Global Calendar of Events
The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) hosts a variety of events throughout the year targeted to specific audiences within the temperature-controlled supply chain worldwide. Below is an outline of the intended purpose and audience for each of the core GCCA events. Additional events may be held that do not currently appear on this grid. If you have any questions about who from your organization should attend an event, or if there is a different event that touches your needs, please call GCCA Headquarters at +1 703 373 4300.
To learn more about the targeted audiences for these GCCA events, click here.
| Date | Event | Purpose | Primary Audience | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | WFLO Institute East | Training/Professional Development | IARW – warehouse supervisors, shift leads, high potential associates preparing for those positions; functional teams being developed for leadership; management new to the industry; warehouse executives and owners teach | Atlanta, GA |
| March | WFLO Institute West | Training/Professional Development | IARW – warehouse supervisors, shift leads, high potential associates preparing for those positions; functional teams being developed for leadership; management new to the industry; warehouse executives and owners teach | Los Angeles, CA |
| March | GCCA European Cold Chain Conference (and Expo) | Annual gathering of GCCA Europe members; education for cold storage operators; networking | GCCA European members – warehouse executives and owners. Other global executives with interest in the European market; Associate members/industry suppliers sponsor and network | Brussels, Belgium |
| April | IARW-WFLO Convention | Annual gathering of IARW & WFLO; education for cold storage operators; networking and business development | IARW – Owners, CEOs, and top executive teams; Associate members/industry suppliers sponsor and network for high-level business development | Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico |
| June | WFLO Graduate Institute (with GCCE) | Training/Professional Development | IARW – warehouse general managers who have completed the three-year WFLO Institute, other mid-management or executives that have graduated from Institute | McCormick Place, Chicago, IL |
| June | Global Cold Chain Expo (GCCE) (with United Fresh and International Floriculture Expo) | One-stop-shop for innovation, education and business-to-business networking for the global food industry | Broader cold chain audience – food processors, retailers, third-party logistics companies IARW – engineering teams, chief of engineering, middle management, general managers, regional management, management teams; CEO and top management from smaller companies without management breadth, but only when making capital expenditures or every 2-3 years to see the latest technologies. Associate members/industry suppliers exhibit, sponsor, network to pursue business development opportunities | McCormick Place, Chicago, IL |
| July | WFLO Institute Latin America | Training/Professional Development | GCCA Latin America members – warehouse managers, supervisors attend; warehouse executives and owners teach | Latin America |
| July | GCCA Assembly of Committees | Government affairs focused educational programming, committee meetings, and government agency visits | IARW, IACSC, IRTA – top executives from companies in the three core partners attend. Educational content delivered in the Symposium is focused on top executives and functional leaders, not general managers. Recommended for any middle management that has full, executive-level commitment to travel and give time to serve on committees as required | The Fairmont, Washington, DC |
| September (various dates) | IARW North American Chapter Meetings | Grassroots meetings throughout North American IARW chapters for sharing, education, networking | IARW – the audience and content of each chapter meeting varies based on objectives of individual chapters. In general, chapter meetings are recommended for warehouse top executives from small to middle companies without a regional or national network. | Varies |
| June | GCCA Cold Chain Summit | Gather global cold storage executives for education, networking, strategic placement by GCCA to foster international market development | IARW-WFLO Board Members, warehouse top executives, CEOs, owners. | Qingdao, China |
| November | IACSC Conference & Expo | Annual gathering of IACSC; education for cold storage construction, building design and maintenance; networking & expo time | IACSC – cold storage construction and design-build firm executives, business development teams IARW – warehouse facility owners; temperature-controlled processing/manufacturing company considering expansion or new construction, chief engineers for facility owners Industry suppliers exhibit and sponsor to conduct business development with those leading building projects |
Varies Las Vegas, Nevada in 2018 |
| November | GCCA Latin America Cold Chain Congress | Annual gathering of GCCA Latin America Members | GCCA Latin America members – warehouse executives, CEOs, owners |
Mexico City, Mexico |
| Varies | Cold Chain Connections | Educational and networking luncheons for senior level cold chain professionals with a specific focus on roundtable discussions and attracting non-members to introduce the association. | Global – GCCA US – IRTA transportation companies; those leading efforts for temperature-controlled transportation in warehousing, logistics, retail, etc. | Varies |
| 1 per month | Webinars | Varies by topic | Varies by topic | N/A |
