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.

Last week, I found myself amidst the massive booths and cargo chatter of Breakbulk Europe 2025 in Rotterdam. As someone who's spent 22 years navigating the lanes of over-the-road (OTR) freight, diving into the world of breakbulk and project freight was like swapping my trusty Fiat for a monster truck, very intimidating, but so energizing.

The Venetian in Las Vegas hosted 6,000+ supply chain and logistics professionals representing 60+ countries at Manifest:The Future of Supply Chain and Logistics, and while AI, robotics, and data were hot topics, the real story was how companies are adapting to an era of discomfort, change, and rapid decision-making. Here’s what stood out: