SCOPE 2015: Conference in the middle of a riot. #SCOPE2015

I took part in the SCOPE 2015 conference in Baltimore this week, and it really was a great example of the “the best laid plans of mice and men….” The staff of SCOPE did an amazing job of picking a venue, gathering sponsors, speakers, exhibitors (all excellent), only to end up in a city with civil unrest.

That being said, the “riots” had little effect on a great conference that I would certainly attend again.

Here are some of my thoughts on the conference:

Best Booth: Scout Painless RFPs

Keeping it Simple SCOPE 2015

 Love the minimalism of the booth. All the white space was actually quite captivating. The fact that the booth could be turned around for a complete different experience the next day was getting a lot of bang for your dollar.

Great job to Stan Garber and team.

Ah-ha Moment with Speaker: “The Future of Fulfillment” by David J. Nielsen, Senior Vice President, Business

Development, Overstock.com

Click for more info and great deals

It was great to hear about the owner of Overstock.com; Patrick M. Byrne. I really enjoy people who are willing to take risk, but look to make the world a better place.

David quoted research that shows that online customers are willing to wait up to 4 days for their items to be delivered. With Amazon suggesting drones and other same day deliveries, this gives the supply chain options to meet the needs of the market.

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Best Pitch: AFMS 

This company has been doing business in the US for over 23 years and they are able to negotiate saving for their customers: an average of 22% on the transportation spend. This is accomplished by having great benchmarking data, very experienced staff that know all the transportation tips and tricks, and a holistic look at all the part of worldwide transportation.

I am very excited that they have plans to service the Canadian market.  This market is very underserved with this level of knowledge and experience.  I predict that AFMS will be very successful in Canada.

Best Meal: Mo's Crab and Pasta.

This is going to be one of my Baltimore traditions. The place was understated but the food was amazing, and it had many locals enjoying their meal. The crab cake was very good.

 Best True Baltimore experience: Faidleys 

Soup and a crab cake for lunch at the Lexington market. Delicious! I wish I could have taken some home with me, but seafood does not travel well. What a treat.

Great job SCOPE.  See you next year.

Lee Smith is the CEO of LSL Holding Company, a leader in the Supply Chain selection and Courier optimization consulting. Whether you are new to the Canadian Market or looking for ways to improve your existing supply chain to Canada they can help.

        lee@lslholdingco.com

www.lslholdingco.com
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