By George Lauriat, Editor-in-Chief, AJOTThe WCA Family of Logistic Networks hosted the 13th Annual WCA Worldwide Conference (February 20-23) and the 3rd WCA Family Annual Worldwide Conference (February 24-27) at Ho Chi Minh City. The event drew over 1700 delegates from over 100 countries to Vietnam for a week of networking. At the heart of the conferences was the unique thirty-minute, one-on-one sessions. The one-on-one sessions are booked prior to the conferences through a proprietary system and enable members to have face-to-face business meetings with colleagues from around the globe. This year an estimated 50,000 one-on-one sessions took place in the SECC (Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center). Among the announcements was David Yokeum’s presentation of WIN (see related story), the portal being developed by the WCA for the independent forwarder. For many attending the conferences, Ho Chi Minh City was a new destination. The decision to hold the 2011 annual meetings in Ho Chi Minh City was due in part to last year’s political upheaval in Thailand and the city’s relatively close proximity to the WCA’s home in Bangkok. The economy in Vietnam is booming, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City where the sound of construction is 24/7. For a tourist it might be irritating but for forwarders, it’s the sound of money. One of the fears in using any new destination is simply “getting there,” and Vietnam’s Custom and Immigration proved to be uncomplicated because of the advance work by the WCA’s staff. The SECC was a distance from the conference hotels in an area that is being developed as the future international business center. The ride took attendees through Ho Chi Minh City and most noticeable, besides the river and canals, was the thousands of motor scooters plying the streets. It is estimated that for the 10 million people in the surrounding area, there are some 5 million motor scooters. Inquiries found that most of the scooters are assembled locally, but some are imported from China. This year, perhaps because of the location, many discussions took place on global recovery and what this might mean for the future. One of the great (unsung) advantages of the WCA meetings is that with so many attendees from different nations, the composite view of the global economy often bears a better resemblance to the economic reality than any official view from an individual nation or world organization like the UN. The arrival of so many conventioneers wasn’t lost on the local press. Members of Toronto-based Advantex found themselves on the front page of the Vietnam Daily News. Although most attendees enjoyed the novelty of being in Vietnam, a return to Bangkok is scheduled for next year.