Global gathering

Few transportation industry events command the global pull generated by the recent International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) World Congress, recently held in Dubai.

"I think this year's congress in Dubai has been extremely successful," beams Manfred Boes, president, FIATA. "We had almost 1200 delegates, some very important decisions were made and an agreement was signed with ALACAT, the Federation of National Associations of Latin American and Caribbean International Cargo Agents and Logistics Operators."

1200 professionals from 93 of the FIATA member national associations turned out to meet and discuss issues challenging the global freight forwarding industry, and naturally the shipping industry was among the best represented. Regional behemoth DP World dominated the exhibition hall, along with European heavyweights Port of Rotterdam, and the Port of Antwerp. Ajman headquartered Great Ocean Shipping were also on hand to promote the UAE's project cargo handling industry.

One of the issues that dominated the opening discussions was the recent enlargement of the association. "From the 1st January 2008, FIATA will have 112 association members with roughly 50,000 member companies. I firmly believe FIATA is the leading organisation for the logistics industry worldwide. We have had a little problem with the Latin America association in the past but now this has been resolved, we truly have a real global presence," says Boes.

The cutting edge delivery from the forum confronting the issue of ‘100% transportation security: myth or reality', is a solid example of the critical matters at hand that were addressed, alongside the exhibition and social functions which were a hive of activity throughout the week-long event.

One of FIATA's main strengths is its appeal to medium sized companies within the sector. Demonstrating this fact was the niche markets explored by a number of the exhibitors. "Large transport companies already have networks established, FIATA helps medium sized companies compete by providing a networking opportnity. In these times of globalisation of economy, the medium sized companies have a chance to compete with large ones through the resource of networking," says Boes.

Elaborating on this point, the congress was also unique for the introduction of a new networking system that allowed companies to pre-book meetings with one another. The impressive ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the luscious backdrop to the event, was converted at various points during the five days into a networking platform whereby companies could discuss potential business opportunities.

Particularly catching the eye of former FIATA and NAFL president, Issa Baluch, the feature proved a popular addition all round at the congress. "Launching the new networking system in Dubai proved a renowned success and will carry on being a permanent feature at all FIATA congresses from now on," says Baluch, member of the Dubai host committee, chairman and CEO of Swift Freight International. "This is a meeting point, all we are doing is facilitating a meeting of the minds, allowing relationships to be established and business talks to flow. I think the participation from regions such as South America, Asia and CIS also proved beneficial for delegates."

For Boes, the location will always be the final curtain on his two year FIATA presidency. "I first came to Dubai in 1999 and it was just simply fascinating. The second time you are more accustomed to its ways but to see the Emirate with European eyes is always astonishing."

The FIATA World Congress 2007 may have come and gone but the issues and agreements made during the course of the five days will continue to dominate the minds of its members.

With Canadian Bill Gottlieb in charge for the next two years, FIATA has highlighted its commitment towards security and developing ties with South America alongside integrated supply chain training.

"As this congress closes, our minds will be set on Vancouver next year, another frontier altogether," muses Baluch. "I think that's the beauty, the way FIATA moves from region to region, from the Middle East to the Americas. The impact will continue and we will be concerning ourselves with the issues of Dubai for sometime to come. These are just the principal discussions, there are many thing to follow beyond that."

Port of Rotterdam

"Our primary function at the exhibition is to offer support to the matchmaking that goes on here.

We get a lot of international enquiries from forwarders looking for a freight forwarding agent in Rotterdam," explains Karel de Zeeuw, project manager, Rotterdam Port Promotion Council.

Freight forwarders from around the world provide de Zeeuw's team with a profile which can be run through an extensive database of Rotterdam agents, and have their needs matched with an appropriate, reputable agent. "The big freight forwarders have their own offices but the people we can really help most through this service is the small to medium freight forwarders. For the companies that deal with the less-than-full container loads (LCL), and those which require consolidation," says de Zeeuw.

From the Middle East there are increasingly good links with the European mega terminal. Sailings from Dubai depart regularly, but from a port perspective that regional trade remains dominated by the petrochemical industry.

The team are also here to promote the Maaskvlakte 2 project, a vast land reclamation project under which DP World and APL will be managing terminals. "There is room for two further terminals and at the moment, the way the market is, we think there is definitely the demand to support these developments," says de Zeeuw.

The Port of Rotterdam is currently heading towards another record year. In November the combined terminals expect to pass the 10 million TEU mark for 2007, which puts the facility on course for another record year. "In total tonnage we expect to surpass the 400 million tonne barrier this year too. All European ports are very busy, primarily with containerised consumer cargo flooding in from the Far East," explains de Zeeuw.

The terminal at Rotterdam is gearing for the future, and by 2010, if the private sector and port investments are combined de Zeeuw says that the upgrades and building work will total approximately US$14.2 billion.

One of the success of this year's FIATA World Congress has been the ability for people to target and meet the right people, and the Dutch team are confident that the work undertaken in Dubai will have a positive impact on trade links. "It follows that once people are comfortable with an agent they start to ship more and volumes go up. The bridges we build here at events such as the FIATA World Congress definitely have a positive impact," concludes de Zeeuw.

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