A pre-Symposium walk around Amsterdam
Setting the stage for delegates in October, PPI TS19 co-chairmen visited the host city to see how things are shaping up
Jaap Simonse, IFPTA Vice-President Europe
PPI Transport Symposium 19 Co-Chairman
Published: May 31, 2011
In early May, the weather in Western Europe was excellent. By April, we already reached about 24-25 degree Celsius, with only one week of 6 degree temperatures to break the trend.
Enjoying the fine weather, George Hudson, my co-chairman, and I have been quite busy during the last month or so slowly but steadily moving forward to Amsterdam in October. But there is still a lot to do. Our goal is to have the majority of speakers for the conference program booked before the summer holiday season begins, and that's only a few short weeks from now.
We received a lot of responses from IFPTA members when we asked for suggested topics for this year's conference program. It is very clear to us that all who are working in the forest products transport industry want to hear more about what's going on in the larger forest products industry; pulp and paper, lumber, biomass, etc. In organizing the program, we have made sure to get the specialist's viewpoint regarding the state of the various markets, trends and regional developments. Be sure to check the conference program agenda to follow our progress.
We have also paid close attention to the developments of the logistics world. For the first time in the Symposium's history, we are including a Speakers Corner, a place for presentations and topics that fall outside of the conference program sessions. Every delegate and company in the industry is welcome to use the Speakers Corner to talk about company developments, bright new ideas, new equipment, etc. But don't worry; it won't be like Hyde Park Corner, no soapbox and a real microphone will be included. We will release more information regarding the speaker's corner, including how to reserve a time slot, on the PPI Transport Symposium website.
For an in-person visit to see how things are shaping up, George and I went to Amsterdam in the second half of April. We had a walk around the city centre, visited a few of the Symposium hotels and also visited the main venue for the event, the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre. During our walk-through of the RAI, the centre was hosting a yearly car exhibition; beautiful new models but many very expensive. Seeing the fantastic job they did convinced us that all things are looking up for our October deadlines and, so far, Amsterdam is an excellent choice.
About a month ago, George and I had a meeting close to Calais to talk to CEPI, the Confederation of European Paper Industries. CEPI will be joining the PPI TS19 Conference Program to lead two panel sessions on Friday morning. The sessions are being organized by the CEPI Transport Committee and will cover EU policy and sustainable transport, and the challenge of emissions reduction for the shipping industry.
Seeing the car exhibit in Amsterdam reminded me of our meeting with CEPI. The automotive industry is focused on cleaner vehicles with less fuel consumption and less pollution, and there is a need for all industries to support a cleaner environment is a hot topic nowadays. To be honest, I believe our industry feels exactly the same. Shipowners, terminals, inland transport companies, everyone knows that something has to be done. Not only because the European Union says so, but also because our principals from the pulp and paper industry are setting new guidelines with respect to reaching a cleaner environment.
The second day of our Amsterdam visit we had an early morning walk, saw one of the most famous Beguinage areas, had a look at the Amsterdam Royal Palace, took a coffee, and crossed a few of the canals. You should do it yourself during your stay in October, before or after the Symposium. And bring your wives with you to enjoy the beautiful museums and shops Amsterdam has to offer.
We visited the largest Dutch daily newspaper "De Telegraaf". As you may have read, the editor in chief, Mr. Sjuul Paradijs will be our keynote speaker for PPI TS19. He is very much a newspaperman, with about 300 journalists, researchers, photographers, etc. surrounding his office. But of course Mr. Paradijs does know that the world is changing and that other media will probably continue to take market share away from the printed newspaper. Because of this, he is also responsible for the new media at De Telegraaf. It will be very interesting to hear his opinion regard the future developments of print in the modern media age.
Last but not least, we visited the VCK Terminals and the Waterland Terminals. Quite interesting to us and we are excited you will be able to see them yourselves during the Symposium's Port Tour on Tuesday afternoon. The Port Tour will end at the venue of the opening reception at the Dutch Maritime Museum. Built in 1655 as a storage centre for the impressive Dutch Royal Navy (guns, sails, etc.), the museum takes you back to a time of the grand adventure of ships on the high seas, a conclusion to the Port Tour you won't want to miss.
This is my last column for the Chairman's Corner before I see you all in Amsterdam. It has been a wonderful experience putting the Symposium together with my good friend George and I sincerely hope everyone comes away feeling this year's event is one to remember.
