GCCA Latin American Cold Chain Congress
Program
General Sessions:
Thursday, November 7
General Session | 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Welcome and opening remarks
Presenter:
Rafael Rocha
VP Commercial, Emergent Cold Latin America
Vice President Latin American Advisory Council
GCCA Updates
Presenter:
Adam Thocher
Senior Vice President, Global Programs & Insights
Executive Director, Global Cold Chain Foundation
Cold Chain Café | 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
The Cold Chain Café is a roundtable discussion where attendees will engage in valuable dialogue with their peers. Attendees will participate in up to 3 quick 20-minute discussions and choose from over 10 different topics.
How will this work?
Each participant will receive a list of 10 different questions, topics, and/or issues. Each topic will correspond to a numbered table in the room. Participants join the table/topic of their choice and spend the next 20 minutes discussing it with their peers. The goal is 20 minutes for each group to share tools, and ideas, and have a stimulating conversation about a particular topic. This will happen two more times. By the end of the entire session, each participant will have spent 20 minutes on 3 different topics/issues/questions.
Why are we doing this?
The Cold Chain Café allows conference attendees to share and discuss topics relevant to them. Everyone is sure to learn something new and continue the discussion throughout the conference.
Who will facilitate the discussions?
The facilitator will be a member of your peer group and their role will be to facilitate the discussions. As the moderator of the panel, their role will be to keep the conversation flowing. They will initiate the conversation, possibly lead it, guide it, and encourage it, but they will not talk the whole time (this is not a presentation).
Topics will include:
- Sustainability in the cold chain.
- The Panama Canal and the regional trade.
- Energy savings.
- AI and cold chain logistics.
- Electrification of refrigerated transport.
- Cybersecurity.
- Food safety regulations.
- Talent: recruit, retain, develop.
- Temperature monitoring and data transparency
- Macroeconomic trends and their impact on the cold chain.
Welcome Reception | 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Join us for drinks and appetizers as we kick off the Latin American Congress. Connect with old friends and meet new ones at this fun reception.
Focus Session:
Friday, November 8
Morning Coffee | 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Join your industry peers for a morning coffee and brainstorming before the start of Day 2 of the Congress, while touring the exhibition and learning about the latest products and services for the industry.
Frozen Container Trade in Latin America and Cold Chain operations in ports | 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
A look at frozen container import and export statistics, their impact on the temperature-controlled storage industry and market outlook through 2025, and a brief context of the versatility, needs, and business models of the cold chain within Latin American ports and future expectations.
Presenter:
Michael McBride
Regional Cold Chain Specialist
Maersk Latin America
Abel Fernández Burgos
Director Negocios Logísticos RICSA (Polar Port, Veracruz / Frío Maya, Guatemala)
Panel Discussion: Food Safety: Main Regulations in Latin America for International Trade | 10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Updates on FDA rules and other regulations affecting trade and how they impact the cold chain in different Latin American countries. Learn about the perspective of the GCCA Latin America Food Safety Committee members.
Panelist:
- Andrea Campos, Quality, Safety and Environment Manager / Icestar
- Ana María Ardila, Director of Quality, Safety and Environment / Emergent Cold Latin America
- Marco León, Director/ Lefix & Asociados
- Lowell Randell, Senior Vice President, Government and Legal Affairs GCCA
Tech Talk: (Boltrics) | 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
More information coming soon
The New Era of the Sustainable Cold Chain | 10:10 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Sustainability is transforming processes, optimizing resources, and improving energy efficiency. Get ready to enter this new era.
More information coming soon
Tech Talk: (AR-Racking) | 11:45 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Advanced Solutions for Storage in Cold and Frozen Environments
Presenter:
Edward Sascun
Manager of AR Racking Colombia
Automated Warehouse for Emerging Markets| 2:40 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.
In this session, you will hear about the automation solutions, trends, and innovations to start the shift to automate your warehouse and take it to the next level.
Perspectives for Frozen Products Trade in Land Transportation in Latin America| 3:20 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
An analysis of the frozen food trade landscape at major land borders, cargo security issues, transport challenges, and opportunities, including new trade routes.
Presenter:
Julio Marin
General Director Mexico & Colombia
IceStar
Tech Talk: (Nndustrial) | 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
More information coming soon
The Frozen Food Consumption Trends in Latin America | 4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
In this session, we will discuss what are the key macroeconomic indicators in Latin America and how they affect food consumption, what are consumer preferences, and consumption prospects for 2025. All of these are key factors for defining the strategies of cold storage operators looking ahead.
Presenter:
Eduardo Ragasol
General Manager NIQ México
The Preventing Food Waste in LatAm and Cold Chain | 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Learn how the cold chain directly impacts avoiding food waste. We will also present how several logistics operators in Latin America have already joined this initiative and support food banks in a campaign that only offers benefits in all ways.
Presenter:
Ana Isabel Méndez
General Manager
Panama Food Bank
Closing General Session | 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Presenter:
Ana Regina García
GCCA Latin American Office Director
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