Event Date

October 18, 2011 at 5:00AM - October 18, 2011 at 1:00PM

Location

This event is for CTL Partners and invited guests.

Agenda | FAQs | Summary Report

MIT Faculty Club (Campus Map)

Virtually all supply chains are global to some degree. Whether your firm is focused on importing finished goods from the Pacific Rim, exporting agriculture products to Europe, or anything in between – you are most likely managing a complicated transportation network that crosses several borders, uses multiple modes, and involves a variety of third party companies.    This one-day conference is concerned with how shippers currently do and, more importantly, how they should design, procure, and manage their global transportation networks. We will discuss all legs required for global transportation for both import and export to include truck, rail, and ocean as well as port operations on both the origin and destination ends of the move. Due to time, we will not cover air transportation in this symposium.    While there are many issues concerning global transportation, this one-day roundtable will focus in on reliability. Some questions that we hope to address during the day include: 
  • How reliable are current global transportation networks? 
  • What are the sources of unreliability and what is the root cause?
  • What can the players within the supply chain (trucking firm, ocean carrier, terminal operator, railroad, freight forwarder, etc.) do to improve the total transit reliability? 
  • How can a shipper incentivize their supply chain to improve reliability?
  • How should inventory levels be set given a level of transit reliability? 
The roundtable has two objectives. First, we hope to gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding unreliability in global transportation. Second, we hope to generate interest and involvement in the Global Transportation Reliability Initiative that we are launching across MIT’s Global SCALE Network. The initiative is a data driven analysis into the sources of and potential solutions for reducing transit variability.    MIT CTL roundtables are designed to be highly interactive with all attendees sharing their opinions and insights. Shippers (importers and exporters), carriers (ocean, rail, and truck), as well as third parties (forwarders, 3PLs, software vendors) will attend and participate.   To further facilitate the discussion, the roundtable attendance will be limited to 24 participants. 

FAQs

What is the cost of this conference?

Where is the conference being held?

When does the conference officially begin and end?
Are accommodations provided?
Where should I stay?
Where is the nearest airport?
What is the best way to travel from the airport to the course?
Should I rent a car?
If I drive, how do I get there and where can I park?
What should I wear?
What if I have a dietary restriction or allergy?

What is the cost of this conference?

This conference will be free of charge.

Where is the conference being held?

The conference will be held at the MIT Faculty Club - 6th floor, located at 50 Memorial Drive (building E52). You can locate building E52 by using MIT's interactive campus map.

When does the course officially begin and end?

Conference check-in and informal networking will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 18, and adjourn at approximately 5:00 p.m.

 When booking your return flight, take into consideration the following recommendations for travel time and security checks at Logan: allow two hours for a domestic flight and three hours for an international flight.

Are accommodations provided?
No, each person is responsible for his/her own accommodations.

Where should I stay?
Guests are responsible for their own hotel accommodations. We do not have a block of rooms reserved. However, the hotel property most conveniently located to the campus is the Marriott Cambridge Boston.

Marriott Cambridge Boston
Two Cambridge Center
50 Broadway
Cambridge MA 02142
617-494-6600

For additional accommodation listings, please see Visiting CTL; however, please note that the room rates do not vary greatly for those hotel properties in proximity to MIT.

Where is the nearest airport?
Boston's Logan International Airport.

What is the best way to travel from the airport to the conference?

To get to MIT from the airport, we strongly suggest taking a cab. The trip will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, and the fare is roughly $30-35. The cab fare from Logan is always a bit more than the return, because a surcharge at the airport and a tunnel toll add approximately $5 to the total fare.

If you live locally and prefer public transportation, take the MBTA Red Line to the Kendall/MIT stop. It is a short three block walk from the T.

Should I rent a car?
We do not recommend renting a car. The expense on top of poorly marked streets and lack of available parking makes having a car more of a nuisance than a convenience.

If I drive, how do I get there and where can I park?
If you are renting a car or will be driving, MapQuest and Google Map offer excellent mapping services to get you from your doorstep to MIT.

The nearest self-parking garage is adjacent to the Cambridge Marriott. Rates are approximately $20/day. This garage is not owned or operated by the Marriott.

Addresses for your mapping requests: 50 Memorial Dr., Cambridge (Faculty Club) and the nearest parking garage is adjacent to 50 Broadway, Cambridge (yes, both 50).

What should I wear?
Appropriate attire is business casual; no ties or suit coats are necessary.

What if I have a dietary restriction or allergy?
If you have a dietary restriction or allergy, please email CTL Events Coordinator, Nancy Martin, nlmartin@mit.edu to let her know.