Supply Chain Management Review

Frank Quinn

More on the Mating Season
April 9, 2008

Last year I wrote a column about the so-called mating season that bears revisiting this time of year. I noted that my first boss in the publishing business used to refer to the spring and summer months as the mating season.  That was the time when we reporters would go to the various industry events like the NASSTRAC and American Trucking Associations meetings in the spring and the CLM (now CSCMP) and NITLeague in the fall. (How long ago was this, you ask? Well I started on a magazine called Traffic Management, a job title you hardly hear any more.)

Anyway, our mission was fairly straightforward: Network and make contacts, attend as many sessions as you could, and come back with a fistful of leads for future stories.

The journalists who covered these meetings (speaking for myself at least) seemed genuinely interested in the festivities. The same appeared to be true for the attendees. They participated in the education sessions and actively networked in the breaks and luncheons. (Remember, this was in the days before checking the cell phone became the most immediate and critical activity any second there was a pause —in the formal program.)

As we enter the spring mating season for 2008, I’m wondering if participation in professional and industry roups like CSCMP, WERC, ISM, the NITLeague, and others  are perceived to be as important as they once were. It’s always been my contention that affiliations with such groups—and full participation in their activities—is a critical component of professionals and personal success.

But I get the sense that fewer and fewer people feel this way. One big problem, I know, is that logistics and supply chain practitioners have been laden with so many new responsibilities of late that they feel that don’t have time for any extracurricular activities. Plus, there are people out there who believe that they can get whatever they need off the Internet without having to start buy a plane ticket to attend an industry event.  But let’s face it, entering the  chat room doesn't compare to having a coffee or adult beverage in person with your peers from other industries and parts of the globe.

Let me know how you feel about this?  Are you a member of any professional or industry organization? If so, do you believe it’s beneficial overall?  If not, let me know why not.

Posted by Frank Quinn on April 9, 2008 | Comments (1)