2020 was a year to forget for lots of people.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption in almost all walks of life and shook the world to its very core.

However, in amongst that chaos was also opportunity as Courtney Muller discovered.

Today, she serves as President at Manifest Vegas as well as Chief Corporate Development Officer at Connectiv. Manifest brings together the most comprehensive ecosystem of those innovating and transforming end-to-end supply chain and logistics. It is a must-attend for those looking to discover how technology is transforming the way goods are moved around the world.

As a result of the pandemic’s impact, Muller and her team had a long wait before Manifest could launch its first event in 2022. But, according to Muller, that actually acted as an advantage. “It was a blessing in disguise,” she tells us. “We had a two-year lead up to build the first Manifest. This is very unusual for a conference but it enabled us to penetrate the industry, not just in the United States but globally.”

And it has quickly become one of the most hotly anticipated events in the supply chain calendar. With 6,000+ total attendees arriving from over 50 countries, there will be more than 1,500 shippers, 1,200 startups and investors and over 300 world-class speakers at the three-day event. Set to be hosted at The Venetian for the first time, Manifest showcases a unique combination of a global audience with an all-star line-up of speakers, exhibitors and networking all blended to make Manifest an unmissable experience.

Early beginnings

That launch event in January 2022 was the culmination of a significant amount of work by Muller and her team. Indeed, it could have been seen as something of a risk considering the uptake of virtual events in the wake of the pandemic. However, Muller was determined to make Manifest a success. “When we launched the event, the Omicron wave was in full force,” she reveals. “I can’t tell you how many conversations we had with people to reassure them we were still holding the show. It’s funny to look back now because everyone wore a mask that first year and that’s an important part of the journey. But you can’t beat in-person communication. It’s the best way to build relationships and network.”

Katie Date, SVP, Industry Relations and Strategic Initiatives at Manifest, has been with the organisation for a little over a year. Date has 20 years of experience bridging businesses, research, and education in various supply chain roles. Currently, she leads efforts to build strategic partnerships, drive innovation, and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the industry. She also founded the Women in Supply Chain Initiative at MIT, a pioneering project that expands knowledge and resources to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

People-focused

Her journey to Manifest is an interesting one as she was recruited by Muller after delivering a keynote speech at the Women in Supply Chain Lunch at Manifest in 2023. “I was on stage talking about the topic of diversity and inclusion which is close to my heart and Courtney and I had a very short conversation backstage which really set the wheels in motion,” she explains. “I got to see the magic that was Manifest, meet the team and see first-hand what they were creating. A year and a half later, we’re still creating that magic.”

Muller adds that recruiting Date was one of the most important moves her company has made so far due to the qualities she brings to the table. “Katie’s background and expertise is so important, and we both really care about DEI and gender diversity,” explains Muller. “It is a topic we connected on together. I had seen Katie quoted in a Wall Street Journal article which is how I came to know about her. I reached out to her LinkedIn, and I remember not hearing from her for a while so when I finally did, I was so excited and she ended up giving one of the best speeches we’ve ever had at the Women’s Lunch.”

Innovation

A new exciting element that Manifest is introducing is mentorship. As part of the invitation to the Manifest Women’s Lunch, conference organisers ask the C-suite level attendees whether they would like to be a mentor or mentee. Anyone who shows interest will be added to the event networking app for matchmaking before being paired up.

“We are suggesting that these people can meet at the Women’s Lunch but they would obviously be able to meet before that if they would like,” says Muller. “Katie is going to talk about how to be a great mentor and how as a mentee you can get the most out of the relationship. We are hoping that at the end of the lunch, there are going to be lots of people hanging around who are meeting for the first time, potentially in a new mentor-mentee relationship, and that they will have been matched up by the Manifest technology. We are really excited about this.”

Muller adds that one of the great things about the Manifest Women’s Lunch is that a significant number of men also attend. “Often when you go to women’s events, it is 95% women, but this event attracts an even spread and we have a lot of men asking questions at the end and really engaging to learn more,” she reveals. “It’s just such a great thing to see and I feel that many people walk out of that lunch learning something that they didn’t know before and adopt a new practice around gender diversity.”

Navigating the supply chain 

Given the disruptive nature of the supply chain in recent years following a barrage of issues ranging from COVID-19 to geopolitical tensions, Manifest aims to shine a light on the problems of the day and advice on how to tackle them. “I’m really proud that at Manifest we have sessions focusing on cutting-edge technologies like AI, visibility and autonomous vehicles, but we’re also looking at things like organisational design and change management,” explains Date. “Also by popular demand, we are expanding our shipper round tables. For shippers particularly, this is a great opportunity because shippers in a small group setting get to talk about the issues that are top of mind and walk away with some new connections and some real tangible solutions that can be applied in the supply chain.”

Date’s primary area of focus is recruiting shippers to Manifest. With more than 6,000 supply chain leaders in attendance, Manifest is certainly creating quite the buzz in the space. “My aim is to attract more shippers to the event. With so many on stage bringing their larger teams to the event, it’s a great signal to the industry that this is truly the place to be with your peers,” explains Date. “A lot of people consider Manifest a little mini supply chain reunion because there are so many people from lots of different companies there. And we love it because we do the business at Manifest, but we also like to have fun with things to make it a truly immersive experience at every corner of the event.”

Why Manifest?

Manifest certainly offers something for everyone. With more than 150 conference sessions covering a range of aspects within the supply chain ranging from robotics and AI to nearshoring and sustainability, attendees will be spoilt for choice. The conference will offer an innovation stage on the expo hall where some 40 companies will present and demo their latest technologies and there will also be a startup area that will host up to 100 startups.

“Our expo floor is unique because it offers so many opportunities to network and have fun with peers,” explains Muller. “We keep our audiences well hydrated with coffee bars, we have a beer garden and if you don’t like alcohol, we’ve got a mocktails area too. You can pet a puppy, swing a golf club, or even play an arcade game on the Manifest Expo floor while browsing the latest technologies. It’s an event that focuses on innovation, content, networking, and an incredible show experience. We invest in the things that make it a better experience for our audience.”

After Party

And following a packed three-day agenda at Manifest, Grammy-nominated and global megastar Flo Rida will perform exclusively for the conference on the Official After Party stage. With international hits such as ‘Low’, ‘Right Round’ and ‘My House’, Flo Rida has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. “The response has been great. Everyone knows Flo Rida and his music is extremely upbeat so we’re all really excited about this booking,” affirms Muller. “Every year, we try to get a great performer and I truly feel like Flo Rida has resonated with our audience.”

Previous years has seen the likes of Ludacris, Nelly and Neo all perform at Manifest’s After Party. Date adds that the advantage of booking headliners is the close setting. “These parties are pretty small and you can get quite close to the performers,” she explains. “It’s a great opportunity to let your hair down and have a great time. It’s truly a celebration of everything that we’ve put into planning the event, but everything that the industry has put into making the content so rich.”

Future plans

Despite so much planned for 2025’s event, Muller and her team have no intention of slowing down. With more countries set to be represented than ever before at approximately 50+, Manifest is driven to go international. “In the 2024 show, we had 44 countries represented, and the year before it was about 35. We keep growing every year and we are now seeing people from all five continents attend our conference. We truly are a global event.”

As part of that, the team’s long-term plan is to host an event in Europe, however, there are no firm plans for when or where this will be yet. “For now, our focus is on getting companies from outside the US to participate in Manifest,” reveals Muller. “About 15% to 20% of our speakers are from outside the United States and this past year we actually hired a European representative called Babs Baxter. We hired her from Logistics Business Magazine in the UK, and she’s helping us bring more European companies and get the word out in Europe about Manifest. This will be a constant drumbeat for us and we will continue to be global to ensure that our attendance is representative of people all over the world.”

Targeting Europe

Date adds that bringing Manifest to Europe where lots of multinational companies have headquarters will provide the additional ability to attract leaders who can’t necessarily bring their whole team to the United States. “Instead, they could bring their team to a regional European show and it’ll give us the opportunity to really expand on content and some of those intricacies in the supply chain,” she discusses. “What I’ve learned about travelling throughout the world is that almost everyone has a common goal to make the supply chain run smoothly. There are so many lessons that can be learned across fences, and I think that’s what Manifest does really well. It’s about bringing people together.”