Air Cargo Handling & Logistics 2022 in Athens was so successful that the organisers and their partners have decided to run the event again in Athens in 2023
The 2022 Air Cargo Handling & Logistics (ACHL) conference and exhibition was back to a real-world gathering for the first time in three years, following two years of successful online events, with more than 400 delegates flocking to Athens to make this the busiest ACHL ever.
‘The Reunion’ – Eva International Media’s 13th ACHL – took place in parallel with the AGS Global Networking Summit, ASA Leadership Forum, ULD Care conference and Airfreight Pharma event, attracting some of the most senior executives within air freight and the wider aviation and ground handling sectors, along with pharma customers and other stakeholders.
The events were ably hosted by the Grand Hyatt in central Athens, giving delegates, speakers and exhibitors access to this great city’s ancient and contemporary attractions and facilities. And its coastal location also provided the venue for a spectacular evening Networking Dinner at the glamorous Bolivar Beach venue, making for a glamorous but informal networking and social event to complement the daytime conference and discussion panels and associated meetings and events.
Returning to Athens in 2023
ACHL 2022 in Athens was so successful that the organisers and their partners have decided to run the event again in Athens in 2023. (https://www.caasint.com/our-events/)
Innovation Showcase seminars
The ACHL 2022 conference began for the first time with a series of 15-minute Innovation Showcase seminars from select organisations, showcasing leading-edge developments within air cargo. These included:
Wipro’s Philipp Maier on How modern change management methodologies can drive change and innovation to a successful outcome;
Kuehne + Nagel’s Reinier Danckaarts on How RFID smart labels in air freight are set to become a low-cost technology game changer for piece-level tracking of shipments;
Swissport’s Dirk Goovaerts on Innovative solutions, from kiosks to unmanned, automated guided vehicles;
Etihad Cargo’s Thomas Schürmann on Innovation of Cargo Operations by Digitalisation;
Cargosense’s Rich Kilmer on how to Minimise the risk to pharmaceutical products;
Bob Rogers from ULD Care on Digitalisation of ULD Identification;
Pertti Mero from Airport College on Applying New Technology to Training;
Lucas Fernandez from CHAMP Cargosystems shared the latest update of its Top 20 CHAMP Innovation Trends Radar;
Raoul Paul from CargoHub discussed How to increase landside operations efficiency by using a single-window cargo community system (CCS);
And finally, Stuart Maddocks from training specialist Calibrate revealed how Encouraging and leveraging your differences is the fastest way to protect your business and ensure continuity and sustainability.
Main ACHL conference event
The main conference event on Day 2 and Day 3 focused on a range of key topics, with several main themes including: digitalisation, innovation, sustainability, adapting to change, plus recruitment, training and retention.
Sessions included discussions on:
The Need for Evolution and Integration – The New World of Logistics;
How Digitisation Must Accelerate the End-to-End Process;
The Role of Airports in Future Data and Logistic Corridors, to Assist Airlines in Developing Value-Added Products;
Why Air Cargo Must Always Be a Core Business Post-Covid for Airports and Airlines;
Serving BCOs (Beneficial Cargo Owners) and Value in the Air Cargo Supply Chain;
Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Staff – Staffing Shortages Across the Aviation Industry;
Sustainability – Can and Will the Industry Meet its Environmental and Economic Challenges?
Conclusions from the conference
Conclusions and action points from the conference included the need for participants to:
Implement digitalisation of their company’s processes and activities to 80%;
Engage their airport to make cargo infrastructure, standards and KPIs a priority;
Provide evidence of promoting careers in the air cargo logistics industry;
Invite young talent to this event next year, including encouraging their participation in the main conference panel discussions and events.
Although digitalisation, infrastructure and standards were major and recurring themes, the topic most frequently highlighted as a challenge for the sector was the need to expand and improve the effectiveness of initiatives to attract, recruit, train and retain new, young and diverse talent within the sector.
Reflecting this, and to highlight the depth and range of the discussions, CAAS has published an in-depth report on one of the key sessions, on Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Staff.
