CONNECTA & PANGEA are consolidated as the most dynamic transport networks

The 2016 Global Meetings of both networks will be held in Abu Dhabi from 17th to 19th October and all forwarders Members are invited to attend.

CONNECTA, a network of forwarders specialized in air transport with 125 IATA agents in 50 countries and PANGEA, global network of independent freight forwarders with 190 agents in 95 countries, face the second half of 2016 by celebrating important milestones in their expansion and activity, as well as a great meeting to take place this autumn: their Global Meetings. For the first time, they will be celebrated together in Abu Dhabi from 17th to 19th October during the event FREIGHTCAMP, and expects to bring together record attendance.

CONNECTA: The airfreight specialist network

CONNECTA, with barely a year existence has become the fastest growing airfreight specialist network. At present more than 125 agents from 50 countries form part of CONNECTA and can be consulted here. All the agents have IATA/CASS/CNS certifications and many of them are accredited by the local air authorities. Apart from the more conventional transport services, the CONNECTA members offer other highly specialised solutions such as AOG desktop, critical shipments, dangerous goods transport, perishable products and live animals, amongst others.

A growing number of these operations are made in collaboration with other CONNECTA members, as cooperation with other forwarders allows agents to access more attractive opportunities and compete on equal terms with the multinationals without losing their independence.

PANGEA: Wide introduction and specialization

On their part, five years after their start-up, PANGEA has become one of the international networks of independent forwarders counting on a greater presence, surpassing 190 agents in 95 countries of the five continents. The list of members can be accessed here and is made up of agents with a strong position in their local markets. Furthermore, many of the PANGEA members have the main certifications of the sector (IATA, FIATA, AEO and local entities) and are accredited with high level of specialization in complex projects and operations.

The majority of these agents have been members for many years and maintain a regular level of cooperation that allows them to opt for new business opportunities all over the world. Some of the most recent achievements of the PANGEA members can be consulted in the news section of the network’s webpage and cover from intermodal transport projects to the movement of special or voluminous loads.

FREIGHTCAMP 2016: Joint conference of CONNECTA and PANGEA

Without doubt, the most waited event of the year for CONNECTA and PANGEA members is the global conference that every year brings together the representatives of the network members where they share experiences, make contacts, and explore opportunities for joint business. This year the attraction of the event will be even greater, because the CONNECTA and PANGEA global meetings will be held together in Abu Dhabi from 17th to 19th October as part of the event called FREIGHTCAMP 2016 (details here).

For 3 days, attendees will enjoy conferences, one-2-one meeting sessions and social networking events as getting to know the charms of Abu Dhabi. The aim of FREIGHTCAMP 2016 is to foment personal contacts between members, which are the key for generating confidence and business with new partners as well as strengthening existing partnerships.

In this sense, year after year it has been demonstrated that collaboration between agents notably increases after the conferences. For example, after the PANGEA Conference in Barecelona 2012 the number of shipments between members of the network increased a 52%, a 60% after the Bangkok Conference in 2013 and a 46% after the event in 2014 in Kuala Lumpur. Then, the Global Conference held in Barcelona in 2015 made the activity of the network increase 97% over the following months.

This year, with the joint celebration of the CONNECTA and PANGEA conferences in Abu Dhabi during FREIGHTCAMP 2016, it is expected to break new records as regards the establishment of contacts and the joint commercial activities between members. And after the event, members will be able to continue in contact the rest of the year by means of collaboration and working tools that the intranet of each network offers.

New tools for fomenting cooperation

Apart from facilitating personal contact between members during the respective global conferences, both CONNECTA and PANGEA offer agents tools for maintaining contact over the year, by sharing information and news, by promoting participation and making networking easy with technology. For example, in 2106 the whole system that supports the intranet of the two networks has been renovated to incorporate new tools such as a notification system of payments between agents, a shared holiday calendar and the revolutionary Internal Message Center (IMC), an exclusive communication system for members that permits a more agile and safe collaboration.

Just as Sarah Bidmead, Network Manager of CONNECTA and PANGE indicates: “When dealing with the development of business relationships, personal contact is the key and that’s why it’s important to attend the CONNECTA and PANGEA global meetings. The members of both networks will have the opportunity to know, meet, make contacts and explore business synergies with leading counterpart forwarders from worldwide. And after the event they will be able to maintain contact through the exclusive tools we offer“.