The next few days will certainly be stimulating

By John Manners-Bell*, Editor and CEO, Transport Intelligence, UK

Two days of intensive examination of some of the most crucial issues affecting the transport and logistics market by some of the industry’s brightest minds – that is what we have to look forward to at the Summit on the Global Agenda 2011.

In my experience such a gathering is unique and this is why the event has become so important. It has become an opportunity to distil the latest thinking and experience into an industry action plan which will be used to inform and influence government heads and CEOs at Davos. The meeting could have the potential to become a major navel gazing exercise – however the format of the event actively encourages and facilitates meetings between different Council groups, enabling the cross-fertilisation of ideas.

In an industry as fragmented and geographically dispersed as transport and logistics, one of the major benefits is meeting people with vastly different experiences and perspectives on major issues. Our Council includes representatives from developed and emerging markets as well as from all the major industry segments. Bringing together everyone’s opinions into a coherent thesis will be one of the main challenges as will ensuring that a range of pragmatic recommendations and actions are agreed.

The next few days will certainly be stimulating and I look forward to meeting fellow industry professionals and academics from my own and other industry sectors.

*John Manners-Bell is the Editor and CEO of Transport Intelligence. He is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Logistics & Supply Chain and is attending the Summit on the Global Agenda 2011 held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 10-11 October.