TFS – The Freight Summit is a great success
We’re just back from The Freight Summit in Macau, and the first thing I want to do is send a big thank-you to my friends and associates Kirsty and Danny from Gofers Logistics (www.goferslogistics.com) who encouraged me to attend. The Freight Summit is in its fifth year and whilst the word on the street was that the numbers were down, it looked full enough to me, with around 400 attendees.
This summit, known as TFS, is open to all networks. There is no annual membership (nice), only a registration fee. That means it’s open to all independent forwarders and us, Customs Clearance Ltd, (probably) the only truly unique, neutral customs broker/ handling agent in the vicinity. Being neutral, we’re able to offer non -biased services to all. You can think of us as a service provider to the industry, as much as an airline or shipping line is.
Journeying from London Heathrow, our the game plan was to wring every bit of value from the event – working hard during the day and networking hard during the evening, leaving sleep until the plane back home to London. Arriving in Hong Kong, we transited by ferry to Macao, then to the fabulous Venetian Hotel, our home for the 4-day event. For those who don’t know, Macao is the Chinese equivalent of America’s Las Vegas – and rumour has it that the Venetian in Macao takes more money per hour than its Las Vegas counterpart!!
The event complex was huge and demanded that we take a little time to orientate on our first day. But we were sorted by the evening. Armed with a wad of business cards, we headed to the cocktail reception and a great networking opportunity. The clocks struck midnight and the official reception ended but the party continued down in the Bellini bar. Yes, it was a long night, but when you’ve crossed the world to meet new people, you don’t turn in early!
But you know how it goes – no matter how hard you party, it’s ‘business as usual’ the next day and don’t miss your meetings! First impressions count and a no-show is a no-go. Talking of which …
… I had 11 meetings scheduled on each of the three full days. Out of all those meetings, I had just one cancellation and two no-shows. Cancellations happen – we all understand, but no-shows? You know who you are – it didn’t go down well, people. Interestingly, TFS have a policy where they name and shame those who don’t keep their scheduled appointments. They rightly acknowledge it shows a lack of respect for fellow professional. And to be perfectly frank, why would you want to do business with someone who keeps you waiting, let alone stands you up, without an apology?
Just as we always do, we took photos of all the face-to-face meetings, so check out our other TFS blog entry and our gallery and – always assuming the picture came out – you might just find your smiling face on the web!
I met some great new contacts and many old friends and colleagues/associates – people I hadn’t seen for quite a while. All in all, it was a very productive event, with good meetings, stimulating conversation and lots of positive ideas circulating – to say nothing of the pleasure of opening up some promising new business relationships.
TFS is on a much smaller scale than WCA or the WWPC events. It’s a more concentrated group and I felt at ease straight away. It was interesting to see the WCA management at the cocktail reception. Were they checking out the competition, forming new alliances, gate crashing the party? Who knows. But I guess if you can’t beat them, join them!
So, it’s a thank-you from CCL to the organisers of TFS – Nils, Christian and Gianne – for their excellent organisation and in particular, for the warm welcome I received. Being a first timer at this event, I didn’t quite know what to expect but these guys sought me out to welcome me as a newcomer and made me feel very much at home. Unlike some of the larger events, it felt very personal.
I think I finally got in some shut-eye on the plane home – but it was well worth it. And I can safely say, I’m looking forward to the next TFS event.
