PART 1: Notes from the 32nd ULD CARE conference in Montréal, Canada
CFG is proud to have been the first ever Media participant to attend the ULD CARE Annual Conference in Montréal, Canada, 16-19 SEP 19. Opening the event on the morning of 17 SEP 19 with the words: “Hello, Bonjour, Bienvenue and welcome to Montréal! It’s time for the family to get together again…,” Urs Wiesendanger started the ball rolling on an intense 3 days of focus on all aspects of ULD production, management and maintenance.
As reported on 18 SEP 19, (in our summary of Day One), we were 121 delegates attending the 32nd ULD CARE conference headed by Bob Rogers (available this time as “Virtual Bob” via video) and Urs
Wiesendanger, ULD CARE’s Board members. The quote in this article’s title was from ULD CARE Board member Jos Jacobsen, ACL Airshop – and it is true. Whilst there are a number of specialized
conferences such as CoolChain, for example, and where containers also play a significant role, the ULD CARE conference is indeed the only one bringing ULD producers, suppliers, poolers,
management companies, airlines, certain authorities and other key players together. Running under the motto “Breakthrough to Excellence”, the conference looked at the current state of the
industry, developments since last year’s conference in Guangzhou, China, and at what is on the horizon in terms of technology and training.
The conference was highly interactive with panel discussions, video messages and audience surveys using the Slido app, to get on-the-spot feedback. A new initiative from the previous year, namely
company information stands in the area outside the conference room, was again well-received this year during the extended coffee breaks.
A miniature trade fair, but without the feeling of any aggressive competition. As a couple of delegates put it to CFG: “In tenders we are competitors for sure, but here we share common issues
and get along well. It is such a niche that we all know each other.”
Brigitte Gledhill