Cargo Connections Holds 2023 Annual Assembly in Thailand

More than 60 CEOs and Senior Managers from over 30 countries participated in our 7th Annual Assembly at The Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, from November 15-17.

• Official Group Photos
• Welcome Reception Photos
• Meeting Room Photos
• Awards Photos
• Group Dinner Photos

Our gathering significantly saved our Members valuable time away from their offices and reduced substantial travel expenses by facilitating P2P meetings in a single location.

The group met for a meet and greet at the stunning setting of the Sky Aquarium Infini Pool overlooking the Gulf of Thailand for a Welcome Drink and then settled down to a delicious International Buffet. A private disco helped us dance the calories off and the evening ended with a fantastic firework display!

The official meeting was opened by C.E.O./President, Rachel Crawford who welcomed delegates and said:

“We have sadly witnessed a great deal of global conflict over the past two years. When we tune into the news during these troubling times, our first worry is the safety and welfare of our network friends. As I've always said at the beginning of our gatherings, we are a global family with the single aim of uniting you, putting our political and religious differences to one side. I always take immense pride in our ability to assemble in one space, representing various cultures and backgrounds, all with no other objective than to find ways to work together. So, thank you for your care and your support for each other.”

Our Online Heavy Transport Training has proved to be incredibly popular since its launch in 2017 and was not only the proud Finalist in HLPFI’s 'Training of the Year' but so far has also been used by companies in over 50 countries.

Cargo Connections thrives on innovation, but what truly drives us is the opportunity to provide our Members with valuable benefits that can significantly enhance their business. Therefore, we are proud to be launching an exclusive collection of new training videos.

In general, stability often entails lengthy calculations that typically require an engineering degree. Nevertheless, we have condensed this complex subject into a single fundamental concept. What's crucial is that we can achieve this through graphical representation, sidestepping the need for intricate calculations.

Naturally, this approach can never replace the role of engineering, but it provides genuine insight into why one scenario succeeds while another falters.

The expertise obtained from the videos can be applied to your daily work immediately and illustrate that stability in the various domains: transporters, cranes, and barges, essentially boils down to the same underlying principles of nature.

To the best of our knowledge, there has been no precedent for explaining the transport, lifting, and maritime stability concepts as an integrated whole. All Cargo Connections Members will have free access to the course and delegates were provided with a handout with QR codes for each of the 5 videos.

The winners of our Annual Awards were presented with their trophies. For 2023, we put the power in Members' hands by inviting them to nominate their favourite members across six categories.

This new approach provided members with an opportunity to highlight and nominate the most exceptional companies within our network. Each award stands as an acknowledgment of the dedication and contributions made by our outstanding members.

Regional Award for Middle East & Africa
STI Middle East LLC, UAE

Regional Award for The Americas
Alba Wheels Up, USA

Regional Award for Asia & Pacific
Spark Global Logistics, Australia

Regional Award for Europe
Milestone Logistics, Spain

Staff Member of the Year
Linda Pitto from BASE S.P.A., Italy

International Member of the Year
ALLSTA Spedition, Germany

Delegates then got down to business and held numerous 1-2-1 meetings with each other, aided by our Countdown Clock and their pre-arranged Meeting Hub schedules. The system not only promotes environmental sustainability but also provides the unique advantage of real-time scheduling. This means that delegates could spontaneously arrange new meetings during the event (useful if an existing one is cancelled), ultimately optimising their time and ensuring they have the opportunity to connect with as many companies as possible.

We also provided a Chill Out Zone where delegates could challenge their fellow Members to a game of table football or pool, plus a photo booth for selfies with CC pals.

After a busy day in the meeting room, it was time to relax with an exclusive Thai/European Group Dinner & Disco. The delicious dinner was washed down with an open bar and the evening provided the perfect opportunity to hang out together in an informal setting.

We would like to thank this year's sponsors. Our Welcome Drinks were sponsored by Athena Global Logistics, our coffee breaks are sponsored by CargoWise, and our photo booth by Aura Freight Time Shipping.

It was amazing to see everyone again and we can’t wait until the next gathering which will be held from 9-11 October 2024 at Azia Resort & Spa in Paphos, Cyprus.

Next Virtual Event: 11th-15th March 2024
Every 6 months, the CC team allocates a series of consecutive days where all Members are invited to participate in virtual meetings (at no extra charge). Members can set their local time zone and then instantly view the agenda so that they can make themselves available or unavailable in the dedicated meeting slots. The next Virtual Meeting event is from 11th-15th March 2024 - the perfect opportunity to follow up on our face-to-face meetings! See our Meeting Hub to register.