Industry events remain a vital part of the supply chain sector (as our COO, Julian, outlined in his recent blog), and their importance has only grown in recent years as automation and AI reshape how we work and communicate.

They play a unique role in bringing the industry together, and as such, provide a setting to address challenges and opportunities facing the logistics sector. Two questions that now seem to feature in several agenda: how do we attract young talent, and how do we retain it?

There is no shortage of discussion about what young people need, what companies should do, or how the industry can be made more appealing to prospective joiners; yet one area that often receives less attention is the role events already play in supporting the next generation, and the greater impact they could have.

Celebrating Young People Through Awards

Few things can spur on a young professional quite like formal recognition in front of colleagues and industry peers. It is a moment that validates their work and encourages winners to continue contributing to air cargo. Categories dedicated to celebrating young people are also, in my experience, the award that companies most look forward to entering.

In recent years, many have been introduced. To thank organisations for formally recognising young people, I’d like to, as a young person, recognise them for doing so:

• Air Cargo News: Young Airfreight Professional of the Year

Launched two years ago, ACN’s dedicated award recognises achievements of under 35s in air cargo, with previous winners, Anna Balan and Ekaterina Andreeva, not only winning prize money, but also executive performance coaching worth USD 10,000.

• Multimodal Exhibition: Young Logistics Professional of the Year

Multimodal set an early benchmark back in 2013 with its Young Logistics Professional of the Year Award, with this year’s award going to Haya Huang from DCG Logistics.

• The Seahorse Association: Rising Star

Focused on supporting newcomers in supply chain journalism, this award’s previous recipients have included Michelle Mooney of Logistics Manager, and Charlie Evans of Container Management.

• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) FACE UP Ambassadors Program

In April of this year, IATA announced a new initiative as part of its Future Air Cargo Executives (FACE) Program. The FACE UP competition gives university students from around the world a platform to showcase their innovative ideas for the air cargo industry. Presentations will be given at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium 2026 in Lima, Peru.

• The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA): Rising Star

At its 2025 Executive Summit in Hong Kong, TIACA introduced two new awards. The Rising Star Award, which this year recognised Moritz Claussen of cargo.one, is open exclusively to professionals under 35 and judged by TIACA’s Board.

• TIACA: Inspirational Leader

Alongside Rising Star, came TIACA’s Inspirational Leader Award for individuals who champion young talent, with its first instalment awarded to Vitaly Smilianets of Awery Aviation Software. What makes this award particularly powerful is that the panel of judges consists of people under 35.

Importance of Networking Opportunities

I remember walking into the first networking reception at IATA’s CNS Partnership 2024 without knowing a single person. Many of the people around me already had long-standing relationships, and without structured opportunities to meet others, it would have been far harder to break in.

This is why event-wide networking opportunities are invaluable. Conferences that offer evening receptions or organised socials help young people build connections far more effectively. When these opportunities are missing, attendees are driven to spend time with old friends and colleagues, of which newcomers have zero.

Some events have gone a step beyond; at AirCargo Conference, organised by the Airforwarders Association, the ‘New Attendees Welcome’ session takes place the afternoon before the event begins. It is not targeted exclusively at young people but instead at anyone new to the event or to the industry as a whole.

Associations like the UK Air Cargo Club (UKACC) also host dedicated networking events for Next Gen professionals. These sessions bring young people together, helping them to meet peers and start building the connections that will support them throughout their careers.

Getting Young People on Stage

Across the flurry of events held this quarter, we’ve seen more and more young professionals trusted to take the stage on behalf of their companies, particularly in the software and digitalisation space. The industry has long discussed the importance of having panels that reflect its diversity and its future, so seeing young people being invited to contribute is a huge step forward.

Earlier this year, I attended a session on mentorship in air cargo (the most attended session at the event!), during which panellists discussed their internal mentorship programmes, their benefits, and the results they had seen. It was an interesting session, but one important perspective was missing. The first question asked at the end of the session was, “Why is there no mentee on stage?”

Mentorship is an increasingly important subject for this industry, and it’s encouraging to see this reflected in event agendas, but might we agree that the perspective of the mentee is just as significant as that of the mentor?

It is entirely understandable that event organisers are after speakers with experience, some of which can only come with a long and successful career in logistics, but when panels pertain specifically to young people, their insight can only help the discussion.

There is also an opportunity for young people to engage in industry events through panel moderation. If an organiser wants a seasoned moderator to lead a session, why not ask if they would instead consider coaching a member of their organisation through the process? This would expand the speaker pool, and improve representation; this is, however, dependent on whether people would listen…

As a 23-year-old member of the industry, this is a topic close to my heart. It is reassuring to see how seriously so many organisations take the question of youth engagement and how dedicated they are to building support systems and initiatives for early career professionals. The more we celebrate young people, and the more we include them, the more sustainable our industry becomes.