WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 28, 2017 – This year’s CLDA Annual Meeting and Exposition is shaping up as the industry’s largest gathering. Supply chain carriers, shippers, independent contract drivers and vendors will gather on May 3 to 5 in Orlando at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, Florida. This year’s theme is “Amplify Your Business.” The meeting will feature three days of education and business networking as well as a celebration of the association’s 30-year history.
The educational component will include interactive workshops on technology, workforce recruitment, dispatch operations and tips on dealing with independent contractors.
On Thursday, May 4 the educational sessions will kick off with a panel called “Technology in 2017 and Beyond.” Panel members will discuss topics like cloud computer, auto dispatch and the best platforms to aid communication between shippers and customers. “This panel will touch on what is currently available in the lightning fast technology market to help businesses operate efficiently and prepare for what is coming down the road. I urge everyone to attend this session or get left behind,” says conference co-chair Chuck Moyer.
On Thursday and Friday afternoons, the conference will bring back its popular CLDA Exchange. These sessions give shippers the opportunity to meet directly with over 400 owners and executives of regional and local first and last-mile delivery providers to discuss business opportunities. There will be open tables where shippers will meet with last-mile providers that can provide solutions to their needs. The conference will also offer private, reserved meeting rooms where specific shippers can meet individually with carriers.
On Thursday, this will be followed by Round Tables on Shipper and Carrier Verticals. Here, participants will discuss issues within verticals with shippers in those arenas.
On Friday, May 5 the conference will offer two sets of concurrent workshops. At 9:00 a.m. participants can choose between sessions on “Workforce Recruitment in the Age of Millennials” or “Understanding Your Metrics for Operational Efficiency.” The workforce recruitment session will help participants respond to the new and changing workforce. It will feature information on keeping new recruits engaged and participating in a company. The metrics workshop will help participants understand the importance of keeping track of operations metrics. They will learn how to understand these numbers and spot trends within their own companies.
This will be followed by a second session of the CLDA Exchange.
At 11:00 a.m. that morning there will be two concurrent “Ask the Experts” sessions. One on dispatch operations. One on dealing with ICs. The dispatch operations session will include experts on best practices to establish and customize dispatch and operations systems. The IC session will feature experts on how to look for, contract and utilize independent contractors.
On Friday afternoon, there will be a second set of Round Tables called “Industry Issues & Pain Points.” Conference co-chair Jason Burns describes these sessions this way: “These are interactive discussions where participants can discuss with other carriers and industry gurus the things that keep them up at night.”
Throughout the conference, the association will celebrate its 30 year history, focusing on the evolution of the association and the industry it serves. “Much has changed since four couriers gathered for the first time to form what was then called The Messenger and Courier Association in 1987,” points out Moyer. “Over the years the industry and the association have grown. As the industry matured, members added services, expanded into new verticals, entered the last-mile space and added warehousing to their capabilities. In 2013, we changed the association’s name to the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association as a response to members’ expanded offerings. Today, our members handle all aspects of the logistics and delivery process, supporting the supply chain with logistical support, last-mile, distribution, warehousing, and inventory management in addition to their traditional courier duties. Our association is 400 members strong with companies that are critical contributors to the global supply chain. In 2016, we also added a new category of membership, called Driver Members, so that ICs could join and participate in the association. This is part of our ongoing efforts to support the ICs as a critical part of making this industry. Today’s CLDA members go well beyond the association’s courier roots to meet their customers’ changing needs. We’ll be celebrating the past and the future of this association at this meeting.”
Throughout the three-day conference, there will be opportunities for carriers, shippers and vendors to cultivate business opportunities, find out how they can work together and share ideas.
To register and learn more about the agenda, sponsorship opportunities and registration, visit: www.clda.org/annualmeeting. The early bird discount rate ends on April 7.
For more questions or more information, call (202) 207-1131 or email info@clda.org.
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) is a non-profit professional association that leads the time-critical logistics and delivery industries. The association promotes advocates, educates and provides networking and business opportunities for those involved with the time-critical customized delivery community. CLDA has been providing business opportunities, professional development, trend spotting and advocacy for all of those involved with time-critical and last-mile deliveries since 1987. For more information see www.clda.org.
