The past year has been marked by a series of challenges for supply chain leaders. Global conflict disrupting shipping routes, labor strikes creating congestion at ports, extreme weather events driving delays, and more. None of us could have predicted the disruption and uncertainty that defined 2024 for retail supply chains.
Now, are you ready for 2025? Because the supply chain landscape is about to change - again.
New leadership in Washington promises to hit the proverbial reset button on how the U.S. approaches a number of issues, many of which have direct implications for retail supply chains. Expect global trade relations to become singularly defined by tariffs, a new and less-tolerant posture toward labor disputes, new challenges around ethical sourcing and sustainability objectives, and economic shifts for consumers. Supply chain issues will remain front and center for the foreseeable future, and big changes ahead will test even the most experienced supply chain and logistics pros.
At RILA, we have been keeping all of this in mind as we develop the agenda for LINK2025: The Retail Supply Chain Conference. We’re pulling together an outstanding lineup of speakers, with just the right insights and expertise to help guide you through the next year. Supply chain applications for new technology like AI, the global trade outlook, automation, workforce trends, climate change—conversations around all these topics and more will take center stage at LINK2025.
We’re also convening an impressive group of supply chain solution providers, ready to deploy their innovative technology to help you meet your business objectives. And through our new Hosted Retailers & CPMs Program, which layers strategic meeting opportunities with traditional conference networking - and a chance to attend for free - you can ensure your team is empowered to quickly discover new solutions and efficiently identify new potential partners. This year, we’re prioritizing meaningful relationship-building, collaborative problem-solving, and future-proofing.
One thing I’ve learned working closely with this community is that collaboration is everything. Retailers rely on relationships with peers throughout the supply chain ecosystem - fellow logistics leaders from the C-Suite to the distribution center, supply chain service providers, startups, industry thought leaders, and more—to help them meet the moment and keep delivering for shoppers. Consider LINK2025 the home for that ecosystem and the place to gain the right tools, the right partners, and the right strategy to help you succeed in 2025 and beyond.
At RILA, we often say supply chain leaders don’t react - they prepare. Regardless of what new policies are implemented in Washington or unexpected disruptions might be around the corner, winners of this new supply chain game will be those who practice forward-thinking leadership, not reactive management.
So - are you ready for 2025?
Time is running out, but there’s still time to join us this February in Orlando. Learn more about our developing program and ways to bring your whole supply chain team along here.
Jess Dankert is VP for Supply Chain at RILA. She has over 17 years of experience in supply chain strategy and operations, in both the private and public sector, including Ford Motor Company, Accenture, and the U.S. government, and currently serves on the board of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation.
This article is sponsored by RILA.
