CSCMP's annual conference to focus on leading-edge thinking

Leading-edge thought leadership and research for the entire supply chain—"from edge to edge"—is the primary focus of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' (CSCMP) annual conference. To emphasize the unique benefits the event offers attendees, the organization has rebranded it as the CSCMP EDGE Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition.

This year's conference will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from September 24-27. More than 3,000 supply chain professionals are expected to attend the event, which will feature more than 90 educational sessions and over 25 hours of networking opportunities.

"We rebranded the conference to reflect the changing, interconnected nature of both supply chain management and the world at large," said Rick Blasgen, CSCMP president and CEO. "From end to end and edge to edge, we cover content about, and provide support for, professionals in every facet of supply chain management and help relate supply chain management to the world around us."

The conference's general session speakers will reflect this emphasis, drawing from their own experiences in storytelling, artificial intelligence, and the military to provide attendees with fresh perspectives on their supply chain challenges.

The conference will open with Matthew Luhn from Pixar Animation Studio, who will talk about how big data can be used to help craft compelling stories. Luhn will explain how Pixar uses big data to help it create characters and storylines. He'll also push attendees to think about how big data can help them make more meaningful connections with their customers.

The following day, Mary "Missy" Cummings, a professor at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and director of the Humans and Autonomy Laboratory and Duke Robotics, will outline how to leverage the strengths of humans and artificial intelligence to address the logistics challenges of the future.

Major Mary Jennings "MJ" Hegar, former U.S. Air National Guard pilot, will end the conference on an inspirational note. Hegar, who saved her team from being captured by the Taliban after their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, successfully challenged the U.S. military's policy excluding women from frontline combat. She will share her own war stories and provide practical advice on leadership, diversity, teamwork, and how to be a catalyst for change.

The conference will have 18 educational tracks, including a new track geared toward finance professionals and those interested in learning more about finance. The track will explore how financial performance is directly impacted by supply chain and operations and will provide attendees with insights on how aligning operational efforts and performance metrics can improve shareholder value.

Other opportunities available at CSCMP EDGE include the recently rebranded Academic Research Symposium, Career Day interviews, and the Supply Chain Exchange Exhibition. CSCMP will also present a number of awards and recognitions, including its annual Distinguished Service Award, during the conference.

For more information, visit cscmpconference.org. Those who register by July 30, 2017, and use the coupon code EDGE17-JULY could save US $300 (restrictions apply).