[ Air Cargo Industry’s Future Focus on Growth....]

Air Cargo Industry’s Future Focus on Growth, Communication,
Coordination

Continued meteoric growth, better communication and more coordination
among all the elements of the air cargo industry will dominate the
focus of The International Air Cargo Association and the industry in
general as the 21st Century dawns.
These were among the key topics which emerged after three days of
speakers, panels, lively discussion and social activities among
nearly 3,200 representatives of the industry participating in The
18th International Air Cargo Forum and Exposition in Dubai in
October. Following the fruitful discussions and information-sharing
which occurred in Dubai, TIACA, owner and coordinator of the popular
36-year-old Forum and Exposition, now looks to its Annual General
Meeting and Congress in the Cayman islands in December, and to ACF 98
at the Palais de Congres in Paris in May 1998.
“Dubai was without doubt the finest Forum and Exposition yet,” said
Ram C. Menen, president of TIACA and senior general manager cargo for
Emiates Airline. “For the first time ever, different sectors of the
industry sat down together and had candid, productive,
forward-looking discussions and some of our superb speakers offered
workable solutions to challenges in the industry.”
“Dubai will be a prologue to the future of this organization, and
the ansxers we began to develop there will form the foundation for
TIACA’s strategic plan for the new century,”he said. “Our Annual
General Meeting and Congress in December and ACF98 in Paris will
provide excellent opportunities to continue to build on this new era
of strength, cooperative effort and focus. After all, we are facing
tremendous growth in our industry in the next 20 years, and we must
prepare together for the opportunities this growth will present.”
Menen added that the ACF98 Paris organizers are already working on
that event, analyzing the strengths of the Dubai Forum and building
on them. He expects them to continue the point-counterpoint dialogue
which has been so illuminating in ACF96, provide many opportunities
for audience participation and discussion, and create even more
activities for networking, interacting with exhibitors and doing
business together.
During the opening ceremony of ACF96, Menen described a “brave new
world order of trade” and told participants, “The success stories
of tomorrow will deal proactively with change. The industry now has
to form alliances. We must create a system of seamless, multi-modal
transportation with a muti-modal interlineable waybill. The key to
this will be EDI development. We must look at the way we do business
and adapt our relationships to the way business itself is conducted.
”