Agenda

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Join us at Lakewood Golf Club for a round of golf on Monday before returning in time for the Women’s Networking Event that afternoon. A scramble format with a shotgun start, lunch and an awards ceremony will follow the round.

Buses will depart the hotel for Lakewood Golf Club at 7:00 AM. Shotgun start at 8:00, lunch and awards afterwards and then transportation back to the hotel in time for the Women’s Networking Event.

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Trafficking in Transportation – How can we help?

Human trafficking typically depends on transportation systems to operation. Our industry could play a vital role in fighting human trafficking with education and awareness. The AfA is committed to help spread the word. Please join us to learn more.

Laurie Daniel of ICE will be introduced by Air Canada’s Vice President of Cargo, Jason Berry.

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As of July 1, 2021 all cargo flown on freighter planes must be screened but what about commodies that are not screenable? Join TSA as the agency provides an update on the implementation of this important mandate. Also, the FAA Hazardous Materials Safety Branch will host a discussion on the current lithium battery fire issue and what is expected of forwarders in addressing the potential of in-flight incidents caused by the misdeclaration these shipments.

Contracting for Truck Transportation

When trucking is used as part of multimodal movements by air or water, generally common terms and conditions, limits of liability and through bill standards apply. These common terms and conditions allow the forwarder industry and their carrier partners to compete on routes, rates and services and to manage and price “special scope of work addenda” as an exception.

Yet in contracting for truck transportation, forwarders and carriers are left without any standard, most price-competitive protocol. Unlike LTL pricing and the NCBFAA terms and conditions, the devil is often in the details. Utilizing statutory waiver provisions , shippers frequently present forwarders and brokers with 20+ page contracts on a “take it or leave it” basis. Intermediaries, be they brokers or forwarders, are often characterized as “transportation service providers” required to accept overly broad indemnification provisions, truck safety responsibility unlimited cargo liability, unilateral offsets and a plethora of costly, if not uninsurable, risk.

The purpose of this presentation will be to discuss the essentials of a standard protocol which forwarders and carriers could use to establish standard pricing and a basis for identifying, insuring and pricing special needs.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce was a rapidly growing part of our retail economy representing 15 percent of all transactions, reshaping the supply chain, increasing and shifting air cargo volumes, all while creating new development and infrastructure challenges. Over the past eighteen months, the crisis accelerated this growth into a logistics revolution universally affecting wholesale and retail business operations alike. Redefining consumer personnel behavior, we have seen years of forecasted e-commerce growth consolidated into months. Even though this trend is stabilizing, the e-commerce era is here. What do airports and the respective community need to understand about these trends and accommodating the growth? What are the benefits and challenges of this additional and operational activity shift? A diverse group of air cargo experts and stakeholders will discuss today’s e-commerce landscape and what might we expect in this ever-changing environment.

We are looking forward to welcoming our AirCargo 2022 attendees and their guests to our Tuesday night event at Mardi Gras World. Mardi Gras World is a museum, exhibition and history of New Orleans’ rich history of floats and dedicated to the work of Roy Kern and his son Blaine and their design company, Kern Studios.

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GRAND SALON

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Economic, social and environmental sustainability is a must in today’s business environment. It has a lot of benefits as well. A corporate strategy focusing on sustainability can add brand value, meet consumer demands, increase efficiency, attract valuable talent and create new opportunities. Learn about successful practices seen in the freight transportation industry today and what our business can expect as the future in this increasingly significant topic unfolds.

Logistics providers have taken center stage in the M&A arena. Private Equity has access to low-cost capital and is looking for supply chain platforms and add-on acquisitions to their existing platform companies. Strategic buyers are flush with cash and have Board approval to grow via acquisition. Carriers are buying firms in niches that strengthen their offerings to current customers. Venture capitalists are making large high-risk bets on digital freight startups intent on disrupting the industry with AI and new technology; these firms are scaling via acquisition. This panel of industry experts will discuss the current deal frenzy and what they see coming in the future for AFA members.

Financial Risk Q&A – Crime, Cyber, EPLI, E&O, Cargo

It’s been a long year… or two?!? How have changes in the business environment affected the insurance necessary to run and protect your operations? This panel will give you the opportunity to engage with insurance professionals who specialize in covering the needs of your industry. They will share with you the challenges in today’s volatile insurance marketplace. Bring your questions to discuss current risk management challenges facing the transportation industry.

Airport congestion remains one of the most challenging issues our industry faces today. While the partnership between airports and their stakeholders is critical, increasingly the cargo handling agent is at the center of moving the product that keeps vital trade and our economy flowing. Handlers often face factors outside their control such as airport density and congestion, highway connectivity, and shortages of trucking and forwarder partners. How can airports, airlines, truckers and forwarders create synergy with the cargo-handling industry to maintain a robust throughput? Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from air cargo stakeholders and discuss possible operational efficiencies.

The pandemic continues to create pain points for small and medium and large-sized freight transportation businesses — including new challenges in hiring and retaining employees. Labor shortages are disrupting our industry and many others, primarily driven by the complexities of pandemic life, such as issues related to childcare, health and safety, and new perspectives. This informative session will discuss the causes and what companies can do to create a welcoming culture and caring for employees can be especially challenging in a remote-work environment. There are no cookie-cutter solutions, but employers can make changes necessary to attract and retain quality personnel.

Wrap up your AirCargo 2022 with a trip to the gutters (if you’re a bad bowler, that is) at Fulton Alley!  Fulton Alley is a charming and luxurious gaming parlor and prohibition-style cocktail lounge located in the heart of New Orleans’ warehouse district.

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