Wow – the 2019 RLA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas is said by many to be the best event ever for the reverse logistics industry. We put our best efforts into exceeding our members’ expectations, and over 600 attendees were there to see if we delivered. We added the SERI workshop on R2 certification basics, and many of you paid extra to participate. For the first time ever, we added a VIP Women’s luncheon, and I was told to have this every year by the many attendees that were in the room. We moved to a new venue, the Mirage Hotel, and more than 1100 room nights were booked - more than double last year! And we’ve been given overwhelming positive results with your experience in the hotel.

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The Conference featured 4 amazing keynote speakers this year. Steve Koenig gave the annual review of CES with commentary about possible product return forecasts. Kate Vitasek spoke about the Vested principles and moderated a panel of global companies putting them into practice. Whurley gave a view of future possibilities with quantum computing. And Michelle James announced the new grading program for mobile phones in the secondary market, and there will be more than 180 million cell phones resold this year alone. We also featured 12 panel sessions with familiar topics and new voices, as well as new topics like apparel returns and venture investments in the returns industry by experienced voices.

There are pictures and stories in this edition of RL Magazine that capture some of the many connections made and the new information provided to those in attendance. The Expo hall was constantly busy with the many business meetings between the exhibitors and the attendees. If you missed this premier and valuable event, watch for more RLA seminars and summits this year, including Europe and Asia. Plan now for the RLA Conference & Expo 2020 to be February 5-7 again at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

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Tony Sciarrotta
Best regards, Tony Sciarrotta tony@rla.org