WERC 46th Annual Conference for Logistics Professionals

Posted on Sep 12, 2022 in

WERC’s 46^th Annual Conference will be held in Orlando, June 4-7, 2023

By Rick Gott, Director of Global Logistics, W.L. Gore and WERC Director at Large/2023 Conference Chair; and Jeremy Banta, Assistant Professor and Supply Chain Program Management Coordinator, Columbus State Community College and WERC Director at Large/2023 Conference Vice Chair

We are excited to share that the WERC Advisory Council has selected Orlando, Florida as the destination for WERC’s 46^th Annual Conference. Please mark June 4-7, 2023, on your calendar now to share and hear others’ best practices for “Growth Through Disruption” — our theme for this event.

WERC members will gather in-person at the Hilton Orlando, host location for our second post-pandemic Conference. Hotel booking details will be coming in the next few weeks, because we know you’re going to want to lock in your travel plans as soon as possible (and maybe bring the family along to experience the magic of Orlando’s many theme parks).

Of course, there will be plenty of magic happening at the 2023 Annual Conference. There’s no better place to meet and reconnect with friends, colleagues, and peers — old and new — from across North America. As we all discovered a couple of years ago, a digital conference is better than no conference. But it doesn’t compare to the shared, face-to-face experiences and personal interactions of a live event.

And we have a lot to talk about in our industry these days. As always, what makes WERC’s Annual Conference so relevant, powerful, and valuable for those who attend is that the event and its educational sessions are built based on the input of our members. From ongoing workforce challenges to supply chain disruptions to escalating costs — the 2023 Conference will be the most magical place in Orlando for supply chain professionals to share, learn, and strategize various solutions that have enabled their operations to grow and thrive amid these issues.

To that end, we’ve been specifically soliciting topics focused on best practice solutions for people, processes, and systems and data for Thought Leader sessions and Peer-to-Peer discussions. Conference attendees will collect valuable, actionable takeaways they can apply directly to their own operations across each of those three categories. While we can’t promise you a magic wand to wipe away the myriad day-to-day challenges you’re facing, you will absolutely gather great insights and ideas from frontline experts on the following:

• Attracting, retaining, and developing the best-fit people. Your operations can’t grow, nor can they thrive, without the right leaders and employees. That’s why we’ll be featuring topics such as high performing teams; staffing solutions; personal development; safety; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and culture and retention.
• Refining and streamlining processes for maximum efficiencies and cost savings. While “doing more with less” is a goal logistics professionals tackle every day, it’s become more important than ever with the current state of the global economy. The WERC 2023 Conference will focus on ways to do just that through sessions covering direct-to-consumer distribution strategies; operational efficiencies; outsourcing and vendor relationships; sustainability; inventory control; reverse logistics; transport; and external disruptions.
• Leveraging and succeeding with the newest systems and data solutions. The age of the digital supply chain is here. Navigate the broad range of next-generation technologies that help to mitigate disruptions so your organization can continue to grow with the latest insights on digital transformation; equipment and automation; partner data integration; benchmarking, metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

We also know from member feedback that a considerable part of the magic of Conference is in the networking, both formal and informal. There will be plenty of organized and spontaneous opportunities to grow your connections with your peers and colleagues. The value of in-person interactions cannot be overstated. Which is just another reason we’re certain you don’t want to miss the WERC 2023 Conference.

Want to be sure you meet lots of people at the Conference beyond the networking activities? Consider volunteering. There are multiple opportunities with a range of time commitments that will connect you to attendees with whom you may not otherwise cross paths. The call for 2023 WERC volunteers is open September 1-30, 2022.

Again, please block out June 4-7, 2023, on your calendar today so you don’t miss WERC’s 46^th Annual Conference. Have questions or need more information? Stay tuned to werc.org/2023 for additional details, or reach out to [email protected] or 630.990.0001.