Maritime Power Moves And A Manifest Preview (Guest: Pam Simon, Founder of Manifest - Future of Supply Chain)

Headlines move cargo now. The FMC has reopened its probe into Spain’s reported port access denials and just raised MSC’s civil penalties to $22.6M, calling months of reefer overcharges a “practice,” not a glitch. We break down what this data‑driven era means for ocean carriers, BCOs, and anyone auditing detention and demurrage, then shift to the Pacific Northwest’s shipbuilding playbook, where serial production, robotics, and grid upgrades could reset costs and timelines—if financing and talent keep pace.

Then we sit down with Manifest founder and conference chair Pam Simon for a ground‑level look at how an end‑to‑end supply chain summit can actually move the needle. Pam shares why maritime sits at the center this year—ports from Miami to Singapore, DCSA, alliances, and BCOs on stage to tackle standards, transparency, cold chain performance, and intermodal handoffs. Expect real talk on compliance, carbon reporting, and safety rules that are becoming board‑level priorities. It’s not theory; it’s where pilots turn into contracts, demos turn into deployments, and LinkedIn connections turn into partnerships.

We also explore the looming workforce cliff and a simple idea with outsized potential: a maritime industry merit badge through Scouting America to build awareness and a talent pipeline from curiosity to credential. With leadership seats filling at the FMC and MARAD, and environmental policies tightening in the EU and beyond, coordination between policy, capital, and technology has never mattered more.

Heading to Vegas? Treat Manifest like a business development sprint: set targets, book meetings in the app, show up early to sessions, and get hands‑on with the tech. Not attending? Follow the headlines—deals and announcements from the floor will shape procurement, network design, and emissions strategies across 2026. If this conversation helped you see the moving pieces more clearly, subscribe, share with a colleague who lives in spreadsheets and vessel schedules, and leave a review so others can find the show.

Chapters

• 0:00 New Season Kickoff & Big Guest Tease
• 3:40 Sponsor Note & Show Credibility Highlights
• 6:55 FMC Reopens Spain Port Access Probe
• 10:40 MSC Penalties Expanded To $22.6 Million
• 16:10 Data, Practice Standards & Compliance Signals
• 18:56 Shipbuilding Playbook And Workforce Realities
• 23:20 Merit Badge To Build Maritime Talent
• 26:20 Leadership Updates At FMC And MARAD
• 28:40 Interview: Manifest’s Origin And Vision
• 36:20 Building Cross‑Ecosystem Content That Matters
• 41:30 Maritime Front And Center At Manifest
• 46:40 Cold Chain Focus And New Stages
• 50:20 Community, Deals, And Real Outcomes
• 55:40 How To Prep And Win At Manifest

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

You're listening to By Land and By Sea, powered by the Maritime Professor. We're back. This is our first episode of 2026, and I am so excited to get back in the swing of things. We have a special interview today. Pam Simon, the founder and conference chair of Manifest Food Trip Supply Chain. This is a conference of over 6,000. Gosh, I've even heard of maybe over 7,000 global executives discussing the coolest, and I'm telling you, the coolest future leaning topics in supply chain and logistics. It is easily the largest event I'm attending this year. But before I talk about that interview, we have some things to catch up on. The FMC has been busy. They install the new commissioner. They're asking questions about Spain again. They are, there's some follow-up questions regarding unreasonable practices, potentially, and a monetary increase in a notable case against an ocean carrier from last year that just got released this week. And we're going to talk about shipbuilding and maritime workforce. We are covering so much. Stick around, we have a lot to get into. Hi, welcome back to Byland and by Sea, an attorney breaking down the weekend supply chain, presented by the Maritime Professor. Me, I'm Lauren Beegan, founder of the Maritime Professor, former FMC International Affairs Attorney, and founder of Squall Strategies. By Land and By Sea is your go-to resource for navigating the regulatory side of global ocean shipping. As always, this podcast or this video is for educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. There is no attorney client privilege created by this podcast or this video. If you need an attorney, contact an attorney. So before we get into the news, I do want to talk about the companies that make this show possible. By Land and By C reaches a highly targeted audience of logistics leaders, regulators, and shipping professionals, as you know. You're of those, including thousands of global listeners who tune in to stay ahead of the curve. Byland and by C has become the essential briefing for thousands of these local listeners, from the regulatory halls of DC to the shipping hubs of Singapore and London, some of our biggest cities, actually. We take pride in being the home for some of the most insightful conversations that you simply can't find anywhere else. We kicked off this fifth season with an incredible opportunity. Earlier this fall, we interviewed Sang Yi. I was so honored to host him for his very first podcast interview in his then role as acting maritime administrator. And then in December, if you stuck around, I was truly humbled to help share the story of retiring Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero in his farewell podcast interview, reflecting on his historic career both at the port, but also at his time at the FMC, notably as chairman. Then last year I was so grateful to interview the longest serving FMC Commissioner and to still be the only podcast host to ever interview FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye. What a wonderful conversation that was. My point is from first to mic moments with top administrators to the final career reflections of port icons, this show is where the biggest names in Maritime come to speak. If your organization is looking to be more visible to industry this year and potentially reach some of the largest decision makers worldwide, we're currently opening just a few more strategic partners for the rest of our fifth season. Visit the MaritimeProfessor.com and click on partner with us or email us at infothemaritimeprofessor.com if you're interested. We look forward to welcoming just a few more partners to join us for the rest of season five. Now let's get into the news and then the interview with Pam Simon. So as we get kicked off here, we're of course going to start with the FMC. Now the FMC, the Federal Maritime Commission, is continuing its investigation into the government of Spain and potential restrictive port practices. You'll remember this happened about a year and a half ago, I think it was August, that Spain reportedly was denying, well, that's not when it happened, that's when the FMC was looking into it. That Spain, they were looking into that Spain was reportedly denying port access to U.S. flag vessels, specifically MSP vessels carrying cargo potentially connected to Israel. Now, what does this mean? The FMC has just intensified this probe, reopening it for more comments. They're seeking more information from the industry, and this comment period is closing February 20th. So you have just over a month to get some comments in. Now, one thing that I've noticed is that it seems like they want more comments on what exactly is going on here and not just geopolitics perspective. So they want to really know, right? The FMC is the competition authority for global ocean shipping and the fair and efficient movement of goods as the U.S. federal agency, independent regulatory agency here. Now, this is a return to this yesteryear authority that is the Foreign Shipping Practices Act. It's it yesteryear, but it still is the authority of the FMC. And the FMC, under that authority, can review unfavorable shipping conditions and take corrective actions. We've talked about this many, many times before. You'll know we will probably be talking about the maritime choke points investigation again. That is still ongoing. The comment period has well since closed up on that, but I'm hopeful that we can get some more information about the comment period, about what came in during the maritime choke points. But here we are going through the list. Spain was kind of the first one of the series of few Foreign Shipping Practices Act reviews that the FMC was undertaking. So just know it's back open. They are looking at it again. If you have thoughts or if you have direct experience with Spain and potentially, potentially unfavorable or maybe even favorable shipping conditions, the FMC wants to hear from you. All right. Second thing that we I want to get to before the interview, the big news this week is the well, not this week, this month is the FMC's January 6th. Uh nope, excuse me. I'm gonna just start over here. The big news, the FMC has significantly increased the total civil penalty for MSC's case up to 2.2 to$22.6 million. Previously it was$16 million, and now it is jumping up to$22.6 million. This is a massive jump from initially recommended decision last year by the ALJ. So how did it exactly expand? Why is this civil penalty coming in now? So the commission added a new$13.1 million penalty specifically for overcharging detention demurge on non-operating reefers. Now I'm going into a few kind of specifics here and there. I'm not going to get into the whole case today, but I did want to bring this to your attention. It goes back to MSCs allegedly charging operating reefers versus non-operating reefers. Well, the ALJ had previously ruled that 2,629 overcharges were just errors caused by a software glitch. But the commission, when they reviewed this, when it was filed for exceptions, meaning it was it was reviewed on appeal, the commission disagreed with the ALJ. And this is the important part. They ruled that those overcharges happening, thousands of overcharges occurring for well over eight months. And the decision actually noted, quote, an average of about 10 overcharges per day every day for more than 250 consecutive days. If that kind of gives you a little bit of a perception of how often this was happening, the FMC said, look, that was too frequent to be called a mistake. And they said in their eyes, it was an unlawful practice. And that's what they were deciding on practice or single isolated incident. So under the Shipping Act, they said that that was too frequent to be considered anything other than a practice, and it certainly wasn't an isolated or certain single incident. You know, so even with this$13 million addition, the case is super interesting. They did recalibrate, they reduced portion of the penalty, though, related to tariff publication failures by over$6 million because they actually found insufficient evidence reversing the ALJ's decision, saying that those violations were not knowing and willful. The ALJ said that they thought they were. The FMC said nope, the evidence just doesn't support that. So what does this mean overall? Look, it tells us that the FMC is starting to really look into the data specifically. And they have been for a while. But look, if a mistake, here's what I see, if a mistake happens often enough, they're saying it becomes an unreasonable practice. And that if it happens often enough, now we don't have a threshold here, it doesn't seem, but if at least it happens, what did they say, 10 times every day for more than 250 consecutive days, they're calling that a practice. And so now they're going to be looking at, I think, a little bit more precision and data-driven commission reviews. So the willfulness they corrected. The practice versus single incident is something that we got to keep watching here because I think this is something they've been chewing on for quite a while. But now we get just another parameter on there looking at the issue. All right, segment number three, story number three that we're going to cover. The Pacific Northwest has a deep maritime heritage, and they are presenting a new playbook, shipbuilding playbook. Look, a new economic impact study from the Washington Maritime Federation proves that it's a massive modern economic engine. The economic powerhouse, the report reveals that Washington's maritime sector alone, Washington state, supports 174,300 jobs and generates$45.9 billion in revenue. The average maritime salary in the state is$112,000. They said that's nearly$40,000 higher than the state's average. Now, one of the things that this report highlights is that MARAD's small shipyard grants just don't quite match the need. They said in the most recent round, Mayrad awarded about$8.75 million nationwide, and shipyards are being asked to pivot to green energy and to AI, and perhaps the green energy is not quite in the current regime, but federal support is at its lowest level since 2016. In 2024, Mayrad received nearly$50 million in requests for that same$8 million pot. And we also have what the report calls a silver tsunami. So it's a really interesting report. I think that you should go check it out. And what I mean by silver tsunami is that we are pro we are looking at nearly 27% of the regional workforce being age 55 or over. And they highlighted that we're not just going to be losing workers, we're going to be losing that institutional knowledge, decades of specialized expertise that walks out the door every time somebody retires. So they highlighted five major things, five critical blockers that are kind of stifling the growth of shipyards and shipbuilding in the Pacific Northwest. So that's Washington State and Oregon State. They talked about standards standardization, saying we have to move away from expensive one-off custom builds and move toward a more serial production. They talked about the workforce. They talked about advanced manufacturing, integrating and adapting and incorporating elements that can help support the industry and speed it up on robotics and 3D printing to augment a shrinking workforce, financing, finding large-scale private public partnerships to bridge those capital gaps. This is a very expensive industry. And electricity, upgrading grid capacity to support shore power and electric propulsion when it is being required in some of these vessel builds. Ultimately, one of the major keys that I took out of this is the serial production. By building ships in a series, yards can achieve economies of skill and scale. Lower the cost by 30% and create a predictable schedule that can attract some of the next generation of workers. There is such a boom and bust in shipbuilding. You have a vessel, you're building it, it's done. You wait, you wait for another vessel, you wait for another order. We see the same thing in repair yards. The next story I want to move into, great, great report. I want you to go check out this report. It just dropped out of, like I said, Washington State and Oregon. The next story I want to move into is a maritime industry merit badge. Look, because of that workforce crisis that we just discussed, we aren't just looking at a local issue. We are looking at a national emergency here. The U.S. does face a critical shortage of credentialed merchant mariners with a gap of 1,800 qualified officers already identified. I think I've seen larger numbers than that. This threatens our commerce, our energy supply chains, and our national security sea lift capacity. I mean, if you listen to this show, you already know that. And the problem is awareness. One of the problems is awareness among youth is so low. I've talked about this before. We go from boats are so cool when you're young, right? When you are young, boats are part of the cool thing. Somewhere along the way, you just forget about the boats. Maybe you kind of like to go fishing, maybe you think about fishing and recreation, but you don't quite think about it as an industry or as a profession. And so here's the thing: a coalition is pushing Scouting America to adopt a formal maritime industry merit badge. It's going to be modeled after badges like aviation and railroading. And this would be a career badge, not just a hobby. It would introduce scouts to seamanship, navigation, shipbuilding, ports, logistics, and environmental stewardship. And it would highlight the service mission of the U.S. Merchant Marine to build a pipeline from scouting to our academies and the workforce. Why scouting? Well, they reach a million plus youth annually. This initiative, led by people at everywhere, but Kings Point especially is a high impact, low-cost way to address a national crisis. If you want to learn more about it, go to maritimebadge.org. I just learned about it this week. I think that this is such a fantastic initiative. Moving to the next story, look, we are in the leadership lineup. Maritime Policy is finally starting to get fully staffed. On January 6th, Lord Bella was officially sworn in as the newest FMC commissioner. And around the same time, Steve Carmel, he has officially taken over as the maritime administrator at the Maritime Administration. That's fantastic. We needed, we still have one more role open at the FMC, though. But we needed ahead of mayor ed, and now we have it. Sang Yi has done a fantastic job as the acting maritime administrator, but officially his title is the deputy maritime administrator. We've been waiting on Steve Carmel to be installed in that role. He's in all hands on deck. Let's get going. And Laura DeBella moving in as the commissioner over at the FMC. I am so encouraged by that. But we still need one more. Bob Harvey is still waiting and still moving forward. So I think what happens with the new year, forgive me, I don't fully understand how all of this works, but I think what happens in the new year is that in the new year you have to be officially renominated. That happened this week. Bob Harvey was officially renominated by the White House on January 13th. You can go check out on the White House website. There's an actual whole full list of a whole bunch of nominees. Hopefully, I'm hopeful. Let's get Bob in there. Once confirmed, Bob will give the full FMC, the full five-member bench. And this will be the first time in 13 months, I think that is. So we can have five commissioners installed over at the FMC. We can be fully staffed up over at Mayor Ed, and we can finally get to work. Look, all of these regulatory and leadership shifts, leadership shifts are exactly what the industry is gathering to solve. And that brings me to my guest and my interview. Pam Simon is the conference chair and founder of Manifest Future of Supply Chain. As I said at the outset, the premier event for supply chain, logistics, and future leaning tech ecosystems. Please enjoy my interview with Pam Simon. Today I'm joined by Pam Simon. Pam Simon is the founder of Manifest Future of Supply Chain, one of the leading global events focused on the future of supply chains, logistics, global trade, so many things. Through Manifest, Pam has built a platform that brings together leaders across ocean shipping, but also trucking, rail, warehousing, technology, capital policy, the largest BCOs out there to address how supply chains actually function as an interconnected system. With a background in building ecosystems and communities, Pam launched Manifest to break down those traditional silos, create space for meaningful cross-ecosystem conversations. And under her leadership, Manifest has become known for its incredibly content-packed agendas, senior, the most senior decision-making audience, and emphasis on real-world challenges shaping global commerce. Pam is widely recognized for her ability to convene diverse stakeholders and elevate discussions around supply chain resilience, innovation, and the growing role of policy, geopolitics, and infrastructure and how goods move around the world. I'm so excited to bring you this conversation today. Pam, thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you for having me. Excited to be here. Yeah, this is so fun. And you know, I think that this is such a wonderful way for my maritime listeners to learn a little bit more about Manifest and what goes into it. But before we get into Manifest, I always like to do this on my show. I want to learn a little bit more about you. You started this incredibly successful show at conference summit. Over 6,000 people attend. When you told me that, that was wild. But I want to learn a little bit more about you. Where are you from? What did your early career look like? What experiences still kind of shape how you think about leadership and decision making? And look, we're I love that we have mutual Rhode Island connections. So I feel like I actually already knew you before we met.

SPEAKER_01: 18:06

I know, yeah. I grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. So if you know anyone else from Rhode Island, we're pretty big go-getters to get across the board. I went to university, where I met 13, Is still the largest network of investors and technology CEOs across Latin America. I've done some angel investing and then joined Lab Ventures as a partner. It's a fund here out of Miami. And the areas that we were focusing on were the areas that dominate business in Florida. So travel, real estate, logistics. I know my method of bringing an ecosystem together and the importance of all the different pieces of the puzzle to be able to talk to one each other. So had launched a series of events. Manifest obviously was the bursting star of success. And it's it, as I mean, we've discussed, I started at probably the lowest point in my life when I just had back surgery post-giving birth. So it was a pure insanity, and every year of Manifest has been even wilder since. But fortunately, I sold to I sold Future of Logistics Tech to Connective December 1st, 2019. So two months before the world ended, I sold three live shows. We launched Manifest in the middle of the Omnicron wave. We were the first show, no masks, testing on site. It was it was wild, but it's I think every year we face different challenges and it's just made the event even better. And and I feel like I've been using or I've been creating ecosystems before ecosystem really became a thing.

SPEAKER_00: 21:34

So that is so cool. And what a wild like maneuvering of where you ended up here. But you know what? I I obviously kept hearing lots of startups, lots of entrepreneurial spirit, lots of founder-based focus, which is so fantastic to be leading. I mean, kind of your personality to be leading this future of supply chain is wonderful because, you know, that's that's what we need is like innovation, right? We don't just need the same thing spruced up a bit, and maybe we do a little bit, but we really need some of that new novel idea. You know, one thing on the maritime side of things I keep saying is we have we have these giant vessels that are great, fantastic F-150s, but we need a cyber trust. We need something to break the mold, and it's just so weird. And I love that you've created the space to be facilitative of that. And it it makes sense now because not only do you go on founder and entrepreneurial spirits, but I mean you learn Portuguese. Like you you take these struggles or you take these challenges, and you're like, all right, let's get to the next stage.

SPEAKER_01: 22:37

Yeah, I mean, the only way out is through, right?

SPEAKER_00: 22:41

That's right. That's so true. Well so then you started seeing kind of the the the spectrum of of all of the different conferences that are out there. And at what point did you realize that you actually wanted to build something of your own? You built a few things of your own up leading up to manifest. But what gave you that kind of confidence to take that leap and and why did it kind of go into the manifest world?

SPEAKER_01: 23:07

Good question. I don't think I it was ever intentional that I was starting something new. It was more, I just couldn't comprehend from, you know, as we were looking at supply chain and kind of figuring out the type of businesses that we were going to invest in or even company build, it didn't make sense to me that if you're a chief supply chain officer, you there's nothing, there's no events that give you full visibility across the board, right? Like you have to go to an air show or a freight show or warehousing and material handling or ocean and air. So I for me, it was like if I'm a supply chain officer and you know, there's a number of those that I'm now friendly with, how can I make their lives easier? How can I bring all of those pieces together in one place so they don't have to be hopping around, you know, all over the place just to get discombobulated answers and then have to go back and figure out how to piece these things together. So I knew I was already doing the the hardest part of building in the demand and shaping the narrative and connecting the decision makers, but it's as you said, it was in someone else's container, so to speak. Uh so pre-manifest, I mean, so there was a need in the up in the sorry uh there was clearly a need for one unified place for investors, suppliers, technology, and all of the different pieces of supply chain to be able to see and talk to each other in a productive way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 24:42

Well, and I think that you've exactly done that. I mean, I've been looking at the agenda. So I am a first timer this year, and I'm so excited, mostly because I I think I've told you this in the past. I was busy having a lot of babies, and so now I'm no longer pregnant or with a newborn anymore. So I'm finally able to go to Vegas. But you know, I've been looking at the agenda and I love the content of the agenda. It's not just and and no, no trying to disparage any other conferences, but some conferences are kind of the entire thing is paid for panels. I feel like your panels, while there may or may not be a few sponsored here and there, it doesn't drive the conversation. Your conversations, your topics that are on your agendas are actual conversations that people either want to hear or are actually trying to solve those problems currently. And I feel like it may, it just means that you understand the industry to be able to go there. And so recognizing the industry enough to know, well, there's an intermodal here and there's a surface trucking over there, and there's rail and there's commodity-based import-export, but they're not talking to the ocean, you know, all of these different things. I love that you've pulled it all together and the agenda reflects that.

SPEAKER_01: 25:49

Thank you. Thank you. It's it's fun to build. And I think, you know, we we have a very unique approach. I've always been very people-first, people-centric. So we really do build around people. And when we create these content sessions on stage, it is a collaborative effort amongst thought leaders for how things will unfold on stage. And we want people to walk away with actionable insights that they can take back to their business, start applying right away, or at least have that foresight to start planning for the next six months, year, what's to come, and be prepared for those issues.

SPEAKER_00: 26:25

Well, and and when you say leaders, I mean, you don't just say that uh casually. You have the leaders. You have the CEOs, or if it's not the CEOs, it's a giant company and you have their chief supply chain officer. I mean, you have the largest names that you may or may not have ever heard of, but you see their title and you're like, yeah, that's one of the largest companies, or that's one of the largest names. It's incredible.

SPEAKER_01: 26:50

Thank you. And and on the on the maritime side of things, I gotta tell you, I'm very excited. I have executives from the port of Miami, New Orleans, Long Beach, Valencia, Singapore. We have MOL lines, INEO lines, even more. And I'm even more excited because I just got off the phone or I had our prep call with one of the panels that's called Port Port from Port to Porch, discussing data transparency and standardization with DCSA and AAPA and Northwest Seaport Alliance and Maritime Street. And I'm I'm even more excited to for the audience and for everybody to experience, you know, what's going to come out during these conversations and how it will positively impact their businesses.

SPEAKER_00: 27:38

That's fantastic. And how I mean, even just saying some of those names, I mean, Digital Container Shipping Association, DCSA is one of the preeminent groups and really the leader in global ocean shipping standards. So just knowing that they're on stage, that's that's fantastic. And, you know, that's what my listeners kind of want to hear too. I have some surface transportation, I have some wonderful truckers that follow me on Twitter, and that's kind of why I created the Maritime Professor to help translate some of the maritime side of things. But there's a lot of maritime people following me too. And it's that's I think sometimes when maritime people see a supply chain conference, they don't necessarily automatically assume it's for them too, right? We we've often in even some of the transportation modes, maritime gets forgotten. Not this year, this is the year of maritime, but I I love the agenda reflects that. I know you're not wrong.

SPEAKER_01: 28:25

I don't know why, I don't know why that is, but obviously it's it's a foundational part of manifest, and it's not just in each vertical, which is why it gets its own dedicated symposium, manifest. I mean, maritime shipping moves more than 80% of global trade. So when the sea moves, the world's inventory strategy, freight pricing, network design, and even geopolitical alignments move with it. And that's the definition of the ecosystem impact. Especially, I would say, you know, in 2026, with several new maritime safety reporting and environmental regulations that are going to come into force change of how the entire supply chain is going to think about risk and supply and rely and compliance. It gives there's an even bigger light because I think people are realizing how important it is, but also how it will affect other areas of their business. So I'm excited with from the maritime side, we're coming, we're covering a lot of different angles, which will be fun.

SPEAKER_00: 29:30

And and you have a focus on cold chain too, which I think is really important, something that has been kind of a in-motion developing side of the maritime side of things. We we have a lot of focus on cold chain and and reefer and frozen movement of goods. And so having that as one of your your tracks, right, or one of your one of your lines is is fantastic because it's not just one conversation, it's multiple. And and this is future thinking in supply chain. So what does cold chain look like now, but also what does it and what will it look like?

SPEAKER_01: 30:01

And that's so it's great that that that that struck a chord because this or this year, 2025, we did our first cold chain symposium. You know, I'm I'm talking to people across the industry. Obviously, this is something that I've been tracking for some time. And we did our first cold chain symposium at last year's show, and the feedback was across the board, right? Like there's a lot more areas of that we need to be looking at and that should be incorporated into these conversations. So for this year's manifest, very excited that that yes, the cold chain symposium will be back. In addition, there will be a cold pavilion and dedicated cold chain stage. So there's three full days of content dedicated to the movement of cold. Uh and again, shout out to Lineage and High Tech for championing us in this.

SPEAKER_00: 30:51

That's fantastic. And and wonderful too, because cold storage, cold movement, kind of the reefer, frozen, fresh world is so tricky in itself. There's so many nuances to it. And so being able to have these conversations with, you know, partners and friends across the industry and the and the different components of the supply chain, right? Going back to what Manifest is really trying to get to is, you know, everybody's not working in a vacuum here. We really are working with each other. It's an ecosystem, uh, as many people often call the supply chain. It's a supply ecosystem. And and having a venue and a forum for those conversations to happen, where are those sticking points? This is a I I love it. I love that you're identifying these problem areas or areas that could use more conversation, bringing them to the forefront and saying, here's a starting point, here's a panel, and then go chat in the hallways.

SPEAKER_01: 31:43

Yes. Everything we do, we really encourage people to continue the conversation post-show. And it really is about listening to the industry and understanding, you know, what are the needs and reacting and expecting that will come up. So, what also is new at this year's show is our procurement and sourcing symposium. These are areas that have come up in a lot more of our conversations, especially with near shoring and reshoring and tariffs, and really, you know, for companies to start realizing and incorporating procurement, thinking about it not just as a cost, but also as a way that it can offset and create more efficiency within the whole organization.

SPEAKER_00: 32:26

That's that's so great. I mean, like I said, you're identifying these areas that are problematic from geopolitics, from operational, from kind of just overall logistics, and and and kind of sometimes naming it can be step one, and then moving into creating the ecosystem for it to see all of this, the things that you were good at before, you've brought over into the manifest. This is it's good. It it makes it so that it's intentional and not just accidental.

SPEAKER_01: 32:54

Yeah, I mean, it's it's fun. I have a really good time connecting people and then like seeing where those connections take place and how it's had real world impact. So, and from business for businesses, for people, for their companies, and for the planet, which is what makes it exciting. There actually is tangible evidence.

SPEAKER_00: 33:12

Well, and it's probably a few months after the conference when all of a sudden you're like, hmm, there's a partnership between this company and that company. That probably came from Manifest.

SPEAKER_01: 33:23

Well, God, so much business gets done at the show.

SPEAKER_00: 33:25

Well, and that was going to be one of my questions. So, you know, what do attendees most often tell you they walk away with beyond just the sessions and the strategy and the networking? And how does that translate into real business and strategic outcomes? And I do want to say one of the biggest things that I've kind of known Manifest to be marquee in is you have a puppy station in your expo hall. It's definitely known for that, but I'm sure there's real things that people walk away with as well.

SPEAKER_01: 33:52

Yes. I mean, from the experience side, we've we've really designed and created a ton of unique ways that you're able to build and strengthen your relationships with each other. So, yes, the puppies, there's Rose All Day or a Mocktail Lounge. We have a new tea lounge and lots of different little fun ways to connect. I've had people tell me that they met in line at the bathroom and are now doing business together. So there's all different places that people can connect. I would say that people at least come to me that they walk away with real relationships that continue way beyond manifest. Like it's not just a one-off networking, it's about entering a community where the conversations turn into collaborations and trust compounds over time. So everything we design is really for the conversations to start at manifest and then continue and have an impact after. Three things, if I had to like name three, I would say access, you know, people are able to meet the company, the person, the investor, the partner, whomever that they've been trying to get a hold of and want that FaceTime with, as well as those that they just need that face-to-face time. It's hard to get all of your partners, customers, vendors, suppliers, investors, you know, together in one place. So even just to have that like touch point of reconnecting or discussing how's that pilot going is really a huge impact. Acceleration, leaving with actionable steps and next steps that they can bring back to their business, not just ideas. And also when it comes to acceleration, it also includes partnering in new technology, which leads to the third big thing, which I would say is new business, new investments, strategic partnerships, signed agreements, connections that really have like a just a bigger impact on the ecosystem and the industry than I can even calculate. But it's it's really been amazing to see. And there's tons of examples, right? So if you have a chance, check out the VAST, our video library. I will do interviews with investors and companies that have connected and you know turned into huge investment rounds because of those meetings at Manifest or partnerships. I've really had the privilege to interview a lot of folks that, you know, these connections at Manifest have led to transformational growth. I'll give Mike Z a shout out because CODIF, which is a supply chain and AI startup company, was on a panel years ago with Dollar Shave Club and Billion Dollar Baby. And now they are full customers, full integration, and going bigger, and even more clients that are coming on board that they met at Manifest. There's also a lot of announcements that are going to be made about companies that and investors that met companies at Manifest at last year's show that are going to be breaking news and sharing things at the show, but I don't want to spoil anything for anybody.

SPEAKER_00: 36:53

Well, that's exciting. That's cool. No, no, no hot takes here, no, no scoops here. Yeah. Well, not my news to tell. That's right. That's right. I appreciate that. You know, it's it is wild. And and I keep hearing from all avenues of my LinkedIn, anyways, of people just mentioning that they're going to manifest this year. I mean, I have, I call them special LinkedIn friends, where like I feel like they are close friends that I've actually never met in person. And I am, I can't even tell you, ecstatic that the people that I wouldn't have even expected, like the different corners of my world will be there all in one. And that's including the maritime side. I, you know, like I said, I kind of approach it the same way of like, you know, I don't know if maritime people always go to supply chain. There are a lot of maritime people that go to this supply chain because there's a space carved out for them, but then also that they can connect with their surface transportation folks, their their trucking people, they're, you know, just all aspects. It's incredible.

SPEAKER_01: 37:56

It feels honestly, it feels like your your LinkedIn comes alive, even for myself. Like there are people that I see where I'm like, oh my God, like I want to go over and like give them a hug because I know them and then have to like check myself and be like, wow, you just follow their LinkedIn closely.

SPEAKER_00: 38:10

Like that's so true. That's so true. We had a, you know, kind of like supply chain personalities. We just happened to all be at a conference a few years ago. And I was like, what are the chances? But the chances are good at at manifest that it will all happen again. And telling you, I I have made so many dinner plans, more dinner than I can eat, of plans of meeting up with people, of LinkedIn friends that we keep talking about that that are gonna be there. But you know, beyond that, we've also talked about some of the largest companies. What are some of these largest companies that do attend that people that maybe they don't have access, but they might bump into at the Rose All Day area? I mean, just to name a few names, right? I'm asking you to, yep.

SPEAKER_01: 38:54

I would say, you know, Pepsi, Unilever, Kimberly Clark, L'Oreal, Revolve, Fab Fit Fun, Glossier, Parts Town. Like there's there's so many, there's so many good, like honestly, there's so many good companies that are gonna be at the show. It's pretty wild. Like there's tons of different ingredient companies, different home companies, whether in a way for for you know, luggage, butcher box, church and dwight, doctor squash, fasteners, Ford, Volvo, Toyota, Pfizer, Sun Pacific, Harry's, um, Honda, iFit, Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, you know, Ambev, and New Balance, and Dicks, and Nike, and Nordstrom, Patagonia, Phillips, you know, we can go on and on. Yeah. Yeah. My niece loves that one. She's like, Can you get me samples? I was like, I'll see. I don't think they're walking around, I don't, I don't think she's walking around with samples. But I'll happily to ask. You know, Clorox, American Eagle Outfitters, U-line, Mars, you know, there's it's just there's Tyson's, like there's just so many amazing companies. And fortunately, like companies have learned the benefit of divide and conquer, right? Manifest covers is the only show that's end-to-end. So more companies like the names that I've been listing will actually bring their full teams to be able to divide and conquer. So people go to different content sessions, people take different meetings. There are some people that just walk the hall and want to talk to everybody and every technology that there is. And then there's others that are meeting with investors. So we I really try to make it so it's very easy to connect and find people. The app went live yesterday. Um for those of you that are confused or haven't found it in your email. Please check your spam instead of asking me because I'm not in charge of that part, but or email support. But if anything, it would have gone to your spam. The app is live. Download it, start connecting, be specific about what you're looking for because then you'll be able to easily, more easily connect with the companies, technology investors that are the right fit for you. So fill in your information and start connecting with people. I love that you already have dinners planned. That's fantastic. I'm more of a I go to as many happy hours and events that I'm physically able to get to. So I end up eating an appetizer everywhere I go, and eventually that's a meal.

SPEAKER_00: 41:45

The adrenaline takes over. The adrenaline just keeps going. You're in charge here. So the adrenaline, I sure fat and coffee.

SPEAKER_01: 41:54

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 41:55

Yeah. Well, so so that's a good question then. So for a newbie like me coming into Manifest, in general, I like to kind of have a few structural things set up, meetings, whatever. But I also kind of like to keep an open playbook or an open dance card. How best can you approach Manifest? Is kind of the hybrid the way to go? Do people schedule everything well in advance, or is it more you kind of let things happen as you go? I'd say it's a mix.

SPEAKER_01: 42:21

Um, if there manifest is an event that you want to plan for, right? It's not an event like for those people that just show up and expect everything to just work out, you're overestimating the size of this industry. It's definitely worth planning ahead. So if you're a startup, you know, have an idea of which companies that you want to get in front of. Reach out to them on the app in advance and try to schedule some meetings. Talk to your investors and ask them for introductions, ask them what events or activities that they're going to because they're gonna help you. They want to help you succeed. So it's really about talking to your network and kind of collaborating with who you know is gonna be there first, as well as you know, your partners or your customers or clients. As I said, if you have customers and clients that are spread out all over the world, it's not easy to get everybody in one place, but that's what Manifest does. So there's lots of companies that will end up hosting board meetings or offsites or like CEO workshops with their portfolio, because it's the only time that you can really corral, you know, people that have very demanding, very busy schedules all in one spot. So, so plan in advance, look through of like the specific who you want to meet. I would have your your pitch or your three whys down. You know, why are we talking? Why are you here? And, you know, or the what, what can we do together? And why can I help? Why am I the one that can help solve your problems? So the more prepared you can be, the better. But obviously leave it open. That's why we've created so many unique ways that you're able to bump into each other and spark those conversations. I'd always also say, don't be shy. Like this is an environment where everyone is going to be as jazzed as you are to be talking supply chain or maritime or risk and sustainability. So ask the questions that you want to ask and start those conversations because it's not every day that you get that wide open opportunity. And you'd be surprised how open and excited people are to talk about these issues and actually like get into it with you.

SPEAKER_00: 44:38

Yeah, I can't wait to nerd out. Uh like I this will undoubtedly be my supply chain nerd camp. It's gonna be so great.

SPEAKER_01: 44:47

It really is. Honestly, like it's it's it's the building of it, is obviously like a lot of work and tiring, but like one year, I have the best time. I learn, nope, because I'm I'm a curious person. Like I learn so much from sessions. I get to ask people questions that I maybe wouldn't normally get to ask. I get to test out different technology and like play with robots or drones or like walk through cars. I mean, I I find it to be really exciting.

SPEAKER_00: 45:19

So the tech side. Yeah, well, and that's that's a good that's a good thought. So the tech side in the actual expo hall, then you probably do have kind of like testable pieces. It's like a it's a feel and and hands-on kind of approach.

SPEAKER_01: 45:34

Yes, yes. All I mean, all the different robotics, drones, trucks, software platforms, IoT related products, future of work and labor-related, you know, wearables, et cetera. Everything is there. So you can see, touch, feel, interact. And I think one of the unique parts about manifest is that you know, the founders are there, the executives are there. So you are asking directly the person who's built it or in charge of it. And that actually has turned into a lot of really unique opportunities when it comes to, you know, some white labeling or even expansion or investments.

SPEAKER_00: 46:13

So yeah, that's that's so great. And and I think that that's you know, when you can actually go and and try it out or see it in person versus just a poster board, right? And some conferences have just a poster board, but I'm almost thinking, right, Vegas, like CES is kind of supply chain CES is your is potentially your expo hall.

SPEAKER_01: 46:31

It it kind of it basically is. And then I would say, you know, when it comes to content, we cover the gamut. So there really is something for for everybody. So I would say look through the agenda and at least block off the sex the sessions that you're really interested in. I always tell people go to those sessions 10 minutes early and talk to the people in the room because those people are also interested in the same thing and have the same kind of questions or challenges that you're going through, right? So that can spark new relationships that can turn into new opportunities. And then, yeah, don't be shy, ask questions, approach speakers after, like they're ready, they want to talk to you. They're, you know, that's there's just so many exciting things all in one place.

SPEAKER_00: 47:17

That's such great advice, too, because you know, kind of you you find yourself going to different panels and conferences or panels in and different rooms, and and the people that are there, that's such a good perspective of the people that are in that room are still at least casually, if not more, interested in the same topic. That that's probably the network that you want to be targeting in your networking.

SPEAKER_01: 47:39

Yes, exactly. And then, you know, as far as news, we've had hundreds of companies break news on site, on stage. There is press manifest. I mean, Bloomberg sent an entire camera crew that turned into part of a documentary from last year's show. So if there you have news that you're going to announce, every podcaster, every news outlet, every like anyone that covers this space is there. So I would take advantage of that. And if you can, you know, coordinate interviews in advance, that'll also make your life a little bit easier.

SPEAKER_00: 48:18

Yeah, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_01: 48:19

And comfortable shoes, as as we said, because this is five over 500,000 square feet of automation, robotics, technology, and then just playful exploration. Comfortable shoes. Yeah. Do yourself a solid lead. Any do not, I don't, I hope I don't see any heels. Um I've debated bringing flip-flops like to to hand out to some people if they show up in heels just to be like, I'm sorry here.

SPEAKER_00: 48:48

Well, sounds like we need a shoe vendor. You have you have plenty of shoe companies. No, I should have manifest branded. That's right. We could have flip-flops and shoes. That's right. Well, some of the companies you rattled off, those were shoe companies. Like now I'm like, oh, Javiana's Nike. Maybe, right? With a little manifest logo on it.

SPEAKER_01: 49:09

Yeah, I have a swag store. Maybe we should add shoes to that. All right, there it is.

SPEAKER_00: 49:13

Yeah. Well, so like I said, my audience tends to be maritime. It sounds like you have a fantastic presence of maritime. Can you speak to some of these maritime areas that we will be hearing from? You you had mentioned a few of the ports that are going to be there. I know that Gene Siroca has been there in the past, which is an incredibly huge name in maritime port space, obviously, the the port director of LA. But you have quite a few ports that are going to be there and just maritime interest. So, you know, the cold chain, the the ports, the ocean shipping.

SPEAKER_01: 49:44

Real-time use cases. I'm really encouraging people to share, you know, stories of who they're working with that's that's doing it the right way. And also share the stories of like, this is not how you should be doing things. Like learn from these mistakes, you know, charting new innovative pathways and like how to build the ecosystem as well as the intermodal connectivity. I would say, you know, Maritime's entering a new era where compliance, security, and carbon reporting are becoming board-level topics, which is, you know, shines an even bigger light on things. I think even just the January 1st, you know, addition of IMO rule, right? Changes kick in, and that includes requirements on reporting lost containers, among a bunch of other amendments. I think, you know, Europe is definitely leading the charge when it comes to shipping decarbonization policies. Uh, those keep tightening. And I think that those will have a trickle effect across all of the different ports in the US and Latam. We do have representation. So I will tell you, we I mean, there are executives from I would say every port across Latin America that will be there, as well as many of the ports in Europe and a lot of ports across the US. Not everyone's speaking, but they will all be there.

SPEAKER_00: 51:02

That's wonderful. I mean, like you said, even just being in the room. I mean, that's the beauty of a well-attended conference, is it's almost a cherry on top that you have fantastic programming in your agenda, but having 6,000 people in the room or more, right? Or more. Yes. Is I mean, you're inevitably going to find enough people to make the whole thing worth it.

SPEAKER_01: 51:24

And honestly, don't treat it like a conference. Like treat it like a business development sprint live action sport. Like, you know, come in prepared and and be strategic about this. Like this, this, this can open up a lot of exciting things for your businesses in the future.

SPEAKER_00: 51:44

Well, that's incredible. Well, well, thank you so much for the conversation. Before we we close up, is there anything else that you want to kind of share about manifest or anything else that that maybe we've missed today? I'm I'm so excited to go. I I think that this is I like we're in the countdown. I know that actually, you know, for a little plug here, I know that prices do go up in a week. So we are coming in right after right before price increase. But otherwise, is there anything about manifest that you want to mention or or pitch?

SPEAKER_01: 52:14

I would say, you know, come prepared, have your top target connections that you're you're looking to meet and be focused on it, your strategic priorities and book your calendar with with some things in advance so it's not as overwhelming. If you can bring additional team members with you, I strongly recommend being able to divide and conquer. Then you're able to bring all of those different vantage points together, and that can really help your business from a more holistic standpoint. You know, we don't optimize attendance, we optimize for outcomes. So we want you to succeed. If you have not booked your hotels, please do. That's like of all the things that are good that that could sell out soon. So please book your hotel, get your tickets. You know you're gonna be there. If you're not there, your LinkedIn and email and every other form of communication is going to be blown up about how amazing an unbelievable manifest is. And you don't want to be missing out on any of those things that could take your business to the next level.

SPEAKER_00: 53:18

And from a fun side of things, too, not that everything you're mentioning isn't already fun. There's a surprise music guest, right?

SPEAKER_01: 53:25

Yeah, it's so it's Tayo Cruz.

SPEAKER_00: 53:28

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01: 53:30

I'm at Brooklyn Bowl. It's so much fun. We had Flowrida at the show this year, which was, I mean, it was unbelievable. The things, yeah, it's a great opportunity to let loose and and enjoy, you know, wrapping insane amount of connections and dancing with a bunch of your new friends.

SPEAKER_00: 53:49

That is so cool. And and to do it at Supply Chain Nerd Camp as part of the conference, as part of the overall summit. Well, well, I am so excited for it. I can't wait to see you in a few weeks. And thank you so much, Pam, for joining me today. This has been wonderful.

SPEAKER_01: 54:05

Thanks for having me. Looking forward to seeing you in person very soon.

SPEAKER_00: 54:09

What I love most talking about talking to Pam is that sense of finding collaboration in new and perhaps unexpected places. I mean, we were coming up with new ideas on the fly in that interview. As we just discussed, the maritime world is no longer just about ships and steel. It's about the data, the tech, and the people behind it. And whether it's the worker shortage, severe worker shortage that we're facing, or complex AI tools being built for cargo and logistics efficiency. We can't solve these problems in a silo. You gotta get out there. So if you're heading to manifest in Las Vegas next month, please look me up. Reach out in advance on the app. I'll be there taking everything in and watching to see how these tech innovations are actually going to hold up against the regulatory and sometimes even operational hurdles that we talk about every week. Like maritime policy is becoming more deliberate, more coordinated, and more demanding. And hopefully more fast-paced. I am pushing, I am hoping, I am talking about it all the time. Let's get going, Maritime. But as we've seen today, it's also where the most exciting opportunities for growth are hiding. And if you're watching, you can find them. If you like this episode, visit the maritimeprofessor.com for more plain language trainings and webinars. If you want to bring this level of insight directly to your team, reach out about our customized training programs. We help your people speak the language of the industry. And if it's specific regulatory or legal guidance you need to navigate these shifting tides, check out my legal company squall strategies. The industry is moving fast and the rules are changing even faster. Don't just watch the horizon. Be ready for what's coming over. Remember, when you know the rules, you make better decisions. As always, I'm Lauren Vegan. If you just listen to my land and by sea. Thanks for listening. See you next time.