Logistics Keeping up with the changing industry
ES. As the chair, how have you been building on IELA’s vision and mission through SMART goals?
Sandi Trotter. In Bruges in 2022, one of our Congress sessions was “The Future of IELA session Bruges”. This was a round table type discussion driven by our members to discuss and determine the path forward for our association. We asked our members what they needed from IELA and for implementation suggestions. This has been our road map moving forward. Our focus has been on changes to the Congress and Partnering format, new member benefits, a member mediation programme and payment system. This Board’s view is that this association is for the members, and they deserve a large say in its evolution.
ES. Please share with us your role at TWI Group. What makes TWI Group a premier trade show shipping company?
Sandi Trotter. My time with TWI has been a constant learning experience and quite a journey. I was hired in an administrative capacity 30 years ago and have seen many changes over the years, technological and otherwise. My biggest takeaway as a TWI employee is the treatment of our employees.
Our owners, Steve Barry and Greg Keh have always looked after their staff. Through the economic crisis of 2008, SARS, and of course COVID, their empathy and support for us is unlike anything I have seen in any other company. We are a “small fish” in the exhibition world but are treated like we work for a whale. That philosophy translates to the way we do business. We consider ourselves partners with our exhibitors and organizers. We do not just ship boxes from A to B. We guide them, advise them, educate them in the many aspects and tribulations of exhibition logistics.
ES. Could you provide the readers about your early life and career? What were the past experiences, achievement or lessons that shaped your journey as a successful leader in this industry?
Sandi Trotter. Starting out in business in a secretarial capacity, as you can imagine back then it was the dark ages. I worked for bosses who were very demanding. Making coffee and making their phone calls for them were just expected tasks! I had one very strong female mentor early on that instilled in me the desire to break through the glass ceiling and provided me with the knowledge and skills to do so. Certainly, when I came in to this industry 30 years ago, it was still very much an “old boys club”.
In fact, I believe that at my first IELA in 2005 there were less than 10 female delegates. We have come along way.
ES. Exhibition logistics is just not simply about shipping goods, but rather shipping values. In your words, what is the significance of international exhibition logistics? Please share with us the role and importance of international exhibition logistics in the context of the exhibition industry trends?
Sandi Trotter. Ours is a multi-million-dollar industry, and yet, is very often forgotten. This became very evident in recent years with the reopening post COVID. The legislators in many countries were very quick to stop in with regulations without even consulting us. They were worried about the rebirth of travel and tourism but did not think of exhibitions and events as part of the equation. We have to continue to have a load voice to ensure our growth.
There is a high investment factor in exhibitions, but truly, if the product is not on the exhibitors stand, there is no show for them and their investment is lost. Non-Delivery is not an option.
ES. Each year, the IELA members gather for the IELA Congress, what would be the highlights of 38th IELA Congress, MALTA?
Sandi Trotter. We are very excited as always about our congress this year. The highlights are many. Our members from China are able to join us once again for the first time since the pandemic and it will be great to have them back in our fold. The attendance is up compared to Bruges last year, in terms of the number of member companies attending and the number of delegates per company joining us.
Our session last year on “The Future of IELA” provided us with invaluable insight into the needs and desires of our members. The Board of Management supports the suggestions from last year and we are pleased to include increased networking opportunities and greater focus on the IELA Working Groups (the power machine of IELA). We are thrilled to once again have The IELA Awards Night as part of our Gala Dinner to celebrate the IELA Standards of Performance, announcing the 3 best agents for On-site, Domestic and Export Agent. We will continue with “The Future of IELA” sessions this year as member feedback is a critical part of our association.
And lastly, of course, the growth and sustainability of our organization and making it relevant in the new world.
ES. Charting a new course in setting standards for the logistics industry, IELA released Sustainability Guidelines in Marrakech, during its event IELA Connect 2019. As an association, how IELA sees its role in leading progress in sustainable practices and to what extent have IELA’s members complied with recently-released Sustainability Guidelines?
Sandi Trotter. Last year, IELA was chosen to lead the UFI/JMIC Net Carbon Zero Events Logistics Workstream. It is quite an honour and a reflection of our importance in the industry. IELA has been placed at the forefront of the initiative and I am very grateful to our contributing members and our newly formed Sustainability Working Group. In tandem with our UFI/JMIC efforts on sustainability, we have been working with a Sustainability Consultant, ISLA to create a program for our members to either start or continue the Sustainability Journey.
In some areas of the world, this is currently a very hot topic. In others, it is barely in its infancy. It is an area we will all have to focus on in the future, and so it is our goal to provide our members with a very high level of support in this process.
ES. The logistics industry is undergoing a rapid digital transformation. According to you, what are some major tech trends that are shaping the future of logistics?
Sandi Trotter. There are many trends out there that may change the shape of our world in the coming years. Robotics on showsite is one of many I see. None are there yet and so we have some time to consider what our future may look like. We have learned since COVID that Digital events are not a large part of our future. While many were very concerned three years ago it is clear that virtual events are not a threat to our industry.
ES. Do you anticipate any headwinds from the current international context? What are some challenges surrounding this industry?
Sandi Trotter. It is clear that our business is back. Events are back and are stronger every year. The return to business was more robust and more rapid than even the most optimistic of us could have considered. We have survived what I hope is the worst of times and are on to the best of times again.
Sustainability and net carbon zero are a major challenge to our industry. There are so many players and aspects to the service we provide. To complicate that, our association is comprised of multi-national and small to medium sized businesses. Resources to meet this demand are a big challenge for some in this area.
In some parts of the world, they are just coming back to business and in others we area back to pre-covid volumes. Finding qualified staff and/or training new staff, equipment shortages, reduced flights and sailing schedules and the increased cost of doing business in the current climate continues.
ES. Women are breaking the glass ceiling, however, there is still a need for more leadership roles in the service sector. What’s your take on it?
Sandi Trotter. Like all change, this is a very slow process, change always is. But it is happening. There are several female member owners of exhibition logistics companies in our association and that gives me hope. The strong young women I have met in Bruges last year and at our Winter Seminar in Cape Town are a true reflection of how far we have come. I am confident that great things will continue to happen for the women in our business.
ES. Juggling multiple roles, we would like to know what keeps you motivated and consistent in performing your duties with perfection. Please share your hobbies.
Sandi Trotter. I find it all so rewarding and so am easily motivated. I have always been very passionate about IELA and its importance, its flavour. Its very simple to be motivated in an association that is so much like a family. We are made up of business partners, competitors, many of which easily become long time friends. TWI motivates me because I love what I do. You can start the day creating a “To Do List” and one phone call an hour later can throw it complete off track, with an urgent shipment or one that’s in jeopardy. My clients, many of whom I have worked with for all 30 years deserve and expect a good job from me and I will not break that trust.
I am an avid gardener and reader. I have a small vegetable patch and, in the summer, can be found out there nurturing them. My neighbours love me in late summer because I am forced to share the rewards as it is too much for my husband and I to eat by ourselves.
My books of choice are mystery and detective novels. I read mostly for pleasure. Some of my favourite authors are Michael Connelly, James Paterson and J.D. Robb. I love to travel, so I am in the right business! Through TWI and IELA I have done my fair share, but there are many other IELA members who have me beat with air miles.
My husband and I have a 2002 Ford Thunderbird convertible and we frequently take day or overnight trips in the summer, travelling around with the wind in our faces. And of course, spending time with my darling 2 year old granddaughter which sadly doesn’t happen enough as she lives a 4 hour plane ride away!
