IAM completed another successful Annual Meeting in Toronto Canada from 9-12 October. Over 1,800 attendees came from over 110 countries to network, learn, and discuss the hot topics of the day in all moving markets.
In terms of government related content, the agenda was robust as usual. The week started with a panel of Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) Stakeholders...various moving industry experts, discussing the GHC from their perspectives and what opportunities, risks, and questions they have with respect to their companies.
On Tuesday, there was a very good Federal Household Goods session with representatives from General Services Administration (GSA) Employee Relocation Resource Center (ERRC), GSA’s Transportation Audits, Department of State, and the Maritime Administration (MARAD). These government experts provided the latest insights associated with their programs from U.S. Flag requirements, to shipping Electric Vehicles, to rate filing and differences in lithium battery policies.
Wednesday was full of Department of Defense (DoD) related content. The morning started things off with a panel featuring experts from Marine Corps headquarters, Air Force Joint Personal Property Shipping Office – North Central (JPPSO-NC), and TRANSCOM’s Defense Personal Property Management Office (DMPO). These DoD representatives discussed the 2023 Peak Season, best value scoring 2.0 (BVS 2.0), what the GHC might look like for each of their organizations, and what challenges might exist if the current program, the Defense Personal Property Program or DP3, runs concurrent this summer in the same domestic market with the GHC.
Later Wednesday, those interested in the DoD program gathered again to hear from Military Claims Offices (MCOs) and industry claims experts...to include the future HomeSafe Alliance Claims Director. Discussions included claims trends coming out of the 2023 peak season, an exploration of some current claims rules, and then a deeper discussion of some GHC claims rules within the HomeSafe Master Agreement.
And Thursday ended with a panel of HomeSafe Alliance leaders who took moderator questions for over an hour, and then questions from the crowd for another hour...exceeding the planned 90-minute session by almost an hour. There was clearly significant interest in this session, with additional chairs being brought in for the second time during the various sessions (the first time being for the GHC Stakeholder session), drawing in nearly 400 attendees for this single panel discussion.
The government/DoD content was extensive and were the most well attended sessions of the week. We appreciate the willingness of the various government and industry representatives to participate in the panels and share their expertise and perspectives.
