CONECT Conference Speakers Foresee an Unpredictable Year in Trade and Transportation

JOC Staff |

The 18th Annual Northeast Trade & Transportation Conference, hosted by the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade (CONECT) April 1–3 at the Hyatt Regency in Newport, RI, will offer attendees a balanced perspective from industry experts on critical issues in trade, regulation, and transportation.

Transportation-related panels will focus on crucial current issues: port performance, the ILWU labor contract, cargo contingency plans, ocean carrier alliances, rate volatility, freight contracting, and major infrastructure initiatives in 2014. Panel speakers include three national shippers associations, U.S. port representatives, federal transportation officials and beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) to give a well-rounded assessment of the concerns.

Top government officials from the Dept. of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with renowned U.S. customs attorneys, will cover developments that will change the way importers, exporters and brokers do business in 2014. The impact of Trade Promotion Authority, the Trans-Pacific Agreement, Generalized Standard of Preferences, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, and the US-EU Agreement on U.S. businesses will also be a focus.

Global economic trends, transportation supply and demand, and how to influence U.S. trade policy decisions in Washington, DC, are all conference topics. A new session on talent acquisition in supply chain management and transportation will segue into the CONECT Young Professionals’ “post-conference” session, which will look at trade and transportation through the eyes of college Supply Chain Management majors and young industry professionals.

For more information, go to www.conect.org