The hottest FreightTech event of the season, the 2022 Future of Freight Festival, kicks off Tuesday in FreightWaves’ stomping ground in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This year’s F3 will run Tuesday through Thursday, and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. The event will be based at the Chattanooga Convention Center, with interactive sponsor kiosks and a full three-day slate of thought-provoking speakers on tap.
Here’s what you can expect to learn:
The changing global landscape
Reshoring is the global sourcing and supply chain trend for the next decade. North America is in a prime position to capitalize on the shuffling of the globalization deck. Some of the factors that favor North America when it comes to reshuffling of globalization are geography, demographics and relatively stable governments and the home to the U.S. dollar, which remains the only viable option for a reserve currency.
Peter Zeihan, a critically acclaimed author whose first two books — “The Accidental Superpower” and “The Absent Superpower” — set the stage for his most recent release, “The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization,” joins F3 to describe what to look for when evaluating these changes in the global economy.
Demographic shifts are changing the global economy
Demographics over the next 30 years will be the key driver for the global economy. The worldwide baby boom generation is aging as birth rates in most of the world decline. Population growth will directly affect economic growth, prosperity, resource demand and labor. The global economic system will have to adapt to these demographic changes. Whether these will be small pivots for the existing free market-focused systems or complete deviation to other economic systems is the crucial question the world faces.
John Ibbitson, who co-authored “Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline,” which has been translated into nine languages and is sold around the world, will deliver this keynote.
Technology in a world shifting trade patterns
A rethinking of globalization has been on the minds of many for years. The pandemic and a rise in geopolitical risks is only an accelerator for established trends. This shift in trade patterns will create havoc when it comes to technology investments for companies needing to create more dynamic supply chains. The key questions are how to invest resources with an eye to where globalization and what trade patterns will be in five to 10 years, rather than where it is now.
Harry Broadman is a partner at the Berkeley Research Group, a global consultancy, where his practice is focused on structuring cross-border operational transactions and strategies of businesses worldwide, as well as serving as an expert witness testifying in international litigation and arbitration on cross-border commercial disputes.
The future of freight starts here
Spencer Frazier is executive vice president of sales and marketing for J.B. Hunt Transport Services. In that position, Frazier is responsible for establishing J.B. Hunt’s commercial growth strategy, which are enabled by the company’s investments in people, technology and capacity.
He leads an integrated team of sales, marketing, customer experience and international professionals focused on creating and delivering value for J.B. Hunt’s customers.
The Chinese economy and impact to global freight markets
Leland Miller is a frequent commentator on media outlets such as CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Radio, CNN, BNN, BBC and FOX Business, and he has served as a guest host of two of the financial world’s top morning news shows, CNBC Squawk Box and Bloomberg Surveillance. His work is featured regularly in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Forbes, Foreign Policy, The Hill and South China Morning Post.
Dealing with adversity
Manti Te’o rose to national prominence during his collegiate years at Notre Dame, culminating in his final season, when he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting and led the Irish to a national championship appearance. While in college, Te’o was the victim of an elaborate catfishing hoax that was recently documented in Netflix’s “UNTOLD: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist.”
He will sit down with Jonathan Hoffman, former Pentagon chief spokesman, to discuss dealing with adversity.
The new reshoring revolution
Rosemary Coates has been a management consultant for 25-plus years, helping more than 80 global supply chain clients worldwide. She is an Amazon.com best-selling author with five supply chain management books, including the “Reshoring Guidebook,” “42 Rules for Sourcing and Manufacturing in China” and the “Legal Blacksmith — How to Avoid and Defend Supply Chain Disputes.” She also serves as an expert witness on legal cases involving global supply chain disputes.
You can find out more about our agenda and how to attend here.