The Riddle

     Sometimes I get lost in riddles and puns and I find myself playing with words. Perhaps this is due to ageing and having more time on my hands than I was used to in my younger days. So I was looking at TIACA and their upcoming event and found myself playing with this one: If It Hasn’t Got It There It Hasn’t Got It Anywhere. Remember the refrain of New York, New York . . . If I can make it there I’ll make it anywhere? Well, that is the concept and I shall now explain why this bon mot came to my mind.
     Currently The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) is counting down to the premier of an annual gathering for its former every other year Air Cargo Forum (ACF). This is sign of strength, considering they are actually doubling their efforts. TIACA Air Cargo Forum will meet at Miami Convention Center every other year from now on and then with another premiere elsewhere in the world on odd years, when Miami will have a break.
     For this year of 2025, on November 4-6 ACF debuts in The United Arab Emirates, but guess what . . . this time the event is not in the globally celebrated Dubai, but rather just a short distance down the road at the cultural and business center – and capital – of the UAE, the beautiful City of Abu Dhabi.
     TIACA has gathered a roster of interesting sessions, with big names in logistics to bring the air cargo story home, as all of us continue hopeful to benefit from their immense experience. So now as we get back to business after the long hot summer there are also a plethora of trade shows at hand and we even gave you some guidance on this in one of our previous articles.
     Does this mean that Miami will have no other choice but to rely on social media and messages to remain abreast of what is going on? Never, you can forget it! In Florida, USA Transport Logistic Messe Munchen (Germany), having acquired Air Cargo Americas, an old-line every other year standby in Miami, will be holding court in the Miami Convention Center this year 2025, November 11-13, or just one week after TIACA closes its UAE show if you want to look at it from a competition point of view. I cannot recall two air cargo centric events being held this close. I would be delighted if this meant that air cargo is exploding, the economy is accelerating and trade is flourishing as never before.
     But in this century now 25 years along, social media and changing habits and robots and startling new norms notwithstanding, we are certainly a long way baby from that once upon a time excitement-driven, slightly delirious atmosphere of gatherings at air cargo events held in faraway places with strange sounding names that were producing reveries of exciting business encounters, at times even exciting encounters, even outside of business . . . Well today, when it comes to trade shows, reality to many attendees is: “If it is Tuesday, we must be in Belgium.”

The Takeaway

     As reporters, it’s all great because the more shows, the more stories about air cargo and the people networking and getting to know you, and everybody has always been the major takeaway for us. Remembering the sessions in enough detail there and then that might drive change or imagination seems to be the takeaway post show, whilst recalling a couple of days and conclusions, including who won what award for what reason, and making sure that all of that was not washed away by too many drinks . . . Is that all?
     One benefit of face-to-face encounters with our business partners is sharing the great spirit of discovery that lies in networking and exploring possibilities. I really get no thrill from WhatsApp messages. I want a face who actually speaks if I can choose.

Miami's Latin Spirit

Embrace Changes

     Looking over the roster of speakers at Abu Dhabi we note that Wilson Kwong of Hactl is featured during the TIACA Air Cargo Forum. Wilson impressed us just a few months ago when as TIACA held its General Meeting in Hong Kong, Hactl hosted the industry at a grand air cargo event and this most interesting airport executive closed his remarks letting it all hang out. Standing on stage during his closing presentation remarks alongside TIACA’s great Glyn Hughes, Wilson in a sudden burst of inspiration and human spirt entreated the assemblage, in addition to all the high-tech stuff, to make room to love each other a little bit, as the industry moves ahead: “We should never forget above all that air cargo impacts all our lives. Let’s try something different for a change: handshake and air kiss are so yesterday! The new air cargo inclusivity is the hug!”, Wilson Kwong insisted as he hugged Glyn Hughes. If you want to see how far we have travelled, you may just think that the same gesture five years ago, in the middle of the pandemic, would have triggered a jerking reaction to escape from a dangerous embrace.
     Kudos to Wilson for his earnest human approach in our work that many consider quite technical. Got us to thinking about what other ideas for the workplace might this renaissance man have up his sleeve? A look at Wilson’s LinkedIn did not disappoint: Hactl it turns out completed a “100-Days Fitness Challenge” campaign from May to July 2025.  It kicked off with a “Lunch and Learn - Healthy Diet Talk led by registered nutritionists. Around 100 Hactl staff attended the session, where they learned practical strategies to improve their diet.  All participants were also provided with a nutritional lunch box.” Pretty cool, we think, and lunch as an incentive always works.
     Hactl also organized a series of fitness workshops focused on “Fitness Training”, “High Intensity Interval Training” and “Resistance Bands Training” led by professional fitness trainers, who demonstrated effective muscle-building and fat-loss techniques. “Those sessions were designed to motivate both office-based and front-line staff of all ages to take advantage of Hactl’s gym facilities, so as to improve body postures, enhance balance control and alleviate chronic pain – all contributing to enhancement of overall health and well-being.” In collaboration with Jardine Sports Association, an indoor slow-jogging event was also held to encourage staff to exercise more in a relaxing way.  This was also no one-shot deal.  
     To encourage colleagues to gain new knowledge and develop a reading habit, Hactl maintains an employee library and continues to introduce new books to its ever expanding collection that covers an equally expanding range of topics. Most recently a series of new books focused on food and dining were added to its shelves; and a lunch talk themed “Food for Thought” has been held to encourage staff to explore all aspects of food culture.
     At Hactl, the stage is set for now. There, at the airport lives an accessible body composition scale to help staff track their fitness progress and body changes, using three key health indicators: body fat, basal metabolic rate and biological age. What’s more, staff are encouraged to self-monitor and upload their fitness data. Food for Thought indeed!
     “For staff, some of the interesting stories that have emerged from our collection is how dining reflects personal lifestyle and how food ties into sustainability,” Wilson Kwong said.
     That last point “sustainability” will undoubtedly be high on Wilson Kwong’s high-tech agenda in Abu Dhabi, as well as a brand new film Hactl just completed, that is previewed here.
     We like Wilson Kwong. He is a guy who brings out the best of all the bells and whistles of modern society. He is upbeat and hands on, but has not forgotten that a human is made of several different facets that cannot be constrained into a small device. But he also has a welcome understanding of what makes the word go around. When he stands up in front of us and underscores by example, the lovely human emotion of a simple appreciative hug he also reminds everyone, that in business – as in life – it’s what’s up front that counts . . .
     So let me go back to my riddle: To WhatsApp or not to WhatsApp? Is there a question?
Geoffrey Arend/Marco Sorgetti