Hold it and they will come!
A brief history of the Outlook Conferences

                     By David Hinks, Editor, CILTNA News Letter, Spring 2009

    As we look forward to Outlook 2009 in about a month I was asked recently how it is that the Outlook Conferences have come to be such an important part of CILTNA’s annual activities.  Once I started asking a few questions I found that it is a fascinating story when one traces the development of the Outlook conferences back to the very first Outlook conference in 1997.

    To get the whole story I met with Hazem Ghonima FCILT, our Chief Executive Officer, for lunch last week.  With a little prodding Hazem admitted that the Outlook Conferences were basically his creation.   He was Chair of the Ottawa Chapter when the idea first came to him.
 

  Hazem Ghonima FCILT, CEO, CILT North America

    At the time he was struck by the precarious financial situation of the Ottawa Chapter as there was only about $1,000 in the bank.  There was no regular income as member dues go directly to the CILTNA head office.  As well there was no regular fundraising in place and no activity other than the holding of monthly luncheon-seminar meetings.  (The local chapters do not need a lot of money as their main activities have been monthly luncheons with guest speakers– with any luck the entry charge for lunch covers the cost of the food and the meeting room – however there is not much cushion if there was poor attendance at any luncheon nor are there seed funds to undertake a more ambitious agenda.)

    At the same time there was a decision by Transport Canada to discontinue its regular forecasting conference (with the exception of the air mode).  Hazem, whose business expertise (he is the President and CEO of TAF Consultants), and personal passion was transportation freight analysis and forecasting, was quick to smell an opportunity.  But, as he states, his overall motivation has been to “promote the discipline of forecasting as a vital tool for strategic planning, business development and policy decisions”.  Transport Canada was very willing to give its blessing to the undertaking of a forecasting conference as they were keen not to lose a forward looking capability.

    Amazingly he was able to convince the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Chapter to agree to hold a conference.  This was an incredible display of confidence for there was no small risk associated with this decision.  With all of the upfront costs of booking a venue and promoting a conference, the downside risk, if the conference had failed to elicit any response or had to be cancelled for any reason, could easily have cost the Ottawa Chapter ten to twenty thousand dollars.
 

     However, with an enormous amount of careful planning, program development, speaker selection, endless promotion, tight control over costs and the commitment of the then Minister of Transport, David Collenette, to speak at the conference it was a tremendous success – the Ottawa Chapter reaped a net return of $10,000 after all the expenses were taken care of.   Hazem, supported by a planning group from the Ottawa Chapter, had found a niche for a transportation conference with a focus on the future.   Hazem attributes the success of the conference to a “new integrated conference structure and concept that attracted people and gave them a whole new perspective on forecasting”.

    After Hazem’s year as Chair of the Ottawa Chapter, a new Chair and Board was in place.  Hazem’s enthusiasm for the Outlook Conference was not shared to the same degree – they just could not see themselves as being able to put in the effort that Hazem had brought to the planning and execution of Outlook so they decided not to go ahead with a follow-up conference the next year.

    Meanwhile other events were percolating at the CILTNA national level.  The latter was facing a financial crunch due in part to a large loss resulting from a last minute decision to cancel a planned conference in Toronto.  This financial success story of the Ottawa Chapter’s Outlook Conference obviously attracted the interest of the CILTNA head office, also situated in Ottawa.

    Hazem was very interested in pursuing an opportunity to present further Outlook Conferences and was open to overtures from the CILTNA executive.  An arrangement was struck with the CILTNA whereby Hazem was given a fair degree of autonomy and willing support from both the CILTNA office and from the CILTNA Ottawa Chapter.

    Following a tried and tested formula the second Outlook Conference  proved to be a greater success generating a surplus of $17,000.  The Ottawa Chapter received $3,000 for its assistance with the conference with the remainder going to the CILTNA.

    The success of the second Outlook Conference helped to put CILTNA back on a secure financial footing and eventually led to the hiring of Hazem as our Chief Executive Officer.  Each of the Outlook Conferences has had its notable achievements - one that stands out for Hazem is 2008 which gathered in one session speakers from the world major waterways: the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway – a first in North America, generating a net surplus of $30,000.  And as they say, the rest is history – the string of successful Outlook Conferences culminating in Outlook 2009 has been key to the ongoing success of the CILTNA.