Editor’s Note: This is one of the most popular posts we publish every year: our list of supply chain and logistics events to attend in the year ahead. This year’s list remains a work in progress; therefore, please check the event websites for the latest updates. Also, if you have a favorite industry conference not included on the list, please contact us or post it in the comments.
Peer-to-peer learning and networking is more important than ever for supply chain and logistics professionals. Conferences, whether they occur in-person or virtually, are a great example of peer-to-peer learning in action. However, with so many options available, how do you decide which ones to attend? As I’ve shared in the past, here are three questions you should ask yourself:
1. Does the conference agenda align with the key initiatives I’m working on? Simply put, give priority to events where you will walk away with knowledge and information that you can immediately apply at your company to get your job done better and faster. And if you require the support of your technology and 3PL partners to accomplish your initiatives, then you should attend their user conferences and schedule meetings with their senior executives to let them know what’s working well and what improvements they can make to better serve you.
2. Will I learn something new, particularly in an area that I don’t know much about today but is critically important for my career and leadership development? If you’re a transportation professional, for example, and all you know is transportation, your opportunities for advancement are limited compared to someone who has a broader supply chain perspective. So, go ahead, attend a session on Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), supply chain risk management, business intelligence and analytics, or other areas outside your comfort zone to brighten your horizon.
3. Does the event promote peer-to-peer learning and networking or will I spend most of my time sitting through numerous PowerPoint presentations? In my experience, events that enable attendees to share knowledge and advice with each other (via small breakout sessions, for example) instead of just sitting through an endless stream of PowerPoint presentations, provide the greatest learning value.
As we begin 2025, take another look at your budget and calendar and make sure you’re not skimping on talent and leadership development this year.
Below is a short list of the supply chain and logistics conferences scheduled for 2025. I’ve attended many of them in previous years, often as a speaker, and I’ve always walked away with some great insights and new business connections.
I hope to see many of you at one or more of the following conferences this coming year. If you’re an event organizer and are interested in having me speak at your conference, please contact me.
Happy learning and networking in 2025!
Vendor Conferences (alphabetical order)
- Alpega: Connecta 25, TBA (was in October in 2024)
- Blue Yonder: ICON 2025, May 4-7, Nashville, TN
- Coupa: Inspire 2025, May 12-15, Las Vegas, NV
- e2open: Connect 2025, (TBA – was in the fall in 2024)
- Descartes Systems Group: Innovation Forum (TBA – was in October in 2024)
- Korber: Elevate 2025 (various locations/dates, was in April in the Americas in 2024)
- Manhattan Associates: Momentum 2025, May 19-22, Las Vegas, NV
- McLeod Software: User Conference, September 21-23, Denver, CO
- Oracle: Oracle CloudWorld 2025, October 13-16, Las Vegas, NV
- SAP: SAP Sapphire 2025, May 19-21, Orlando, FL
- SMC3: Jump Start 2025, January 27-29 (Atlanta,) and Connections 2025, June 23–25, Salt Lake City, UT
- Tecsys: Tecsys User Conference 2025, June 1-4, Nashville, TN
- Tranporeon: Transporeon Summit 2025, September 24-25, Amsterdam
- Trimble: Insight User Conference 2025, November 16-18, New Orleans, LA
- Uber Freight: Deliver 2025, TBA (was in Sept. in 2024)
Industry Conferences (chronological order)
- Manifest, February 10-12, Las Vegas, NV
- RILA Link 2025 Retail Supply Chain Conference, February 16-19, Orlando, FL
- TPM Annual Conference, March 2-5, Long Beach, CA
- 2025 Food Shippers of America Conference, March 2-5, Palm Desert, CA
- MODEX, NO EVENT IN 2025 (April 2026)
- LogiMat, March 11 – 13, Stuttgart, Germany
- ProMat, March 17-20, Chicago, IL
- LogiChem EU 2025, March 18-20, Rotterdam
- SITL 2025, April 1-3, Paris, France
- The Logistics World Summit & Expo, April 2-3, Mexico City, Mexico
- SCOPE Supply Chain Summit, April 9-11, Las Vegas, NV
- TIA 2025 Conference, April 9-12, San Antonio, TX
- 2025 Georgia Logistics Summit, April 23, Savannah, GA
- The 2025 IWLA Convention & Expo, May 4-6, Tucson, AZ
- LogiSYM Asia Pacific 2025, May 20-21, Singapore
- Home Delivery World 2025, May 21-22, Nashville, TN
- Transport logistic, June 2-5, 2025, Munich, Germany
- Canada’s Logistics Conference 2025, June 4-6, Toronto, Canada
- TMSA ELEVATE 2025, June 8-10, Austin, TX
- WERC Annual Conference, June 8-11, New Orleans, LA
- Reuters Supply Chain USA 2025, June 9-10, Chicago, IL
- ASCM CHAINge 2025, September 9-10, Columbus, OH
- GS1 Connect, June 10-12, Nashville, TN
- The Logistics & Supply Chain Forum, September 14-16, Scottsdale, AZ
- North American Supply Chain Executive Summit, September 22-24, Las Vegas, NV
- Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) EDGE 2025, October 5-8, National Harbor, MD
- Intermodal Europe 2025,October 21-23, Barcelona
- 9th Annual European Supply Chain Management Strategies Summit, November 4-5, Munich, Germany
- FreightWaves Future of Freight Festival, November 4-6, Chattanooga, TN