Choosing Which Conferences To Attend

Dear Import/Export Compliance Manager,

There seem to be more than a few import/export compliance-related conferences out there.  Obviously, I only have so much time and budget.  How do I choose which ones to attend?

Attendee in Atlanta

Dear Attendee,

The answer to your question depends on a) what you’re trying to learn and b) your level of expertise.  There are a great many conferences out there these days, many of which the Import/Export Compliance Manager has no personal experience with.  Rather than recommending specific conferences, this answer will focus on the different types of conferences so that you can, in the course of your own research, figure out which ones would be right for you.  The Import/Export Compliance Manager will also include a list at the end to help you get started.

The first consideration to take into account is exactly who is doing the presenting.  In the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s experience, there are three types of presenters, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages: government bureaucrats, import/export compliance consultants and import/export compliance practitioners. 

Bureaucrats are wonderful for explaining to you what regulations are out there, what they mean and how they were created, as well as what future regulations are coming down the pike.  This Inside Baseball-type information can be very helpful in ensuring compliance, particularly if you manage to get in a specific question or two.  However, bureaucrats can’t (or won’t) normally talk about the other side of the coin: how to actually comply. 

For how to comply, it’s not a bad idea to attend an event where consultants are speaking.  They can be great in that they can talk very well about the regulations and what they mean but also talk about best practices regarding how to properly comply.  In their experience working with companies of all different sizes and industries, they can also provide good information regarding challenges particular industries, personnel or certain-sized companies face and the common pitfalls.

What consultants often can’t speak to, however, is what it is really like having to comply day in and day out, e.g. in the trenches.  That’s where actual import/export compliance practitioners, from directors to managers to analysts, come in.  They know the regulations enough for their own companies to comply and are thus not necessarily be-all, end-all experts on a particular regulation.  However, they are facing many of the same challenges you are; you would essentially be attending a presentation given by the person you want to be.

What you need to consider, then, is what you want out of the conference.  Do you want to get up-to-speed on regulations which are unfamiliar to you?  In this case, you would be safe attending conferences with presentations from government bureaucrats and consultants.  Are you familiar with the regulations but want to a) make sure that you’re not missing anything important and b) see if others have figured out better means of complying?  If so, it would be best for you to attend presentations by practitioners and perhaps consultants.  Maybe you can find an event which has presentations from all three.

Another factor is the specific topic you are seeking to learn about, such as duty drawback or export licensing.  There are conferences that are specific to certain topics while others seem to cover everything.  It will also help if your fellow attendees are interested in the same things you are, thus allowing you to perhaps make some great connections.  In the end, unless you need to go incredibly in-depth into one topic, the Import/Export Compliance Manager feels that it’s better to attend conferences covering a broad range of topics.  As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know; you might learn something completely random that saves your employer a ton of money or helps you do your job so much better.

Don’t let cost and distance be impediments to attending a really awesome conference.  What you will learn at these conferences will likely more than pay for themselves through the avoidance of violations as well as the avoidance of consultant and attorney fees (sorry, consultants and attorneys reading this). 

A short list of the organizations holding conferences, mostly in the US, is below with links and some comments:

• International Compliance Professionals’ Association (ICPA) – good all-around conferences with practitioners and consultants 

• Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) – annual conferences providing updates on regulations, great way to meet your BIS contacts in-person 

• American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI)

• Advanced Topics in Customs Compliance

• Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) – despite the name, men can also join. 

• National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (NCBFAA) -

• Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, Inc. 

  
  

Don't limit yourself to this list and happy learning!