More than 6,500 supply chain professionals are expected to attend the Council of Logistics Management's 1999 annual conference in Toronto. The theme of this year's meeting is "Enhancing Global Relationships: Passport to the Future."

Conference attendees can choose from workshops in 40 different topic areas—ranging from the basics of transportation and logistics to decision-support systems and electronic commerce. Attendees also can join several logistics-related tours of Toronto-area companies and facilities.

Among the general speakers for this year's conference is Peter Jennings, anchor for ABC television's nightly news. The Canada native will discuss contemporary issues and share anecdotes from his new book, The Century: A History of the 20th Century. Delivering the keynote address will be Donald J. Bowersox of Michigan State University. A distinguished educator and author, Bowersox will discuss the newest research on world-class logistics organizations.

Registration for the conference closes on Oct. 1, 1999. No late or walk-in registrations will be accepted.

Enhancing Global Relationships: Passport to the Future

Sponsor: Council of Logistics Management

Date: Oct. 17–20, 1999

Venue: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada

Cost: $950 CLM members, $1,150 nonmembers, includes conference materials and most meals.

Contact: CLM at (630) 574-0985, www.clm1.org

MIT's Center for Transportation Studies offers an intensive one-week seminar on logistics and supply chain fundamentals. The comprehensive course not only examines the basics of logistics and supply chain management, but also looks at emerging trends. It assesses the challenges and opportunities associated with electronic commerce and other advanced technology in the supply chain as well.

Structured around a series of lectures and case studies, the MIT course blends presentations from academicians and industry leaders from the shipper, carrier, and third-party provider communities.

This program is intended for representatives of both carrier and shipper organizations involved in supply chain management, logistics, operations management, and purchasing. For carrier representatives, the course provides a firm foundation in logistics and supply chain concepts. For shippers, it offers a better understanding of the transportation issues in supply chain management and how transportation can enhance inventory management throughout the chain.

The program content will cover logistics information systems (such as MRP/DRP, decision support, and knowledge management systems); logistics-management issues (activity-based management, bidding and contracting, and performance measurement); supply chain management (including related information technology, ERP, partnerships, and change management); the Internet and e-commerce; and the interaction between logistics and marketing, purchasing, and manufacturing.

Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Sponsor:Center for Transportation Management, MIT

Date: July 19–23, 1999

Venue: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

Cost: $3,700

Contact: Center for Transportation Management at (617) 258-7167

In today's retail environment, supply chain efficiency is crucial to a store's success—whether that store is virtual-only, brick and mortar, or a combination of the two. The National Retail Federation's supply chain conference provides an opportunity for retailers to assess the electronic-commerce technology that is shaping the retail supply chain, marketing, and merchandising. The four-day meeting also will examine the importance of formulating supply chain partnerships between retailers and manufacturers.

The conference sessions are grouped into three topic areas. The first, e-commerce, looks at enterprise-to-enterprise electronic commerce, addressing the question, Can your supply chain effectively support e-commerce transactions? Topic area two, partner integration, examines common objectives/benefits for partnering and how retailers and suppliers collaborate to improve product and store performance. The final topic area, supply chain solutions, discusses benchmarking as a diagnostic tool, global supply chain strategies, advanced supply chain software solutions, and compressing supply chain leadtimes.

NRF Supply Chain Management Conference

Sponsor: National Retail Federation

Date: Sept. 26–29, 1999

Venue: Philadelphia

Cost: $775 NRF members/$1,100 nonmembers

Contact: NRF at (202) 783-7971

This year's APICS conference, which revolves around the theme "Creating Sizzling Solutions," will feature more than 170 technical sessions and 200 exhibitors. It's a cost-effective way to explore the latest business management concepts and techniques under one roof.

One of the 11 track topics, supply chain management, will provide information and resources designed to strengthen the organization's supply chain. Another track is enterprise resource management, a series of workshops on various enterprisewide technology solutions. Among the other tracks are global business strategies, new systems and IT, professional development, and managing change. Attendees also will have an opportunity to participate in interactive roundtables on targeted topics.

In addition to the workshop sessions, the conference will feature a number of well-known general session speakers such as syndicated columnist Dave Barry, Harley-Davidson Chairman Richard Teerlink, and e-commerce entrepreneur Chuck Martin.

1999 APICS International Conference and Exposition

Sponsor: APICS

Date: Oct. 24–27, 1999

Venue: New Orleans, LA

Cost: $925 members, $1,175 nonmembers

Contact: (800) 444-2742, www.apics.org

As any supply chain professional responsible for a company's Asia-Pacific operations knows, developing an efficient supply chain in that region can be challenging. Currency fluctuations, poor infrastructure, cultural differences, lack of security, local suppliers, and global systems integration are just a few of the critical issues that must be addressed.

This two-day seminar addresses those issues within the supply chain context while helping participants develop new strategies to capitalize on Asia's huge potential for growth and profit.

AsiaLOGICON '99 is intended for senior-level supply chain managers responsible for their company's Asia-Pacific logistics. The conference features more than 30 case studies from leading multinational companies. Attendees will learn how the leaders are implementing best-practice approaches to integrating their Asia-Pacific operations.

AsiaLOGICON '99

Sponsor: Worldwide Business Research

Date:: Sept. 15–16, 1999

Venue: San Diego, Calif.

Cost: $1,799, includes tuition, materials, and meals

Contact: David Merlob at (212) 885-2704

The University of Tennessee's Management Development Center offers its GIS for Business and Logistics course for mid- to upper-level supply chain practitioners, carriers, and other logistics services providers. This three-day course is not a technical program. Instead, it demonstrates how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools can help supply chain executives examine strategic issues, develop "what-if" scenarios, and interact more effectively with the company's marketing, sales, and production functions. The course also provides an overview of the resources—computers, software, and personnel—required to establish a logistics-oriented GIS within an organization.

The course includes several lab sessions designed to help students use GIS—a tool for storing, retrieving, and displaying "spatial" data—to display and analyze their own systems. Participants are encouraged to bring supply chain data on their customers, facilities, suppliers, and product flows.

Instructors will balance theory and applications in their presentations, using interactive lectures, question-and-answer sessions, and computer-based exercises. The program will give attendees a solid understanding of the benefits of logistics modeling and the role GIS can play in helping to improve customer service, increase profitability, and enhance communications among individuals throughout the integrated logistics chain.

Geographic Information Systems for Business and Logistics

Sponsor: Management Development Center, University of Tennessee

Date:: Nov. 14–16, 1999

Venue: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Cost: $1,950, includes tuition, meals, and accommodations

Contact: UT Management Development Center at (423) 974-5001

The Conference Board's 1999 Purchasing Conference will spotlight best practices among purchasing organizations. Thought leaders and supply chain executives from a broad range of companies will share their experiences and successful strategies for enhancing supply chain responsiveness, purchasing professionalism, strategic alliances, and purchasing performance.

The conference is designed for managers responsible for purchasing, procurement, supply chain management, and logistics management. It will provide participants with innovative ideas as well as networking opportunities.

General session topics include best-practices benchmarking, customer/supplier relationships, inbound supply management, and supplier rationalization. Optional afternoon workshops will be presented on Creating Sustainable Advantage Through Technology-Enabled Strategic Sourcing; Tools for Streamlining the Supplier Base; and Best Practices in Nonproduction Automation.

The 1999 Purchasing Conference: Best Practices for the New Millennium

Sponsor: The Conference Board

Date: Nov. 2–3, 1999

Venue: New York

Cost: $1,375 Conference Board Associates/$1,495 nonassociates

Contact: The Conference Board at (212) 339-0345

Supply chain management is becoming a core competitive advantage for many organizations. To help managers implement supply chain initiatives effectively, the Management Institute of the University of Wisconsin is launching an innovative certification program called the Supply Chain Management Career Certificate Series.

Demand Planning and Sales Forecasting for Supply Chain Management is the first of three workshops in the certificate program. This three-day workshop addresses key processes in implementing effective supply chain systems. Facilitated discussions help attendees review four types of sales forecasts—strategic, tactical, operational, and functional.

Participants will discuss a top-management process flow chart illustrating how levels of demand planning and sales forecasting aid in improving business. The seminar teaches how sales activities and inventory levels are used in forecasting sales and minimizing inventories while achieving better customer service.

The other two workshops in the supply chain certification series are Procurement for Supply Chain Management and Logistics Fulfillment Throughout the Supply Chain.

Demand Planning and Sales Forecasting for Supply Chain Management

Sponsor: Management Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Date:: Sept. 13–15, 1999

Venue: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Cost: $1,045

Contact: The Management Institute at (800) 348-8964

TransAsia 99, a three-day conference to be held in Hong Kong, will bring together experts in sea, air, and land transportation from around Asia and the world. They will focus on the latest developments in supply chain management, associated IT applications, and customer/service provider relationships in that part of the world.

Day one of the conference discusses how ocean carriers and air-cargo service providers are working to improve quality, efficiency, and reliability in the transportation services offered their customers.

The second day profiles pioneering electronic-commerce solutions that are tailored to supply chain management. The role of the Internet in reducing the order cycle also will be discussed. Speakers will offer examples of how sophisticated information technology can dramatically enhance the customer/third-party provider relationship.

The last day focuses on the need for flexibility and innovation in the intra-Asia transport and logistics industry as supply chain requirements shift according to the region's economic developments. Speakers will address the question of whether intra-Asia is best treated as an autonomous business sector or as part of a wider, global transportation network.

TransAsia 99

Sponsor: IIR Exhibitions, Georgia Freight Bureau, and the Intermodal Association of North America

Date:: Aug. 25–27, 1999

Venue: Hong Kong

Cost: £795

Contact: IIR Exhibitions Ltd. at +44 171 453 5309 (England)