If you’re a member of our maritime community, lucky you. You don’t even have to go out of state to attend two of the premiere conferences on maritime and logistics issues scheduled in the coming year.
The Georgia Foreign Trade Conference showcases its benefits to hundreds of attendees from senior level shippers to maritime executives, senior managers and decision-makers. They represent ocean carriers, ports, terminal operators, government agencies, financial institutions, shippers, stevedores, railroads, truckers, forwarders, brokers, 3PLs, 4PLs, international port management companies, port consultants, suppliers, site selectors and others critical to the movement of international freight.
As an undertaking of the entire Georgia maritime community, the host site for the annual conference rotates between our gateways to the world: the deepwater ports of Savannah and Brunswick.
It’s Brunswick’s turn this year, so the GFTC will be held, as always, at the Cloister on Sea Island.
The Georgia Foreign Trade Conference offers business sessions to more than 400 senior level shippers and maritime executives from across North America. Over the course of three days, participants are exposed to business sessions and networking opportunities.
An elite panel of speakers will focus their remarks on issues facing shippers, carriers, ports, terminals and the maritime community into the next century, as well as the changing legislation and new technologies affecting the way we conduct business.
“I have often heard the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference referred to as a ‘working’ conference,” said Terry Bunch, director of logistics and customer service at Rayonier Performance Fibers. “That’s a credit to the event’s organizers and their ability to balance the right combination of informative panels with networking events geared to attract the industry’s key decision-makers. Year after year, the energy exerted in putting this conference together is evidenced in the quality of the program.”
“As a shipper, I am afforded the opportunity to attend numerous conferences throughout the year,” Bunch said. This is a ‘must attend’ event.”
Randy Booker agreed.
“After 35 years of trade conferences and industry events, there is absolutely no question that the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference is consistently one of, if not the, most interesting, informative, enjoyable and productive events every year,” the chairman and CEO of Terminal Investment Corp. said.
Charlie Sutlive, president of the Savannah Maritime Association, said the conference is more than informative.
“In the maritime industry there is a ripple effect,” Sutlive said. “The success of Georgia’s global industry is tied to the success of the Port of Savannah and Port of Brunswick. Networking opportunities such as the GFTC are one of the factors that will help put Georgia’s maritime community in a good position when the economy rebounds.”
The conference is scheduled for February 3-5. For more information, go to www.gaforeigntrade.com.
A logistics success
On March 19-20, the Georgia Logistics Summit will celebrate its fifth anniversary with an event that grows in scope and attendance every year.
This year’s event hosted some 1,600 attendees from 28 states and seven nations — 85 percent of them from across the private sector. Next year’s summit, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, will feature a full agenda consisting of multiple keynotes and an agenda and activities purposefully created with input from the logistics industry.
The 2013 partners and sponsors include such logistics heavyweights as Coca-Cola, CSX Transportation, Delta Cargo, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Power, Manhattan Associates, Microsoft, Norfolk Southern, Red Prairie, Home Depot and UPS.
Go to www.georgialogistics.com to learn more.
Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
Following are the ships scheduled to call on Georgia Ports’ Garden City and Ocean Terminals in the next week. NOTE: If an ILA strike begins Sunday, it would affect all ships coming into Garden City Terminal.
Terminal Ship Date
GCT MAERSK DAMPIER Today
GCT MSC RANIA Today
GCT APL OMAN Today
GCT MSC LUDOVICA Today
GCT EVER URBAN Today
GCT OOCL AMERICA Today
GCT NYK NEBULA Today
GCT KIEL EXPRESS Today
GCT UASC JEDDAH Today
GCT EVER DIAMOND Saturday
GCT PRESIDENT POLK Saturday
GCT FOLEGANDROS Saturday
GCT BOX TRADER Saturday
OT SALOME Saturday
OT ANET Saturday
GCT MARE ATLANTICUM Sunday
GCT MSC TEXAS Sunday
OT SAFMARINE SAHEL Sunday
GCT ZIM ONTARIO Monday
GCT MSC SHAULA Monday
GCT CONTI HARMONY Monday
GCT CMA CGM MANET Monday
GCT YM ETERNITY Monday
GCT AL NOOF Monday
GCT NYK RUMINA Tuesday
GCT FOUMA Wednesday
GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Wednesday
GCT MSC RITA Wednesday
GCT MAERSK DAVENPORT Wednesday
GCT PARIS EXPRESS Wednesday
GCT ADRIAN MAERSK Wednesday
GCT MOL GENEROSITY Wednesday
GCT ZIM YOKOHAMA Wednesday
GCT MOL EXPRESS Wednesday
GCT HANJIN ELIZABETH Wednesday
OT NEW PRIDE Wednesday
GCT MAERSK MADRID Thursday
GCT ZIM MONACO Thursday
GCT E.R. PUSAN Thursday
GCT MAERSK ROUBAIX Thursday
GCT STUTTGART EXPRESS Thursday
GCT BREMEN BRIDGE Thursday
GCT HYUNDAI GRACE Thursday