives, Office of Cargo and Conveyance Security at U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Michael Morey, (right) Director Advanced Cargo Solutions at Franwell, Inc.; and Christopher Daniels, (left) Business Development & Proposal Manager at AMK9.”

      “The final session of the morning will focus on the challenges airport authorities are facing to improve the efficiency, quality, and speed of air cargo operations at U.S. airports.
      “Peter Ulrich, (left) Partner & Managing Director at the Boston Consulting Group will lead the discussion, which will include representatives from MIA, DFW, ORD and LAX.”

      “The rest of day two will be dedicated to networking and all-important stakeholder business meetings.
      “However, we have also scheduled two sessions in the afternoon for those who have time and are interested,” Lionel said.
      “The first session is a CNS update on the progress that has been made in terms of our 2016 priorities and an overview of the key projects and industry issues we are working on in 2017.
      “The second session is an IATA-led discussion on the importance of air cargo business intelligence, including an update on IATA’s Cargo Direct Data project.”

      “CNS has paid attention to what our stakeholders are saying and hopefully they will see and agree that this change in agenda focus makes sense and adds tangible value,” Lionel insists, adding:
      “Ultimately, the Partnership Conference is centered on the principle of facilitating business and we will continue our efforts to align the agenda with that vision.”

      “Based on the number of registered attendees to date (March 13), I expect a record attendance at this year’s conference and would urge anyone who is interested in meeting with our industry stakeholders—be it airlines, freight forwarders, airports, ground handlers, etc.—to join us in Orlando.
      “CNS encourages the small to medium freight forwarding community to participate in CAN Partnership.
      “Here you will discover an excellent opportunity to meet with your peers and to hear from subject matter experts what the industry holds in store for us in 2017 and beyond,” Lionel van der Walt said.
More: http://www.cnsc.net/events/pages/cns-partnership-conference.aspx
Geoffrey