Transport Symposium celebrates 25th anniversary
New York, NY, Nov. 10, 2007 - The International Forest Products Transport Association (IFPTA) and RISI today announced the overwhelming success of Transport Symposium 17 held in Mobile, Alabama, October 15-17, 2007. Over 800 professionals from the forest products logistics industry convened at the Mobile Convention Center for the three-day conference and exhibition to hear the latest trends, issues, and innovations covering the industry. Over 800 participants and 80 exhibiting companies representing 28 countries from around the world marked the 25th anniversary of this international conference and exhibition.
"In recent years, as the forest products industry has undergone dramatic regional and global changes, Transport Symposium has established itself as the place where those trends and issues can be debated and discussed," said Paul Doiron, President of the International Forest Products Transport Association (IFPTA).
The Transport Symposium 17 Conference Program featured expert speakers participating in panel discussions covering a variety of topics including: How to Successfully Manage Your Inventory; Challenges Facing Port Terminal Operators; Global Outsourcing; Box Versus Box Hold; Changes in Trade Patterns; and Forest Products & Alternative Fuels. The associated Transport Symposium 17 Exhibition showcased the latest products and innovations from leading companies in the industry and featured some of the largest forest products ports around the world.
"Transport Symposium has become a real foundation platform for the forest products logistics business," said John Day, CEO of RISI. "Through an open dialogue, the symposium is providing a framework for the industry to continue achieving improvement and discover new opportunities. Just about everyone I spoke to told me that this show was one of the best yet," said Mr. Day, "and we are proud to be part of this unique event."
This year's Transport Symposium also saw a record number of event sponsors and was the first Symposium to feature an external keynote speaker. Post-event marketing reports that 53% of the attendees hold budget approval authority, 45% were previous attendees and the show received an 85% overall approval rating by attendees and exhibitors. With over $20M worth of business conducted during the event, Transport Symposium continues to be the world's leading conference and exhibition dedicated to the forest products logistics industry.
Transport Symposium 18 will be held 7-9 October 2009, at the Arena Convention Center in Liverpool, UK. Many exhibitors took the opportunity to pre-book their exhibit space while in Mobile. "We are excited to have the TS18 floor plan 58% sold," remarked Rhiannon James, Sr. Vice President of Media Products at RISI. "That indicates to us that this year's Symposium was extremely worthwhile for all involved. Exhibitors are reporting the quality of business done on the show floor was excellent, proving that our attendees are the most qualified in the industry."
Complete information about the Transport Symposium conference and exhibition can be found online at www.transportsymposium.com.
About Transport Symposium
Transport Symposium is the industry leading biennial conference and exhibition focused exclusively on the trends, innovations and issues surrounding the materials handling, transport, warehousing and communication systems of forest products logistics. Organized by RISI and the International Forest Products Transport Association (IFPTA), Transport Symposium 18, scheduled for 7-9 October 2009, will offer a full conference program, an associated exhibition, and a tour of the Port of Liverpool. For more information, visit www.transportsymposium.com.
About RISI
RISI (formerly Paperloop) is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. They work with clients in the pulp and paper, wood products, tissue and nonwovens industries to help them make better decisions. Headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, RISI operates offices in Brussels, Belgium; Atlanta, Georgia; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shanghai, China; Singapore; and Charlottesville, Virginia. For more information, visit www.risiinfo.com.
About IFPTA
The International Forest Products Transport Association (IFPTA) was established in 1982 as an organization for professionals within the global forest products industry. Foresters, mill managers, chemical and clay producers, traffic and logistics managers, must all talk to and work with rail and trucking representatives, marine transporters, stevedores, port and terminal operators, and manufacturers of handling equipment. The IFPTA enables them to learn from one another and cooperate for mutual benefit across the entire industry. For more information, visit www.ifpta.org.