Ninety members (from 40 countries) of the world’s first virtual freight network, Conqueror, gathered for its inaugural conference here on May 23-25
This is seen as an unprecedented number of delegates for a first conference. “Considering what other networks have managed at their initial conferences, this number is a great achievement,” said Mr Antonio Torres, the brains behind this ‘one of a kind’ freight forwarding network.
This one-off ‘Virtual Multinational’ is paving the way for a new generation of networks that want to mobilise independent freight forwarders to work together as global ‘mega-forwarders.’
The desire to join forces was evident at the conference as members vied for each other’s time across every aspect of the conference. “At the heart of Conqueror is mutual cooperation,” explained Mr Torres. “Without it, the network simply would not function.” The 3-day conference facilitated over 1,600+ one-to-one meetings to enable members to strengthen this cooperation.
“One perk of Conqueror’s focus on cooperation, is that all the members do business with a give and take attitude,” said one member. “This cooperation is made even easier by each of us being the only agent in our city which, of course, cuts out all competition. What’s left is a desire to work together.”
Conqueror is aiming at setting up an exclusive ‘virtual branch’ in each of the 472 major cities in the 175 countries it has identified. This is clearly one of its charms. “I can provide global coverage, under a common global brand as if I am part of a multinational and, more importantly, work with agents I trust,” said one satisfied delegate.