More Entertaining.

PARCEL Forum takes you beyond the classroom and exhibit floor by incorporating a wide range of special events that contribute to our mission of being the only event that serves your unique and ever-changing needs. The forum features a variety of special events that promote a sense of community as well as educate and entertain those of you who share a common bond. All special events and food functions are included in your conference registration.

Monday, Oct. 29th • 6:30pm
Dinner with a Stranger

What better way to meet new colleagues than over dinner and a nice glass of wine. A Dinner with a Stranger is perfect opportunity to meet new people within your industry, share ideas and network in an entertaining, informal and relaxed setting. We have personally selected (and taste-tested) some of the best restaurants in the area for you to indulge, unwind, and enjoy. Leave the worries to us! We have arranged for “to and from” transportation for our PARCEL Forum attendees. So, all you have to do is enjoy a pleasant evening filled with meeting new people, networking and exceptional food at one of Chicago’s finest restaurants! See registration page for pricing details.

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Tuesday, Oct. 30th • 2:00pm – 3:00pm • Booth 207
Special Guest Appearance sponsored by and Autograph Session with:
Randy “The Natural” Couture

Meet five-time UFC Champion Randy “The Natural” Couture. Considered by many to be the “Greatest Fighter of All Time,” Randy was just the fourth fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall Of Fame, alongside Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock. Now retired and currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, Randy has parlayed his fighting fame into a burgeoning acting career. He just finished shooting his fifth movie, alongside Rob Schneider, a prison comedy called Big Stan. He also played a football player in Disney’s big hit Invincible with Mark Wahlberg and has appeared in other works including: Today You Die, No Rules, UFC 47: It’s On and Cradle 2 The Grave.

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PC100 • Parcel Shipping Technology: What’s Coming Down the Pike

This workshop will provide attendees with an inside look at how shippers can best utilize the latest advances in technology to improve customer service levels. This comprehensive overview will highlight the various technologies available on both the carrier and shipper side which can be seamlessly integrated to increase efficiency, as well as the bottom line.

The workshop will include lunch and a tour of Abbott Labs, a worldwide leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. Attendees will tour Abbott's state-of-the-art 200,000 square foot distribution center which ships out roughly 100,000 packages per month. It's the perfect way to see what you learned earlier in the day being utilized by one of the largest company's in the world.

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PC200 • The Next Wave of Packaging Workshop
Presenters: William Kipp, Associate Executive Director, International Safe Transit Association
Eric Hiser, UPS Customer Solutions, Packaging Lab

This workshop will discuss how to achieve parcel package designs which address the issues of controlling both costs and in-transit damage. A key element is the use of laboratory tests which simulate the unique parcel distribution environment. Designs can be evaluated and optimized in the lab to ensure effectiveness and success.
Testing concepts and techniques will be presented, with a focus on ISTA Procedure 3A, the protocol referenced in UPS's Tariff. Illustrative examples, drawn from actual laboratory and shippers' experiences, will show the do's, don'ts, and basic principles of good package design.

The workshop will include lunch and feature a morning tour of the UPS Chicago Area Consolidation Hub (CACH). This is a great opportunity to see packages going through one of the industry's largest and most advanced automating sorting facilities.

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Opening Night Reception
Tuesday, October 30th • 5:30pm – 7:30pm

For the past five years, our friends at the United States Postal Service have kicked-off the Opening Night of PARCEL Forum in style… and this year is no different. It’s the perfect time and place to catch up with old friends, make new ones as well as discuss the days events. FREE to all Attendees.

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Opening Day Keynote Luncheon
Tuesday, October 30th • 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Future Trends in International Shipping
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of DHL Global Customer Solutions (GCS)

With more than 90% of companies reporting that they are now shipping productinternationally, it is imperative that theystay on top of changing trends in the industry. Rolf will discuss the importance ofestablishing trade relationships andhowgrowth in emerging markets will change the manner in which company's ship overseas?

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Breakfast Keynote
Wednesday, October 31st • 8:00am – 9:00am

Parcel Trends: A View from Wall Street
William Green, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley

Bill will share his unique insight and perspective on how FedEx, DHL and UPS are viewed by Wall Street, namely what message is management sending to its shareholders in terms of the future direction of the companies. He'll shed light on how Wall Street interprets efforts by the companies to grow within and outside their core parcel franchises. Bill will also discuss his outlook for the parcel shipping industry and walk through what he views as each of the carrier's competitive strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, he'll discuss how each is perceived by the shipping community based on a semi-annual proprietary survey conducted by PARCEL magazine and Morgan Stanley.

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Carrier Roundtable Luncheon
Wednesday, October 31st • 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Moderator: Michael Erickson, President, AFMS Logistics Management Group

The signature special event! Join us and the “Big Four” for this interactive roundtable featuring executives from DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS as they answer your questions in an open forum. The panel will be moderated by Michael Erickson, president of AFMS Logistics Management Group.

Panelists:

Al Burba
Vice President, Sales
DHL

James P. Cochrane
Manager, Package Services
United States Postal Service

Bill Lewandowski
Vice President, of Strategic Accounts
United Parcel Service

Roman Hlutkowsky
Vice President, Operations Technology & System Support
FedEx Ground

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2:00pm – 2:30pm
USPS Shipping Products Are Essential in the Fulfillment Mix

Package shippers are always looking for improved service and reduced cost. An emerging dual-carrier model, wherein shippers add USPS products as an alternative to their existing commercial carrier delivers significant savings on fulfillment expenses. The convergence in service levels for commercial carriers, recent improvements in USPS infrastructure and performance, and a shift in the market towards 2-5 day service needs and more residential/remote deliveries are fueling the need for the dual-carrier paradigm. Recent technology for USPS desktop shipping and pre-shipment decision making enables the implementation of the dual-carrier process using and without disruption to a shipper's existing integrated shipping environment.

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2:45pm – 3:15pm
Negotiating Parcel Agreements in Today’s Competitive Environment

The evolution of small parcel transportation and its primary suppliers is nothing short of incredible.  Accompanying this rapid evolution are the dynamics of carrier pricing, operating ratios, and organizational breadth. Today’s carriers are constantly changing to meet increasing consumer demands, minimize operating expenses and maximize profit margins. Shippers using the same old methods of pitting carrier against carrier or simply demanding bottom line improvements are destined for failure in today’s environment. A shipper’s negotiation of optimal parcel agreements depends purely on its understanding of the carrier’s operating ratios, how its parcels and shipping practices affect those ratios, and how to assist its’ carrier representation in negotiating within their own organization.  Learn how to lay the ground work to facilitate these three critical points.

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3:30pm – 4:00pm
Understanding Dimensional Weight

Effective this year, all the major carriers have replaced their oversize rates with dimensional weight calculations! What does this mean to you? Will you incur higher shipping costs? Will your billing process become more complicated? Will you be seeing your back charges increase or will start receiving supplemental bills? In this session, you will learn the details of these transitions. You will leave knowing the options and solutions available from METTLER TOLEDO to satisfy your dimensioning and weighing needs.

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4:15pm – 4:45pm
Save Money and Increase Productivity with the MINI PAK’R™ Machine

Meet with Steve Mohr, marketing manager for the MINI PAK’R™ machine, and learn how this small air cushion unit can reduce your packaging material costs while eliminating packaging storage requirements. See how the cubic feet yields from the compact rolls of MINI PAK’R film compare with loose fill and bubble. 

See the possible cost savings in material and labor from actual case studies. This is your chance to ask questions and determine which film would work best for your packing applications. 

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5:00pm – 5:30pm
Realizing Transportation Cost Savings Across Your Organization

Transportation management systems help users to maximize the effectiveness of their shipping departments. But what about the thousands of shipments that are made by people within your organization but outside of the transportation department? Things like marketing materials, samples and accountable documents are some of the non-production items that are shipped on a regular basis. Find out how your organization can leverage your 'best-of-breed' transportation 'know-how' to manage the movement of both production and non-production items and realize significant cost savings.

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9:15am – 9:45am
Forward Thinking Service: Thinking Out of the Box and Into the Future!

Small parcel shipping has made some remarkable changes in the recent past, and Atto Solutions CEO Kevin Cannon will share how Atto has not just kept up, but is primed for the future. While many corporations are happy with focusing on simple audits that are fundamentally flawed and met with resistance from the carriers, Atto has developed a 'soup to nuts' product line that manages all aspects of shipping that is a win-win for customers and carriers alike.

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10:00am – 10:30am
United States Postal Service New Product Launch

Join us for an interactive look at the new products and services that the United States Postal Service has launched in the past year plus a special sneak preview of coming attractions. This is a great opportunity to network with top Postal Executives. Special Bonus! Every attendee will receive a unique gift.

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10:45am – 11:15am
Ensuring the Quality of Your Shipping Data

Most shippers overlook processes that ensure the quality of their shipping data.   As result, they incur unnecessary freight costs, late package deliveries, and returns that result from inaccurate or incomplete data.   The session will examine the benefits of implementing a Logistics Data Quality solution, including discussions on: domestic & international address validation/formatting; residential & commercial package marking; and denied parties screening.

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11:30am – 12:00pm
The Upside of Downsizing: How Protective Packaging Impacts Logistic

In today's global shipping environment, freight, warehousing and breakage represent some of the largest costs for damage-sensitive goods. Freight and warehousing rates can be negotiated to a small degree, but cannot improve the margin substantially. Packaging material is an important way to reduce costs in all of these areas, and others, to gain margin improvement. When combined with the more economical use of warehouse space, this change has the potential to save millions of dollars. Better packaging material also reduces costly returns and improves brand loyalty.