“ CLDA ’ s Virtual Shippers Exchange gave us an opportunity to network with shippers and our fellow members without the expense of travel .”
“ They did a fantastic job . You didn ’ t feel like you were selling . It felt like a very fluid conversation . A lot of times at these kinds of events you feel like it just all about selling . I ’ ve been to other events in the industry , and everyone seems to be out for themselves . Everyone at this event seemed like they were there to help each other out ”
CLDA Virtual Shippers Exchange Delivers
“ I always come away from CLDA events with renewed energy and focus ”
On March 16 , a wide variety of shippers and representatives from carriers across the country connected at the second annual CLDA Virtual Shippers Exchange .
Participants at the members-only event were matched with shippers in the verticals they were interested in for intimate 50-minute roundtables . Each carrier participated in three roundtable sessions , allowing them to introduce themselves and find out directly from shippers what they are looking for from carriers . “ We knew how much the shippers wanted this ,” said Conference Chair , Lorena Camargo . “ Of the 15 shippers who participated , half signed up the day we announced the event . These were shippers who came to the event looking for longterm partnerships with carriers .” One shipper , Paul Steffes , COO of
5 String Solutions , said the event delivered what they hoped for : ” The CLDA Virtual Shippers Exchange has been a valuable resource for us to grow our network of final-mile carriers . We continue to deliver new business opportunities to our final-mile carrier network and had the opportunity to meet with new carriers which we look forward to adding to the 5 String Solutions carrier network .”
It was the first event for CLDA ’ s recently elected president Jason G . Burns , Sr , who kicked off the day with a welcome and a preview of the associations ’ accomplishments and upcoming events . He introduced the event ’ s Platinum Sponsor ,
Beans Route . Company President , Akash Agarwal , who gave an overview of how the company ’ s unified logistics management capabilities transforms delivery businesses .
Following that , shippers and couriers went into one of eight 50-minute roundtable Zoom rooms based on their areas of interest . They included healthcare / pharma , ecommerce , ecommerce / 3PL , ecommerce / white glove , ecommerce / broker and auto / 3PL . In each session , couriers had the opportunity to introduce their businesses and discuss the kind of work they do . Shippers , in turn , talked about what they were looking for in a delivery partner and the specific geographic areas where they needed more carriers . “ This was an excellent forum to get to meet a high but manageable number of colleagues at one time ,” said one of the participants .
Here are some of the pieces of advice shared by the shippers :
• “ Successful agents give us as shippers a clear picture of what ’ s going on . We value carrier responsiveness .”
• “ The biggest mistake carriers can make from a shipper ’ s point of view is not communicating . Communication is key . If you don ’ t communicate it makes us all look bad .”
• “ As long as our carriers are open and honest with us , we can be open and honest with our customers .”
• “ When we present opportunities to carriers , we want you to say yes . It takes teamwork to make things happen .”
Both couriers and shippers came away from the event with valuable information about working together . In addition , many couriers said that the day allowed them to better connect with fellow couriers , offering them new opportunities to collaborate .
One shipper , Eric Donaldson from
American Expediting summed up the event this way : “ The purpose of being here was to enrich opportunities for everybody . That ’ s exactly what it did .”
“ I want to give a big thank you to all the shipper participants , and CLDA members for joining the event ,” said Event Co-Chair and Shipper Committee Chair Randy Edmonds . “ I feel these events add great value to members . We look forward to continuing these events and of course holding shipper panels and round tables at the Final Mile Forum in June .”
Members of the industry will be able to keep the conversation going with face-to-face shipper and courier round tables at the upcoming Final Mile Forum . The three-day live event will take place on June 29 to July 1 in Miami , FL . It will be the place where shippers and couriers meet to do business . Find out more
here . CLDA spring 2022 customized logistics & delivery Magazine 55