Last week, two members of our Murphy team, Andy Welna and Neil Manns traveled down to Orlando, Florida for the 2015 Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) conference. Over the three day conference, logistics professionals had the opportunity to listen to industry leaders on topics in both personal and professional growth. Each morning, during breakfast, keynote speakers gave insights into their successes and shared their thoughts on how conference attendees can grow. Breakout sessions and P2P discussions followed breakfast and lasted throughout the day. Finally, in the evening attendees were invited to connect with each other during networking receptions.
Here’s what our team members thought of the conference!
Keynote Speakers
Jeremy Gutsche – Better and Faster
Monday morning started with a lot of energy out of Jeremy Gutsche, the founder of Trendhunter.com, a website that publishes cutting edge innovations and ideas with the goal of finding The Next Big Thing.
David Burkus – Generating ideas
Building a better team was the backbone of David’s speech. He looked at some of the great teams and compared what they are doing to what can easily be put into place within the workplace.
Scott Christopher – Levity Effect: It Pays to Lighten Up
Listening to Scott talk about levity, during a very light and fun speech was a great way to end the conference. He explained how a fun culture helps to keep employees happy, which also helps them to get things done. He even got out a Frisbee and threw it across the ballroom! This final session was definitely a Murphy favorite!
Breakout Sessions
Sessions about everything from client relationships to robots in the warehouse were led by some of the top professionals in the logistics industry. A focused hour on industry specific topics can really help to show some of the new innovations in operations as well as best practices with clients. The supply chain is always moving, and attending sessions like this help us to find some of the best ways to operate.
P2P Sessions
Peer to peer sessions were a favorite for the Murphy team. These sessions were set up as open forums where logistics professionals can discuss many of the different challenges, changes and successes that the supply chain is experiencing.
One session discussing the relationship between the 3PL and the shipper was a great resource. With both 3PLs and shippers in the room, it was very interesting to hear thoughts about what it takes to grow a successful partnership. Making sure there is a good cultural fit between the two companies was a big discussion point. There also has to be trust and transparency from both sides to grow into a successful partnership. Check out our past blog post about choosing the right 3PL for your company to learn more!
Networking
Meeting with logistics professionals from both the 3PL and the shipper side of the business is always a great opportunity. There were many different times for networking at this year’s WERC conference. In between every session there were refreshments and time to chat as well as Warehouse Industry Resources Event (WIRE) receptions on Monday and Tuesday evenings where attendees could meet with other attendees or check out the trade show floor.
Overall, the 2015 WERC Conference was a great experience for our team members. Learning about new innovations, techniques and technologies in breakout sessions and P2P discussions will help Murphy to continue to grow and provide the best value for our partners.
