It's been about a month since London International Shipping Week ended, and I still catch myself thinking about it, not the panels or receptions, but what the week revealed about how fragmented the supply chain industry really is.

After twenty years in trucking and brokerage, I thought I understood logistics. I've spent enough time in warehouses, dispatch offices, and meeting rooms to know what makes the system tick and what makes it break. But stepping into the maritime world reminded me that we aren't one industry. We're a collection of silos, each fighting similar battles without realizing how much overlap there really is.

If you’ve been in logistics long enough, you’ve probably attended your fair share of industry events. Some are trade shows with big exhibition floors and endless booths. Others are smaller, more specialized gatherings. They all have their place.

But London International Shipping Week (LISW) isn’t either of those. It’s something different.

Rather than a single venue or giant expo hall, LISW takes place across London, inside law firms, financial institutions, historic buildings, and even on ships moored along the Thames. It’s not about collecting swag bags or walking the tradeshow floor. It’s about conversations, high-level discussions on the issues shaping global shipping and the world of supply chain.

But social feeds and headlines condition us to believe if you’re not growing at warp speed, you’re failing. Cue the 10X bros telling you to grind harder, sell more, never stop scaling. But that’s not a business strategy. That’s just bullshit.