There’s No Substitute for Personal Interaction

Over the course of my 20+ years in publishing, I’ve done hundreds of interviews, both on the phone and in person. I could count the number of phone conversations I remember on one hand, but I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the ones I remember doing when sitting across from the person I was talking to.

You simply can’t replace the impact of looking someone in the eye when you’re talking to them, and I was reminded of that fact last week when I traveled to Germany to attend the Bremen Cotton Conference. Above and beyond the excellent presentations given by some of the industry’s top minds, the value of the discussions I had with friends and colleagues from around the globe simply couldn’t have been duplicated on the phone.

Keep that thought in mind as you look at your calendar for the last week of April, because that will be the next opportunity to engage your partners and customers in the global cotton and textile communities on a personal level. When things are stable and business-as-usual, perhaps a “status check” phone call is enough.

But today’s market environment is anything but stable, and businesses haven’t had to deal with this much volatility and uncertainty in recent memory. The first step toward finding solutions that work for everyone – not just one sector – will be taken in Bangkok. Twenty expert speakers from around the world will provide their thoughts and insights on:

• Risk management strategies for volatile times
• The outlook for the world’s top cotton and textile markets
• Changes in global trade patterns
• Emerging markets that will be the key to cotton’s future growth

The need for all stakeholders to work together to build a stronger supply chain is greater than ever, and trading voicemail messages while playing phone tag with your partners and customers simply won’t get the job done.

See you in Bangkok.