For three days in Amsterdam the Young Movers worked and played as only they know how.

The Young Movers Conference for young managers in the removals industry has been
held every year since 1991. This year no fewer than 180 participants, representing removal companies from 33 countries in Europe and far beyond, came to Amsterdam to exchange ideas about the future of the international removals sector. The meetings, gatherings, discussions and workshops on the conference programme were aimed at preparing these young managers for the tasks that lie ahead of them. The Young Movers Conference also offers those managers an excellent opportunity for international networking and for sharing knowledge and experience.

Proactive
One of the conference's guest speakers was Brian Limperopulos from the International Association of Movers (IAM). Brian identified climate change as one of the challenges facing the removals industry. “Climate change leads to more stringent fuel-efficiency requirements, the use of alternative energy sources and effects on urban freight transport through the introduction of low emission zones. All of these interventions do, however, lead to increased costs.”

There are opportunities for the industry in terms of technological developments, innovative industry-led solutions and the acceptance of common standards. “By becoming proactive today, we as an industry will be able to determine which policies are implemented and how, instead of waiting for developments to happen,” he said.

Ellen Troska from the Federation of European Movers Associations (FEDEMAC) examined the various standards affecting the industry in more detail. In addition to the European CEN standard, various countries also require compliance with their own supplementary standards, codes and best practices. In the United States different standards, again, apply. One of the workshops was dedicated to discussing the need for and impact of standardisation.

“The whole sector in Europe is in a transitional phase. We need to come together in order to consider more efficient solutions, sustainability and lower costs,” says Jelle Boonstra of the Dutch Association for Transport and Logistics. “The focus is shifting to include supplementary facility services, including storage, relocation services and consultation, in addition to the traditional transportation of goods from A to B. Increasingly, it's all about making life easier for customers and offering them added value. It's up to removal companies to determine for themselves where exactly they want to be within the chain.”

Programme
In addition to the plenary discussions, the conference programme also offered its international participants a number of excursions, guest speaker lectures and workshops. Visits were made to destinations including FloraHolland in Aalsmeer, P.A. van Rooyen Topmovers in Uithoorn (a visit which included a viewing of ECB Group containers) and Koninklijke Saan and the Saan Museum in Diemen.

The Young Movers Conference Amsterdam 2013 was organised by P.A. van Rooyen Topmovers and the ECB Group with the support of the Dutch Association for Transport and Logistics, FEDEMAC, the Dutch Organisation for Certified Movers and many sponsors. The 2014 conference will take place in London.