The International Federation of Warehouse Logistics Association (IFWLA) 2014 Annual Conference is coming to one of the most prominent logistics hubs in the United States: Chicago, Ill.  From May 18 to 21, 2014, warehousing and logistics leaders will come together for networking and education on global economics, international trade and business development.

Long-time attendee and member of the IFWLA Annual Conference Planning Committee John Butterworth, CPA, Weatherley, Butterworth, Macias & Graves, credits the event for a broader global  perspective: “Attendees get real understanding of how the rest of the world works and how it affects the world that we live in and our ability to do business in the global supply chain.”

Butterworth believes the Chicago location presents a unique opportunity for IWLA’s Canadian and U.S. members to build relationships with logistics professionals from nearly every continent. “It’s difficult to build relationships with business professionals in different countries unless you’re physically able to meet them,” Butterworth says. “Being at this event allows North Americans a chance to meet people from the United Kingdom, China, Japan and India that they wouldn’t likely meet.”

Butterworth says those connections help him build a referral base for his business to expand on an international scale. He’s also tapped warehousing professionals he’s met at the IFWLA Annual Conference as   qualified resources on international import/export laws and regulations.

Host organization IWLA has pulled together high-caliber presenters to tackle international issues:

• Garland Chow, Ph.D., associate professor and director of Bureau of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Freight Security, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, will present the keynote session on “Global Trends: International Trade & Global Sourcing.” (See the complete overview of Chow’s presentation in the Winter 2014 3PL Americas Magazine.)
• Adam Salerno, senior director of U.S. Chamber of Commerce will be onsite to talk about strengthening businesses by eliminating barriers that hurt global commerce and slow the movement of goods in the global supply chain during his presentation, “Supply Chains and International Trade.”
• Dale Rogers, Ph.D., professor of Supply Chain Management & Marketing Sciences at Rutgers Business School is presenting on the “Challenges of International Businesses” and “Cultural Differences & How it Effects Business Relationships.”

Butterworth is looking forward to one of the hottest topics in supply chain logistics today: Mexico. “Mexico is becoming a very big place to do business now and, unlike China, it’s right next door to us,” he says. “I think it will be one of the biggest topics circulating the 2014 event. As many attendees want to move into the Mexican market, they will be focusing on what is already taking place in Mexico and how best to go about doing business there.”

For those warehouse-based 3PLs that focus their business in the United States and Canada only, Butterworth shares some advice: “This is the world that we live in. It’s never just shipping in the same country. There is a whole new layer of complexity in the warehouse logistics industry as importation and exportation becomes a more cost-effective means for the movement of goods.”

For more information on the 2014 IFWLA Annual Conference and to register click here.