I have hyped logistics conferences to friends before. 

Like recommending the giant TPM, the South Carolina ports, Georgia ports, and VMA just to name a few.  I attended the VMA25 conference in Norfolk for WOWL just last week so I am ready to do some recommending all over again! 

What stood out wasn’t on the VMA stage, it was the people in the seats. Shippers, BCOs, port leaders, carriers, various logistics and maritime service providers, policy folks, and security pros. Operators, not spectators. Ask a blunt question and get a clear, useful answer! By the end of the first morning, I had new contacts I can call when a lane slips or a rule changes.

The sessions were plainspoken and practical. The talk on the Gemini Cooperation by the president of Hapag Lloyd Americas didn’t just pitch new ideas; it helped me build a better evaluation for better service reliability, hub to hub improvements and spoke-to-spoke realities. It gave me new ideas on how to write better contracts to measure together. Panels on tariffs and cargo theft gave me steps to use right now.

But even more real value showed up between sessions. There was a shipper-only lunch, a harbor cruise, and a really nice mixer, I found people who had fought the same fires I’ve faced. They shared the “do this, not that” details you don’t get from a slide deck.

After VMA last week, I think we all have better ideas on changes to make. We can better tie costs to KPIs and review cycles, match price, and performance better. We can better map tariff exposure by lane and set up safe alternates. These ideas didn’t come from a white paper; they came from conversations at VMA25 and other conferences we have the luck to attend.

If you’re thinking about your next step, or how to educate your team, these events help move you forward. It’s focused, friendly, and full of people who want to trade real answers.

 Bottom line: VMA25 was not a sit-and-listen show. It was a working session with the right crowd in the right rooms. You grow your skills, you grow your network, and your company gets a smarter supply chain. If you can make one event in a year, VMA is a good one! Next time, any event, bring a notebook, comfortable shoes and get friendly with the “experts” around you.

And look for me and WOWL at the next event! 

#ITMS #internationallogistics #originmanagement #TPM #VMA #WOWL #ordermanagement #doortodoor #ordermanagement #