NOL and the World Shipping Council Leader Ron Widdows to Deliver Opening Keynote Address at the 9th Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference, March 2 & 3, 2009 in Los Angeles

Early-bird discount registration rates end Feb. 2

NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Ron Widdows, the Group President and CEO of NOL Group, parent of APL, and Chairman of the World Shipping Council, will deliver the opening keynote address of the 9th Annual Journal of Commerce Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference (www.joc.com/conferences/tpm/) on March 2-3, 2009. The award-winning conference will take place at the landmark Westin Bonaventure Hotel, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles’ financial district. Early-bird discount registration rates end Feb. 2.

The theme of TPM this year is “Taking Costs out of the Supply Chain,” reflecting the cost-cutting, efficiency-gaining mandates that many logistics departments are confronting in response to flat or falling revenues. Issues such as congestion seem like the distant past, while new challenges associated with getting through the recession are rapidly emerging.

Widdows, whose speech will begin at 8:45 a.m. on March 2, is a longtime leader in container shipping and within the past year has become the most prominent spokesman for the industry. During 2008 he was elevated to lead NOL and the World Shipping Council, and directed NOL’s high-profile pursuit of Hapag-Lloyd.

Also, as chairman of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement, Widdows is proposing a capacity management plan for the trade that is currently before the Federal Maritime Commission. Finally, his efforts in recent years to elevate freight movement within U.S. transportation policy may be poised to yield dividends with the Obama Administration fiscal stimulus and the pending highway bill reauthorization.

“There is truly no one in the container shipping industry who is more at the center of the action than Ron Widdows,” said Liam Power, vice president of the magazine division at UBM Global Trade (www.ubmglobaltrade.com), parent of The Journal of Commerce (www.joc.com). “Few in the industry match his global perspective, speaking abilities and the depth of his presentations, so in this year of economic crisis, there is no one better to kick off the annual TPM.”

Widdows has bluntly challenged the industry to accept the reality of painful times in the industry. In his essay published in the recent Journal of Commerce Review and Outlook, he said, “Our industry is headed into a down cycle the likes of which we’ve never seen and the end of which we can’t predict.” Due to the excess in vessel ordering by container lines, he added, “…this economic recession is likely to bring profound changes to our industry.”

Deemed the most important annual gathering for senior executives from shippers, carriers, 3PLs, terminals, railroads, industrial real estate and other players in the trans-Pacific container market, the Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference is strategically timed to provide crucial insight on the issues being faced entering pre-contract negotiations and planning for the peak summer-fall season.

Among the topics covered at TPM this year will be the economic outlook for container shipping, Southern California truck plan, infrastructure opportunities for freight transport, and how to utilizing more effective packaging to cut freight costs. The conference will feature a keynote speech on Day 2 by Dr. Fu Yuning, head of China Merchants Holdings, the largest terminal operator in China. It will also feature a luncheon address by noted energy expert Paul Michael Wihbey, who will offer predictions on fuel and bunker prices and the shifting global context in which energy politics are being played out.

TPM earned a 2008 Bronze FAME (Folio Awards for Magazine Events) honor for “Best Conference,” based on attendee experience, session content and speaker quality, marketing and onsite activities. A record-breaking 1,300 attendees registered in 2008.

For the latest 2009 Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference details, visit http://www.joc.com/conferences/tpm/. To register, contact JoC Conferences at (760) 294-5563 or events@joc.com. Register by Feb. 2 for the early-bird discount. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Anne Morris at (818) 341-3585 or amorris@joc.com.

About UBM Global Trade

UBM Global Trade, formerly Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., has been the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide since 1827. The company’s portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, The Journal of Commerce Conferences, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited, is headquartered in East Windsor, NJ, with offices throughout the United States and in Canada and Hong Kong. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-221-5488 (+1-609-371-7700 outside the U.S. and Canada).

About United Business Media Ltd. (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com)

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalist to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM’s businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb, Think Services, UBM Aviation and UBM Global Trade. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $2.5 billion.

SOURCE The Journal of Commerce Conferences, a division of UBM Global Trade