As supply chain leaders, there are few things as impactful as exposing yourself to perspectives and ideas beyond your own company. One of the best ways to broaden your mindset and stay current on the latest trends and developments in the field is to attend the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP’s) Annual EDGE Conference and Exhibition.
Just consider: This year’s EDGE Conference—which will take place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, from September 29–October 2—is anticipated to draw in thousands of attendees representing all aspects of the supply chain and from all corners of the globe. These attendees—and our excellent lineup of speakers—come from a wide cross-section of industries as well as the public sector. Recognizing and embracing the global nature of the supply chain, this year’s conference theme is “The State of the Global Supply Chain.”
The EDGE conference is truly representative of the entire supply chain with educational tracks and speakers covering a whole range of topics from planning to order fulfillment and customer service to risk mitigation and sustainability to transportation and logistics to warehousing and distribution. The value for supply chain leaders in attending a conference with this broad a perspective is you are more likely to encounter new (or new to you) ideas, best practices, and strategies. Every year I leave with a new way to address an emerging challenge that my company is facing or a fresh approach for a perennial problem.
This year, I am particularly excited by the outstanding lineup of keynote speakers that the conference committee has pulled together. On Tuesday morning, Mattel Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer Roberto Isaias will share the inspiring story of how his company has managed to stay relevant and innovative for nearly 80 years. Later that same day, Shelley Simpson, president and incoming CEO of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, will talk about her journey to the C-suite and the challenges she has faced along the way. Finally, on the last day of the conference, we have an excellent panel assembled to discuss developing and retaining high-performance supply chain teams—certainly a top concern for all supply chain leaders today.
Equally important to the educational sessions are the many opportunities that the EDGE conference offers for people to network with and learn from one another face to face. The connections you can make with people in different roles and from different industries and perspectives than your own is invaluable. The conference really provides meaningful opportunities for supply chain professionals at each stage of their career—whether you are at the tail end and are looking to mentor and give back, or if you are at the beginning and are looking to learn and grow, or if you are in the middle and are doing both.
Serving as EDGE Conference Chair for the past two years has been a labor of love for me. I am very proud of the work that the board of directors, the conference committee, the track chairs, CSCMP’s staff, and countless volunteers have accomplished in putting together this year’s conference. I hope we all leave Nashville feeling inspired, energized, and more empowered as supply chain leaders.
