Over four days, the international airfreight community descended on Miami, with over 3,500 delegates from over 80 countries coming together for a conference, exhibition and networking sessions.

“The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) is the dedicated global association for the air cargo industry. Our goal is to represent all sectors of the air cargo industry,” Glyn Hughes, Director General of TIACA, stated.

“As attendees walked around the event, they could see airlines, freight forwarders, trucking companies, IT suppliers, equipment manufacturers, airports—everyone was here.

“One of the things that’s most important for us is we wanted this event to be by the industry, for the industry, so we created an environment that enables people to come do business, connect, reacquaint themselves with former business partners and meet future business partners.”

“If you come to a TIACA event, you have a lot of people you meet with, but if you’re looking for content or to learn something, we also have the conference programme. It’s the two aspects together that make this event so successful,” Steven Polmans, Chair of TIACA, highlighted.

Tackling the issues

At the heart of the event was a dedicated programme of talks and discussions, covering the topics that are highly relevant to the industry today, designed to be thought-provoking and challenging.

“We talked about how we’ve been able to respond to the increased demand arising from e-commerce, without sacrificing and putting at risk the long-term relationships with other more traditional customers,” Hughes outlined.

“In the digitalisation panel, we looked at innovation and have we embraced the technology that’s coming tomorrow. We also had wonderful discussions about airport enablement and airport collaborative environments because airports are so crucial to keeping this industry at the forefront of what’s happening.”

Bringing people together

Alongside the serious discussions on airports, regulatory and business matters, digital innovation, sustainability, industry outlook and more, attendees also had a chance to socialise and connect while golfing, enjoying sunrise yoga sessions or attending the evening receptions, recognising the value of facilitating networking that can lead to life-long business relationships.

“When you walk around, the thing I hate is the idea of silence. I want to hear people engaging. I want to hear people again shaking hands and saying, ‘great, I love working with you.’ I want to hear people say things like ‘I didn’t really think of that’ or ‘that’s a great perspective’ because it means the industry is engaging.

“Ultimately, we aimed to make this event more than just an exhibition—it’s an experience,” Hughes stated.

“We are very pleased that this event has set such a high bar for future Air Cargo Forums,” Polmans added.

“I have to thank the TIACA team: Glyn, Kenneth, Rachel, Riley and MGME because day in, day out they did a great job in making this happen.

“We look forward to continuing to grow and develop this brand as the premier global event of the industry.”