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This year I’m back to my pre-pandemic travel schedule as I have made an effort to fit in as many live conferences as possible. There’s nothing more important in the B2B media business than networking face-to-face and being in the mix to get a good read on where things stand.

And while we’re coming to the end of the traditional fall conference season, we’d like to offer one more learning opportunity to the readers of Logistics Management—and this time you don’t even have to leave your desk.

Our 2024 Supply Chain Outlook Virtual Summit: From complexity to clarity will go live on Thursday, Dec. 12. In fact, this marks the 19th year that Logistics Management has partnered with sister publication Supply Chain Management Review to produce this event, one that just may have been the first virtual conference event ever in the B2B media industry. Registration couldn’t be easier: Simply keep an eye on your e-mail for your invitation.

Last month in this column I was thrilled to announce that our keynote this year will be Nathanael Powrie, senior director, knowledge management and data analytics at supply chain consultancy SGS Maine Pointe. He’s been at the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into global supply chain and operations over the past decade, and will be kicking of this year’s Outlook Summit with his session titled Transforming Supply Chain Operations with AI: Key areas for driving business value.

Following Powrie’s keynote, the research team behind the 33rd Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends will explore critical areas like current transportation spending and offer a deep dive into how logistics and supply chain operations are adapting and standing out in a volatile environment. Our four-member panel will highlight the need for agility, strategic resource management, and responsiveness to maintain high performance amid constant change.

Following our annual panel, Howard Turner, director, supply chain execution systems at St. Onge Co. will offer his session: Mastering Complexity: Why TMS is now mission critical. He will update attendees on the evolving state of TMS capabilities and benefits and highlight advancements in freight procurement, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML)—benefits that are driving the increased value of TMS.

Turner’s colleague Norm Saenz, Jr., partner, managing director at St. Onge Co., then takes the podium to share the results of our 2024 Warehouse/DC Operations Study along with editor Roberto Michel. Top level findings this year reveal that 84% of respondents are planning expansions (up 1% from 2023) and are increasing capital budgets for warehouse automation and materials handling—good news for the overall progress of supply chain.

Bob Pitts and Mike Reiss, managing directors at Ernst & Young LLP, then share their session: Redefining the Shipper/3PL Partnership: A refreshed logistics operating model. They believe that a new operating model that is strategically designed with the shipper/3PL partnership in mind gives both parties equal consideration when making decisions about where the processes, transactions, and talent will take place to meet the shared value proposition and customer promise.

We then wrap up with Robotics/Automation: Making the automation decision, a session presented by Tom Bonkenburg, director of European operations at St. Onge Co. Through real-world robotics implementation examples, he’ll explore the decision-making process behind manual versus automated warehouse/DC designs and offer practical tips on guiding teams to choose the right automation strategy.