CNS In Vegas Is More Than Schmoozing

Dear Geoffrey,

    Thank-you for including the CNS Partnership Conference ’06 in FlyingTypers’ list of Top Cargo shows of 2006.
    While grateful for your recommendation “Not to Pass on this one” we do feel that you may have given a false impression to your readers as to the nature of the event and would like to set the record straight.
    You present CNS as “heavy on the golf and awards and dress-down sessions”.
    While we do organize a pre-conference Golf tournament, which takes place on the Sunday ahead of the conference - a day largely devoted to registration formalities, this is not the raison d’être (reason) of the conference.
    In fact less than 20% of our 400 plus attendees will choose to arrive early and play.
    Given we are an industry with an above average penchant for the game of golf this is probably the one area where we are not successful!
    You also state that “at CNS networking is king”. Recognizing that personal relationships are an important part of the way the industry does business, and our success in attracting key decision makers not just from the U.S., but from around the globe, we deliberately structure our program to allow people time to meet and conduct business without detracting from the main conference sessions.
    Our business sessions are meant to stimulate debate and generate new ideas – to not allow people the opportunity to build on this would be doing them a disservice.
    Your suggestion that “nobody remembers the sessions very long anyway” is happily not true.
    Much work goes into planning the content and securing the participation of experts to address a broad range of topics crucial to the air cargo business environment.
    Of course, not everyone is interested in every topic, but we try to ensure that there is something for everyone on the agenda, and our exit polls suggest we are doing a good job in this arena.
    You may have gathered that CNS takes considerable pride in the success of the Partnership Conference, and the role it has played in bringing together the prime movers of the air cargo industry to foster the development of airline / forwarder relationships – hence our need to respond to your article.
    One final caution, to those who may be tempted to heed your advice and join us simply in the hope of “Hitting it Big in Vegas”, our venue in Henderson is some 60 minutes drive from the strip and its distractions.
    But if you are genuinely interested in what is happening in our industry, and don’t want to gamble on the future you should definitely come and join us.
Sincerely,
Tony Calabrese
President CNS

Editors Note: CNS does a great job and for us the fact that it stands up for air cargo has always been plenty. Pictured here is our raison d’être to show up in Las Vegas come May 1-3. It’s the chance to see people like Mr. and Mrs Joel Ditkowsky (Customs Brokers) and Mr. & Mrs Jerry Trimboli (Forwarders) pictured here at last year’s Partnership Conference. (More Info @ www.cnsc.net.)