TIA’s Capital Ideas Conference: The Perfect Mix of Work and Play

It’s conference season! If your inbox is anything like mine, you are getting invitations to every industry and professional development conference happening in 2025. So, what makes TIA’s Capital Ideas Conference, April 9-12, so special? Glad you asked! Let’s take a deep dive into your experience at TIA’s annual conference.

No Better Place to Be

I don’t know about you but when I look at conferences, I always weigh where the conference is held in my decision to go or not. Well, TIA hits the mark with this year’s conference. This year’s conference will be held at the beautiful JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, which sits nestled amid 600 acres of oak-covered hills in Texas Hill Country near downtown San Antonio.

Come early and take advantage of beautiful Texas spring and join in the annual Golf Outing at the TPC San Antonio.

Education Opportunities

Pre-Conference Seminars

Not a golfer? No problem, we will still have plenty for you to do on April 9. Consider maximizing your learning time and sign up for a pre-conference seminar. These all-day seminars are intended for interactive group learning from the instructors as well as your fellow attendees. TIA is offering 4 pre-conference seminars:

Brokerage Organizational Design & Compensation with Beth Carroll

Join Beth Carroll, CEO of Prosperio Group, or an engaging and insightful seminar that addresses a critical challenge faced by freight brokerage owners: fostering a sense of urgency among employees. Often rooted in poorly defined roles and inadequate compensation structures, this seminar will explore effective organizational models and innovative compensation strategies tailored for the freight brokerage industry.

Essential Strategies for Recruiting & Retaining Top Talent in 2025 with Charlie Saffro

Perennial conference speaker Charlie Saffro, CEO & founder of CS Recruiting, will equip you with the strategies and processes necessary to attract and maintain the best employees, who are your greatest competitive advantage. By developing a clear recruitment strategy, you can create a cohesive internal culture that fosters communication, integrity, and alignment. Whether you’re planning to hire new talent soon or looking to improve your existing processes, this seminar is a must-attend for anyone involved in the hiring process. Join us to transform your approach to talent acquisition and retention, ensuring you build a strong and engaged team for your brokerage!

Mastering Freight Claims Management: Maximizing Your Efficiency with Kent Britt

Legal expert Kent Britt, partner at Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP, will help you explore the strategies and best practices essential for freight brokers to navigate the complexities of claims processing and resolution. This seminar is tailored for freight brokers, logistics professionals, claims managers, and industry leaders seeking to enhance their expertise in freight claims management. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the field, this seminar provides valuable insights and tools to elevate your claims management practices.

Social Media Marketing Strategies for Thriving Freight Brokers with John Drea

Looking to transform your cargo connections and propel your business to new heights? Then look no further than John Drea’s pre-conference seminar! By attending this seminar, you will learn to navigate the dynamic landscape of platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, discovering how to leverage each for optimal reach and engagement. Uncover the secrets of creating compelling content that resonates with your target audience, turning followers into loyal clients.

A Focus on Fraud

Fraud is hurting everyone in the industry whether you have been a victim directly or not. Because of this ongoing and ever-evolving issue, TIA has brought the foremost experts in fraud for you to benefit from their expertise and experience.

We will kick off the conference with criminal expert Frank Abagnale, who has more than 48 years of experience fighting crime and fraud, working with law enforcement agencies and developing strategies to help companies protect themselves against fraud.

There will be a number of panel discussions on fraud prevention, including:

• High-Tech Heists: The New Threat to Cargo Theft
• Fortifying Freight: Insights from Cybersecurity Leadership in Logistics
• Eliminating Fraud in Your Inbox
• Fraud and the Impact on the Freight Industry
• Fraud Hack-a-thon

Learn How to Make Technology Work for You

Technology makes the world go round or is that bacon? Well while we will have bacon for breakfast, you will want to pop into our technology sessions as our experts will help you harness the magic of technology and make it work for you and your business.

The education sessions focusing on technology include:

• Visibility 3.0: The Past, Present and Future of Freight Visibility
• You’ve Selected New AI Tech, Now What? Lessons of Successful Change Management and Beyond
• Build, Buy or Partner? How to Make the Right Decisions when Adding New Technology to Your Business
• Connecting Your TMS with AI

It’s a Multimodal World Out There

Few industries can say they work in a multimodal world like we do! That is why we have our Modes Track to help attendees navigate what it takes to succeed in working with different modes.

• Optimizing Carrier Selection for Specialized Freight
• Master Intermodal Tools for Your Transportation Toolkit
• Expanding into Mexico in the Age of Nearshoring
• Shipping LTL: Navigating 2025 NMFC Changes & Tools

Can’t get enough of intermodal talk? Join us for the Intermodal Lunch: Master Intermodal Tools for Your Transportation Toolkit and meet with industry experts to dive into new ideas and connect with the movers and shakers of the intermodal world.

Offering Business Operations Solutions

It is a crowded playing field out there. You have question, we have the experts to help you stand out from the crowd and grow your business. At the Capital Ideas Conference, you will have the opportunity to learn:

• The Importance of Payment Automation for Freight Brokers
• Recruiting & Retaining High Performers
• Brokerage Services vs Transportation Management Systems
• Successfully Implementing Carrier Vetting Policies
• Future of Freight: Broker, Shipper and Carrier Outlook for 2025

A special U.S. Political Landscape session will be led by Scott Jennings, who served as Special Assistant and Deputy Director of Political Affairs in President George W. Bush’s White House and has managed numerous political campaigns, including that of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). You don’t want to miss this session as Scott will break down the key issues that truly resonate with voters across the nation.

Business Fundamentals Refresh

We all know how to run a successful brokerage, but it is always important to learn about new ideas and procedures and perfect what is already working for you. During conference you will have the chance to enhance your current business practices with these sessions:

• Building a Trustworthy Carrier Network: Beyond Loadboards
• Small Broker Success
• Marketing Your Brokerage and Winning More Clients
• Carrier Collaboration: Building & Maintaining Long-term Carrier Relationships

Understanding Industry Legal Issues

It is important to every business to stay up-to-speed on legal and regulatory issues that could affect your business. Because our industry is so complex, TIA has brought in legal experts to help you navigate the ever-changing legal landscape.

• Current Events: Regulatory/Legal Update
• The Rise of the Machines: Practical Legal Solutions for AI and Logistics
• Contract Issues Learned in a Rough Market
• Fly with the Legal Eagles: Top 10 Legal Challenges for All Brokers

But I Have a Short Attention Span

For those of us who process information in short doses, we have you taken care of! Our Learning Center and Innovation Center are where you can get quick hit information in a digestible format. Come hear from TIA’s 2025 Shark Tank Winner Drumkit.ai on how they made that happen or maybe you are interested in learning more about why businesses choose to sell their business; or how to navigate economic uncertainty; or what to do when leadership and compliance collide and so much more.

You can learn more about conference Learning Labs here (https://web.cvent.com/event/a116b827-1c33-4aee-b613-d74bae9471bb/websitePage:27c4e530-f918-4c27-b0bc-becfe33075e4)

Business & Networking Opportunities

Because all work and no play makes for a cranky attendee, in between learning and eating we have scheduled in time for you to do business and network with new and old colleagues in a relaxed and fun setting. Be sure to add these to your conference schedule so you don’t miss out:

• TIAIRE Golf Outing
• Newcomer Orientation
• Small Company Networking
• Welcome Reception
• Daily Breakfast
• Refreshment Breaks
• Topical Lunches: Intermodal Lunch, Networking Lunch, Women in Logistics Lunch or Young Executives Lunch
• Dedicated Exhibit Hall Hours, including an Exhibit Hall Lunch on April 11
• Fraud Hack-a-thon
• Closing Night Reception
  
  

But Wait…There is More

Now that you are ready to join us in San Antonio this April, be sure to make plans and stay for our inaugural Sales Success Summit taking place on April 12. Led by the top industry experts in sales and marketing, this one-day conference will put you or your sales team in the driver’s seat to make 2025 your best year yet!

Join us and learn how you can enhance your team’s sales performance, streamline operations and build lasting customer relationships. You can read more about the Sales Success Summit on page XXX. Your competitors are investing in their sales team, isn’t it about time you did too?

 There are many reasons why 3PL leaders attend TIA’s Capital Ideas Conference every year… and that is because it is the only conference dedicated to success of the 3PL industry from top to entry-level. TIA’s annual conference delivers the total package of all that you need to know to build on your success.