Blythe Brumleve:
0:00
Welcome into another episode of everything. Is logistics, a podcast for the thinkers in freight. My name is Blythe Milligan, and we are proudly presented by SPI logistics, and we've got a fantastic episode for you today. We have Courtney Muller. She is the president of manifest, the future of supply chain and logistics taking place at the beautiful Venetian in Las Vegas February 10 to the 12th of 2025 so we are here to talk about all things manifest, but also how influencer marketing and how their early partnerships, and even to this day, their content partnerships with creators all over the logistics and supply chain ecosystem, has really helped to create this nice little niche for creators within this space. But also, I think, has fueled a lot of the attention surrounding manifest. And so obviously, you guys do a great job at hosting the event, of putting on the event too. Can I we would just play a small role, but kudos to play a big role in the team. Well, there's, there's so many of us now. There's so many logistics creators, so So first, I guess you know, welcome to the show. I should probably say that to Courtney, welcome back to the show. I should say thank you
Courtney Muller:
1:24
so much. Blythe, it is great to be here once again, and I love telling people that you were one of the very first people to support manifest back in the day when we were launching. So you know, we continue to appreciate that support. Yeah,
Blythe Brumleve:
1:35
thank you. Because, I mean, it really was your emails that y'all were sending out. And I thought, Oh, wow, this company looks really cool because they're, they're doing something, you know, a modern approach to media and marketing in this space. And I think I just filled out a website form on your website, and I was like, hey, I want to be involved some way or another. And now it's just, it's really cool to see the manifest growth, and then also from the community of creators within this space. It's, you know, I think when I first reach out, it was probably less than 20 podcasters and supply chain and logistics, and now we're well over 100 so I think,
Courtney Muller:
2:11
oh my gosh, that is amazing. I didn't know that's that. That's incredible.
Blythe Brumleve:
2:16
It's, I saw someone put out a list the other day that it was over 100 creators now, within this space. Now, I don't know how many of them are actively publishing regularly, but shows titled logistics or supply chain, it's over 100 now, which, yeah, is awesome. Well, so great industry to be in. That's the bottom line, exactly. And there's so many stories to be told, and a lot of those stories really begin at manifest, because it's the one place that I've been to, conference wise, where I can see the entire supply chain ecosystem under one roof, was that, by design, early on, it
Courtney Muller:
2:51
was. From the very beginning, our focus has absolutely been on innovation and technology, and there's innovation happening across the entire supply chain. So we never said to ourselves, we're going to focus in on one part of the supply chain, and the innovation happening there, because it was everywhere. So from the beginning, we've been saying we are end to end supply chain technology, and we live and breathe that. And it's, I think it's one of the great things like you say about the show. I mean, obviously there's some big trade shows out there that cover everything, but that's what they are. They're big trade shows. We are a conference, and we are focused in on innovation and technology, and we love startups, obviously, and entrepreneurs and bringing in the investor community, in addition to all of the industry strategics that make make the supply chain happen. So yes, I would say it's been absolutely by design. From the beginning, we didn't see another event out there, like manifest, so we thought it was a window, and we jumped into
Blythe Brumleve:
3:50
it. So would you you just said something that caught my attention, because I think we kind of have a or I personally have a habit of kind of lumping all events into one genre where it's just everything's a conference. But you, you mentioned that, you know, some are trade shows and some are conferences. What's sort of the difference between those two?
Courtney Muller:
4:09
Yeah, I The difference is, to me, a trade show is more focused on the expo floor. So what my what I like to say is it's miles of aisles. So when you go to a trade show. It's a big expo floor. There are free passes to get into the expo hall and Oh, and by the way, there's some conferences going on, and you may pay for those conferences. Manifest is a conference we first care about the content and the education. And this year at man, or next year, I should say, at manifest will be offering over 150 educational sessions covering 60 to 70 hours of content, you know, and that's a lot it'll be covering. It'll be over seven tracks over the two and a half days. And that really is our main focus, getting the right speakers from the right companies, talking about the innovations in our industry on stage and Oh, and by the way, we have an expo hall. All. So we're the reverse, you know, a trade show is a big expo floor, and, oh, by the way, they have a conference. We're a conference. And, oh, by the way, we have an expo hall. Um, you've been to our show though, Blythe, so you know how important the expo hall is to us, and we do invest a lot in it, and our sponsors do as well. Um, so we're not miles of aisles. Um, we are really, I would say we're a highly curated event, you know, mostly, again, focusing on technology and innovation. So we're never going to be as big as a Promat or a modex, because there's all sorts of companies there that are not technology facing, and they wouldn't belong at manifest. So we're always going to be smaller than those, but more curated and more high level. And I really think that's the big difference. The other thing about manifest is we focus heavily on the networking aspect. It's really important for people to be able to connect and set meetings with the right people. So we have a meeting center in the Expo Hall that's free to everybody. Obviously, you pay to come to manifest, but it is part of your ticket. And you know, our badges, my this is my favorite thing, so I have to do this. Every badge has a beacon on it. All you have to do is get close to someone else and press the button, and you automatically connect with that person. And the information goes into your profile on the app. So we encourage networking. We want it to happen. We track the number of meetings that happen at manifest, and we measured that's part of our success. In our minds, how many meetings took place, because meetings mean business is happening.
Blythe Brumleve:
6:30
Oh, that. I love that. So I wonder, what other kind of, I guess, interesting data points do you collect, you know, at from the conference itself? I mean, obviously attendees, I think I heard Pam say the other day that you crossed 5000 sign ups or 5000 registrations for last year's event. So outside of, you know, maybe meetings booked and the attendees. What other, I guess, sort of data points are important to you, to measure?
Courtney Muller:
6:54
Yeah, well, we look across the industry at certain sectors to make sure we have the most important companies from different sectors, but we also look at the titles that are coming like we care about how many CEOs are at manifest, and we greatly encourage CEOs to attend through very advantageous pricing for startups. And we also feel, you know, once there's a lot of C level in the room, it invites other C level. I mean, you don't want to be the one CEO who didn't come and you sent your SVP. You should be there yourself. So we count the number of CEOs, we count the number of C titles, we count the number of VPS, because we want to know exactly, really, how high level our audience is. And each year, it turns out, more than 50% are VP level or above, and I think last year, we had about 500 CEOs, something like that. So it'll be more in 2025 and we will continue to push to get people from the highest levels of their companies to attend. They are the ones, you know, making the decisions, and they're the ones that should be having the conversations with each other. So we really encourage the behavior of them attending and then engaging with in every way they can, including with the app and with the badges and the meetings and just taking advantage of all the other people that are at the event, from
Blythe Brumleve:
8:12
the the content perspective that you guys put so much, you know, energy into it. What? What does that planning process look like? Do you kind of target, you know, some of those high level companies like you just mentioned, and then, you know, filter the content from there, or does it start with a, you know, what are the topics that people are talking about, and then which companies kind of fit into there? Yeah, that's
Courtney Muller:
8:32
such a great question. So Pam and tanzil spend the first few months of the cycle just talking to people, you know, and talking about, so what are the issues and trends that we need to be talking about at next year's manifest, knowing that it's still 1012, months away. So there's many months of just conversations, and then once they kind of have an idea of, okay, these are the broad topics we think we want to dig in on, then they start making the speaker invites. We try not to repeat speakers year on year. We will, of course, invite a speaker back, but we try not to have them back to back years. And we're always looking for new technology companies. Maybe we want to put a lot of startups up on stage and make sure that we're highlighting all that innovation out in the industry. So this coming year, I think we've got over 100 startups that'll be on stage. We've got more than 150 shippers, which we love, because everybody wants to see the shippers. I think we have about 50 chief supply chain officers that are going to be on stage, which will be really, really amazing, dying to hear their insights. And you know, what are they leaning into, and how are they piloting new technologies, and how are they dealing with all of the really difficult challenge, challenges the supply chain is facing globally right now. You know, ever since the election, we've been hearing people now saying, I want to talk about the potential tariffs, like, that's something I want to talk about at manifest, and how interesting we've got a bunch around. Tables going on at the event, and all the new roundtable topics are coming in, focused on tariffs, you know? And that's wasn't something we were talking about before the election, because we didn't know what the outcome of the election was going to be, but the minute it happened, that topic was trending for us. Oh,
Blythe Brumleve:
10:15
that's super interesting. So you have the the planned stages of the conversations that you're kind of mapping out months in advance, but you still kind of leave room for what those Hot Topic button or hot button issues are maybe a couple weeks out or a couple months out, I should say it, and you facilitate those conversations via round tables. Where do the round tables sort
Courtney Muller:
10:34
so we have, yeah, last year was the first year we did round tables. And round tables are, they're just thematic tables of 10 people with kind of a table leader to facilitate the conversation. Yeah, last year we did, I can't remember how last year we did 20. This year we're doing 40. And so the topics are coming in now. But what's also happening in December and January is Pam and tanzel are having all of the calls with the with the panels. So every session you know, you know this, Blythe, I'm on this, on that email moderator for us. And they get on the calls and they say, All right, what exactly are we going to talk about when we're there? So it may have been, oh, I asked you to be on this panel to talk about automation and robotics, but wow, we're going to shift that now to near shoring because that's what people are going to be more interested in. So you know, you have a we have an idea of what these sessions are going to be, but as you get closer to the show, and we have the calls, and they get refined further, we may even refine some of the language around what's going to be discussed in that session. So the work really does go right up until the very end, because we want to make sure when people get to the event that we're talking about, the things on stage that they want to hear right now,
Blythe Brumleve:
11:45
and what does the team look like that's due it sounds like so much work, I know, but you and Pam and tanzel, I think you know, y'all are on almost every email that I get from manifest. And so I know you're in there just as much as you know. I would just say, I think I would assume that, you know, maybe you would have an assistant that would help, or, you know, you delegate it to someone else because you are so busy, but you are, you got your I felt like you got your hands you and Pam and tanzil and all of it, which is awesome, yeah, no,
Courtney Muller:
12:16
it is. Well, Pam and tanzil do focus exclusively on the content. That is their job. Tanzil also helps us with shipper recruitment. And then Katie date, who I think you know, is also she, she is, you know, strategic initiatives and shipper recruitment. I mean, it really is. She's got such a deep history in the industry, and she knows people all over the globe, so it's been so tremendous to have her on the team and help us get some of these really important shippers to come to the event, because at the end of the day, the sponsors, we gotta be putting the customers in front of them that they're trying to sell to. That is what an event is about. You know, in addition to the education. So we really do try to focus and make sure that the audience ratios are right for our sponsors.
Blythe Brumleve:
13:02
In addition to all of that, you know, content organization that goes on, you know, for the show itself, you guys have such a unique thing where you are interviewing or having these panel discussions, not panel discussions, but interview level discussions. Pam is leading a lot of them ahead of the conference, which is, yeah, crazy, crazy in a good way.
Courtney Muller:
13:23
No, it's crazy in a good way. Well, Pam is amazing. Number one, that woman is amazing. You know, she, you just put a camera in front of her, and she just goes, I mean, she's so smart. She's such an industry expert. She really is. She's a true industry expert. And I can't call myself that yet. Um, she's, you know, she makes it her mission to know everything about, I mean, you see how she posts. You should see on our Slack channels. She's sending us all articles. I mean, it's, it's, really, she's amazing, and that's we're again, so lucky to have her as well. Um, yeah. So the manifest insights videos are really important to our brand. We want to put the thought leaders up ahead of the show. Many of them are speakers, as you know, but just other people that we feel like, you know. We want their message to get out there. And you know, Blythe everybody, everybody wants to talk and share their knowledge. And we just want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to do that on as many platforms as possible. So I think it's great the manifest insight series, and we will be continuing that forever. Tantal has been doing some of them too. Katie as well. I do someone more on site. We all get in on the action. So it's super fun. And then, in addition
Blythe Brumleve:
14:41
to that, as if you're you're, you're media and marketing savviness like knows no bounds, because you also were the first conference that I've ever participated in that actively recruited creators. So the YouTubers, the podcasters, the bloggers, newsletters, all of the creators within the industry you act. Recruited them from the jump, you know, giving them complimentary tickets so they can be able to talk about all of these different companies, which I don't know if you know at the if you knew at the time, but for a lot of creators, especially if you're doing this, trying to do it full time, it's very expensive to go to a lot of these classes and justify that expense of being away from all of the work that you typically should be doing. And so was that. How did it? How did you know to target that audio? How do you How did you even know that? You know, you had podcasters and YouTubers? Yeah, industry, yeah, yeah.
Courtney Muller:
15:33
So couple things. It was a, it was a, it was a, it was a team decision. I'm going to say, um, I ran on the national book convention many, many years ago. And when I was running that convention was when bloggers started to come onto the scene, and it was like this knee jerk back then, like, all these bloggers, you know, are they real media or are they not? And like, we didn't know how to deal with them, because getting a media pass to the book show was a really big deal, and what do we do with them? And at the end of the day, we ended up just saying we we have to accept them. They're part of the industry. Now, you know, we could put limits on how big is their audience and try to figure all that out, but at the end of the day, it was like they're going to come to the show and write about the show. So how bad is that? So when we were launching manifest, um, that many of the team members were from the industry, and they knew a couple of podcasters. They knew Sarah Barnes Humphrey, like she was a podcaster that they knew. And we got in touch with Sarah, and she agreed to partner, and from there, it was just like it was my pet project, Blythe. I just, I don't know there was something about you guys. You're all entrepreneurs. You're working your butts off to create a brand for yourself and inside an amazing industry. And I just felt like you all needed a home. I honestly, that's, that's, that's how I felt. And the every time I talked to one of you, it was, it was the same story, like you just said, I'm struggling to get this off the ground. It's very expensive to go to shows. I need help, and I just felt like this is right for our industry. And I also know that it's the younger generations that are paying attention to all different kinds of media now, and if we're just going to do the traditional thing, then we're going to get the traditional audience, and that was not us. I mean, we wanted to reach the innovators. And to me, a podcaster is an innovator. You are. And I Yeah, so it's been my pet project. I love all of you. I love seeing you at the show, and we want to just really keep growing it. We have two podcast studios next year. I
Blythe Brumleve:
17:35
was going in that direction next I'm glad you take it up there. Lead the way.
Courtney Muller:
17:39
We've got two instead of one. So doubling the number of podcasters that will be actually recording in our studio. And then what happens is, we've already, I've already been talking to others who are want to come in. I don't have any room left in the podcast studio, but I'm saying, Please come. Just use the media room. Set up wherever you want, around the show. There's definitely places. I can't give you a spot to set up camp for two days, but I can, you know, say to you, come and use the media room or just set up anywhere for a few hours. And you're welcome to do that, which is
Blythe Brumleve:
18:09
such a huge help. I now, if I go to a conference, and if they don't have, like, a podcast area, I just, I struggle with the idea of bringing my equipment, because it's such a hassle, and it's like, well, yes, I would rather just, you know, shake hands and, you know, exchange business cards and then we can board later on. But the conversations in person are so much better. Some of my best, you know, download numbers, engagement numbers, come from in person conversations. And so you guys, really, you know, gave us that room to grow, and gave us that room to have a place where we can it's very it's simple, but it's so important, I think, to the creators, is being able to have a place that we can feel official. And that's what manifest has given us. And so it's, I can't speak enough like about how much like that podcast studio has really helped, you know, with just, I guess, establishing legitimacy, kind of to your earlier point about the bloggers, and because I was an early day blogger, and I faced a lot of discrimination from Big J journalism, think that I was good enough. And, you know, it's kind of a, I think podcasters and bloggers and just YouTubers in general, we almost have kind of our own ego compared to traditional journalists, which I'm not, you know, of course, shading either side. But there is kind of a suaveness to each demographic that they almost feel like competitors when they shouldn't be. They should be working together more side by side,
Courtney Muller:
19:47
no side by side. We all need all types of media out there. I mean, that's what's going to create healthy dialog and a really an industry where a lot of information. And is getting out and that's what you want. I you just really do it with all of you guys. You're offering just like we are with our manifest insights videos. It's the same thing. You're getting voices out there, and a lot of voices want to be heard,
Blythe Brumleve:
20:13
exactly. And I do. I am curious with someone you know you you see so much content from the manifest side, and then from all of the creators that are attending the event, what is the content that you think that kind of moves the needle from, like the podcaster or, you know, other YouTuber creator perspective is, do you have a favorite type of content that from that group, or is it in what catches your eye?
Courtney Muller:
20:39
Um, that's really interesting. I mean, I I think whenever you're talking to an industry executive who has a good story to tell that that's just super interesting to me. But I also love newsletters, by the way, Blythe, I love newsletters, and there's some really good ones out there. And, you know? I mean, we have our own newsletter, but ours is just a compendium of articles. We don't have any original content in there. So what we do is, I mean, we have the manifest Insights video, but it's just a compendium. But I'm amazed at, I mean, a number, a lot of you guys have newsletters, and they're really good, you know, so I, I'd like to consume those as well. Yeah, I think that
Blythe Brumleve:
21:22
type of medium is is definitely growing on me, because sometimes my email inbox just feels so overloaded. But if I have a few newsletters that I know that I can kind of get value from each time I open it, I don't mind just skimming it or also reading in depth, but some of those, like a handful of industry newsletters that I will make sure that I at least open and look and so manifest is one of them. Obviously, freight Waves has has a really good freight caviar. I can't even mention newsletters without mentioning them. Oh, I love free caviar. That one is one of the, the best ones. Probably
Courtney Muller:
21:56
such a good name too. I mean,
Blythe Brumleve:
22:00
another, another creator group that is just, you know, blown up in popularity right in front of our eyes. And so with all of them, I guess evolution of, you know, sort of the independent media and the legacy media. How do you see that growing in the future? Or is it, you know, five podcast studios next year. I
Courtney Muller:
22:20
know. I know. Really, I started feeling like, oh my gosh, I wish I had a third this year. And I you know, it wasn't going to happen this year, but maybe. I mean, who knows? Maybe. And it is funny now, because of course, we want the legacy media there. You know, it's like, oh, what are the big media names that are coming? But honestly, it's hard to get them to come to trade to trade shows or conferences. Now they have limited budgets to get, like, a big editor from the Wall Street Journal. That's really, really, really hard. So my best bet with someone like that would be, you know, either we invite them to speak and get them there that way, or I get them to look at our I mean, I call it our virtual press room. It's going to be called the manifest Media Resource Center. This year, we invite anyone, really, but mostly our sponsors, to make announcements at the show. And last year, I think it was about 60 companies made announcements, and all of those announcements were in our virtual press room. And we make that available to any member of the media, whether they come to manifest or not. So, oh, wow. That's how we're able to grab some of the bigger media to at least look at what's coming out of the show and then maybe write a story on it. Um, so that's been helpful. But when I look at the media list now it's mostly industry media, it really is. Um, but there's a lot of media in our industry, you know. And I think the media in the industry media is doing a really good job, frankly. Um, so if we can get we can get, we can get all the important industry media there, and then have some of the bigger legacy media stepping in in other ways, then I think that's great. I mean, we're always going to try to get the bigger legacy people, but it's hard. It's tough. They have a lot going on. You know, they have limited budgets too, so, um, it's just a game of trying to get the information from them. Yeah,
Blythe Brumleve:
24:01
for sure, I think that there's absolutely, there's kind of a, a huge debate going on in the independent media world where it's like it I think people are trying to combat legacy media versus independent media, and it's they're two different things, and they're both of them, in my opinion, because we need the journalists of the big legacy media companies to ask the tough questions, and, you know, sort of hold, you know, truth to power, as they say. But then the long as we saw with this election, the long form conversations were really where people, I think, you know, saw the the personality side of things, but you're not going to get those hard hitting questions there. So I'm of the opinion you need both. You
Courtney Muller:
24:41
need both. I agree. I agree. No, the more diverse, the better. Really?
Blythe Brumleve:
24:45
Yes, absolutely. The marketplace of ideas, I guess, as they say, switching gears a little bit to the another, you know, content aspect. But some of the most creative that I've seen in the industry is a lot of your sponsorship activations. What goes into, you know, the puppy lounges. I cannot have a manifest conversation without member mentioning the puppy lounge. You have the mocktails. You have all of these different really creative activations. How Where do you get the inspiration from for these things? Is it other events that you're throwing? Is it? You know someone you and Dan Reese, like, kind of sitting in a room coming
Courtney Muller:
25:24
up is a marketing genius. He's a sales guy, but you should hear him Blythe. I mean, the the headlines that just roll out of his mouth, and the puns and the this and the that. I mean, the guy is nuts. So it was actually Dan's idea to do a mocktail lounge, because he is a recovering alcoholic. And he said, there's a lot of us out there, you know, we can't just have have a beer garden and Rose all day and, you know, cocktails at the end of the day. We gotta give a little love to all the people who are trying not to drink um. And he was absolutely right about that. I mean, he really was. And you know what, we try to create an experience on the show floor where people aren't going on there thinking, oh my gosh, I just have to go boot to booth and have people trying to sell me something. You know, by having these fun activations, it makes it easier for people to engage with each other. I mean, you know, you're just standing there waiting to get a beer, and then maybe the person next to you is someone you can talk to that you never even thought you never even thought you were going to meet, but you're just standing there having a beer. So it's easier to have the conversation. I mean, when do you see grand grown men sitting on the ground petting a puppy? Not often doesn't have it makes them so happy. I know, I know. It makes everybody happy. The popular is the best thing ever. Um, however, I will say the inspiration for doing those kind of activations came from money, 2020 money. 2020 was the original show Blythe that created this different kind of show environment. They were the first ones to do it. And the creators of money, 2020 went on to create shop talk and grocery shop and health. And now they're doing human acts. And they just, they have this series of events that they've created in this light, and we took inspiration from them, really. I mean, we have, we do, we do things very differently, um, but that is one thing that we have in common, is the the on the expo floor activations that make it fun and engaging. And, you know, it makes the show floor more sticky, as we like to say, in our industry, you want people to stay on there as long as possible and talk to the sponsors. And if you know someone wants to start with a beer over here and go get a glass of rose over there, they're going to walk from there to there, and instead of just maybe leaving and going to a bar. So that's why we do it. We want to keep people on the show floor. We want to keep them engaged, and we want to keep them engaged, and we want to make it easier for people to network with each other, which
Blythe Brumleve:
27:44
it really does. It does. There was one actually grown up playground. It's a grown up playground. That's such a good way of putting it, because one of my favorite ones that i i found almost on the the last day of the expo floor was open, and I was so mad at myself that I didn't find it earlier, because there's so much to to your point, to see and explore. It doesn't feel like I have to go booth to booth. But it was by, I think the booth was you ship, and it was, they call it like ugly freight of all that they move. But it was a beautician lounge where you get nails done, your makeup, your hair. Yeah, I wish I would have known that on day one, because it's made me a lot of getting ready time, you know, hopefully you don't run into anyone before you, you know, you get all, you know, dolled up from, from that was such a especially for women who go to logistics conferences. You know, we're very used to having a very small bathroom line at logistics conferences because there's so few of us there. But manifest is different, and that there's so many more women there, and it's so much more diverse, where you really see the global supply chain of, you know, not just, you know, males and females, but you also see the just the wide range of cultures from all over the world, which I absolutely love.
Courtney Muller:
28:58
Yeah, me too. Me too. No, we're hoping to have participants from 60 countries. And, yeah, yeah, it's gonna be great. And you're right. It's so culturally diverse and gender diverse. I love that about the show. Obviously. I love the women's lunch. It's my little baby, and I love all the men that come to that event. And I just, you know, I hope, in some small way, it moves the needle in some men's minds to help uplift women a little more. Yeah.
Blythe Brumleve:
29:27
Well, well, speaking of of the women's lunch, you've had a women's luncheon at every manifest and since inception. Think 2021 was the first conference. 22 actually, yeah, oh, 22 Yeah. Every January, 22 so this is coming up on the fourth one you have the in the women's lunch just gets bigger and bigger every year, which is crazy. So what can we kind of expect from it for the 2025 version? Or are you kind of keeping some of that under wraps? Yeah,
Courtney Muller:
29:54
no, I'm still waiting on one speaker to confirm, but I will tell you. Uh, wait, let me look up her name really quickly. Her name is Tammy. Um, hold on one second. Sorry, I shouldn't be doing this while we're sitting. Oh, no worries. Um, so DHL is one of the sponsors of the women's lunch, and they have had speakers at women's lunch for a number of years. Um, but this year, they decided to nominate someone else instead of having one of their own speakers. So Tammy Wharton is the president and CEO of the Girl Scouts of Ohio's heartland. Oh, wow, yeah. And she's going to be one of our speakers. I'm fascinated to hear from this woman like this is going to be completely unique in terms of the type of speakers we've had, and the other speaker is potentially going to be a man. Gonna have a man on stage.
Blythe Brumleve:
30:48
I love how you said that for the
Courtney Muller:
30:50
first time at the Women's lunch. And I think it's time I really do and the person we've invited he he may or may not be able to make it, and if he can't, I hope to find someone else. But I think it's time for a male voice on this we need their help too. There's so many amazing men out there who really are so focused on gender diversity, and they do a lot to have, you know, equal numbers of women and men on their teams, and to help and to help women succeed. So definitely want that voice up there. I'm hoping this person, fingers crossed, that we invited can make it, but if not, we'll have someone else. But what I'm really excited about is the theme of the lunch is going to be mentoring. This year, we had a number of C suite women saying to us, you know, I'd love to become a mentor. And is there any way, like, could you let people know that maybe I'd be in? It was like we were trying to figure out, how can we do this without, you know, having these big women get inundated with all these people who want to be mentored by them. So we decided that if you RSVP for the women's lunch, we're going to have a couple of questions, would you like to be a mentor? Yes, or would you like to be a mentee? So you can check off either one, and we're going to take all those answers and we're going to match make people through our app, yeah. So then we're going to go back out to people who check that off and say, here's the recommendation. We'll probably give each person two recommendations, something like that. And then we're suggesting that they meet at the Women's lunch. They don't have to, but we're just suggesting, you know, it could be a place to meet after you've been Match Made. So at the end of the lunch, we're gonna have Katie date get up for about five minutes and talk about how to be a great mentor and how to get the most out of that relationship if you're a mentee or mentor. So going to be a lot of talk about mentors and mentees during the lunch. But I think it's really important and really relevant, because it's one of the first things that women need, honestly, to succeed, is a really good mentor. Doesn't have to be a man, obviously, it just has to be a good mentor. And a lot of people, I don't think they have one, you know, they think about it, they say, I want that. But to take that official step of asking some, you know, picking someone, and then asking them, and then actually taking the time and doing it, it is something you have to add into your life, but I really think it's important and it's it's valuable, it's rewarding, it's enriching. There's so many things about that relationship that I think are valuable and people should lean into.
Blythe Brumleve:
33:12
I love that you are facilitating those conversations ahead of time, ahead of manifest, because I think we before we hit record. I was talking about mapping out my plan, my content plan, up until, man. So even I know a lot of people are trying to just get through the end of the year, I'm already thinking like q1 of next year of how can I map out my manifest plan ahead of time and facilitate those meetings ahead of time, and just get on people's books? Yes, do it? App helps so much with that? And yeah, talk a little bit about, I guess, some of the, I guess, the theories or the thought process behind the the app, because it's your own custom app that you had built to facilitate those those meetings and those networking. What other, I guess, sort of hidden gems do you have when it comes to the conference app itself? Because I do think that you guys have the best app that I've used at a conference.
Courtney Muller:
34:07
Oh, thank you. So we actually use a company called grip, and we use their app, and we've made some modifications to it, but it is actually their their brand, Okay, gotcha to clarify? Yep, the badges are our own technology, though. Yes, yes. Um, so most, I shouldn't say most. I think many shows have an app, but in many cases, um, the percentage of the audience that use the app is very low. And in the case of manifest, it's very high. It's about 95% Oh, wow. And the reason is because of the meetings, and because we release it a month before the show. And because, like I said, before, you know, if you have a ticket to manifest, setting up meetings is free, and we have a place for you to meet as well, in the center of the expo hall. So I think that's why the uptake is so high, is because people, they're not dumb, you know, hey, I'm getting the. Four weeks ahead of time, I'm going to take the time to dig in here, see who's coming, try to hook up with them, and try to set a meeting for on site. And I think that's the reason it's been so successful. Obviously, you can find anything in there. You can find any conference session. You can find a person, you can find a sponsor and their company profile, anything related to the show, the event schedule, it's all in there. And we also, we will do it once again. If anyone is having an event outside of the manifest, you know, sphere of events, yeah, you can submit an entry, and we'll have a list of third party events that are going on. Some of them are open for anyone, so some are invite only, but we will be featuring that once again. So if anyone's having a reception, a dinner party, and they still want to invite people, they would be able to do that through our app.
Blythe Brumleve:
35:49
Oh, I love that app so much. And as you were talking, I'm like, oh, yeah, that's what I was trying to remember when I really started planning last year for manifest, and it was over the Christmas holiday, you know, that week, yeah, Christmas and before New Year's where everything's kind of a blur, that I just dived into the app and just started, you know, creating my target list of people I wanted to talk to you or get a podcast interview with. I am, you know, we've talked about, so we've talked about the content ahead of time, the conferences and the educational sessions that you're planning, the sponsorships, the app, the technology. How do you continue to set the bar when it comes to conferences? Do you think that there's a level of this is going to be too big, or we kind of want to stay, you know, where we're at? What is, I guess, sort of the future outlook look like for manifest,
Courtney Muller:
36:39
yeah, yeah, no. It's a really good question, because, like I said before, we're never going to be pro Matt, you know, we're never going to be 50,000 people. We're not, but we are a business, and like any business, we want to grow so I could see us growing. Blythe, I'm trying to think, I don't, I don't think, man, if don't hold me to this, because, you know, you know, never say never. I don't think manifest would ever be more than 10, 12,000 people. Because, again, it's the high level of audience. It's the focus on innovation. It's, you know, it really is curated to a sliver of what's going on in supply chain. So again, I guess, you know, innovation could continue. Disruption could continue. It could continue to be so big that maybe we could be bigger than that, but I would see, you know, once we're really, really, really mature, show in five years, something like that, maybe 10, 12,000 attendees, that that's what I would envision. Yeah, well, um, I will tease this right now. We will probably be launching sister brands
Blythe Brumleve:
37:40
so or as much as So,
Courtney Muller:
37:43
diving deep into, you know, one section of supply chain we've been talking about that we're really excited about, I have a call right after this to discuss a brand that we might be launching next year. So that'll be a way that will grow as well, is to go dig a little deeper in certain aspects of the industry
Blythe Brumleve:
37:59
I love that I'm already like interested, keep me on that that media list for notifications, definitely. I was listening to your conversation with Nate Schutz, who hosts the Bootstrappers guide to logistics. Great podcast. He's awesome, yes, and finally got to meet him in person for the first time at manifest last year. And that was great. And you mentioned something in that interview that I thought was really interesting, where you said, Because manifest is part of a larger company called connective and connective, several conferences that are industry specific. So I believe you have one in healthcare. I think you sold the insurance one,
Courtney Muller:
38:36
yeah, it was actually on real estate. We sold, well, the insurance one, yeah, it was sold years ago, okay? Um, yeah, I was on the other side of that deal. I was at the company Clarion, that acquired that event, and that's how I met Jay.
Blythe Brumleve:
38:48
Oh, nice. Who's the, the founder of our CEO. He's,
Courtney Muller:
38:52
he's our CEO, exactly, founder of connective and,
Blythe Brumleve:
38:55
yeah, well, during that conversation, you said that logistics conferences are different from any other conference that you, that you assist with, that you work for. And I'm curious as to how, how is the logistics crowd different from other crowds?
Courtney Muller:
39:09
Um, well, you know, I I feel like I'm gonna say this, but I feel like, um, when, like, if I go to our other events, the healthcare event or the real estate event, I feel we're more global and more diverse, just in terms of the people like you go to the real estate show, it is 90% men, old, white guys in suits.
Blythe Brumleve:
39:32
Really, I would have been expected a lot of you know realtors, or you know a lot of realtors are women like I would have expected the reverse,
Courtney Muller:
39:39
no, and I convinced them to do a women's lunch at that event, and they did it, and it was really good, but it was like, there's so few women at the conference. Yeah, yeah, interesting. I know, I know. And there's something very down to earth about our industry that's the best way I can see. It very down to earth. I mean, of course, there's egos. There's egos everywhere, but I find most of the people in this industry to be very grounded and very nice, very nice. And again, there's nice people in every industry, but every industry has its own personality, and I've worked in probably 12 to 1520 industries in my career, running events, and I have to say supply chain is way up there in terms of one of my favorite industries. Because of I built friendships in this industry, and I built friendships in a lot of industries, but it felt easier this time. There's an openness to people I don't know, people in this industry just feel very real. And maybe it's because, you know, supply chain has been an industry kind of in the dark for a long time. You know, people were behind it felt like a behind the scenes industry. So people who maybe gravitated to it weren't, weren't the people who, you know, wanted to be in the entertainment industry or wanted to be in the publishing industry or whatever, and they're just more down to earth. And now the industry is getting its day. I mean, talk about 15 minutes of fame. I mean, supply chain is having, you know, 24 hours of fame. And I think it's going to go on and on. And I love it, because I think it's a really smart industry. It's extremely diverse, it's so large, so so large. And I just love being part of it really.
Blythe Brumleve:
41:22
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head, because it is, it still feels very blue collar, but it also feels like a pathway, because I come from a very much a blue collar family, and logistics has always felt like a way for our family to kind of break through from the lower side of middle, you know, the middle class, and to break through to, you know, sort of earning a higher income. And I think you see that my my old boss, who is still my mentor, he was a former truck driver, and was able to reach up and buy out the other company, the other owners of the company and sell this company for millions of dollars. I don't know of other industries that that can happen on the regular. I agree, not to my knowledge, there is one other trend that I kind of wanted to get your perspective on, and that was, you know, after COVID, I feel like everybody was kind of just, you know, they they wanted to get out into the world and get back to conferences. And so we saw this explosion of conferences, not just in our industry, but especially in our industry, and it kind of, I, I'll be honest, last year, I got a little burnt out with going to so many events, and so I've tried to become more, I guess, intentional about the conferences I'm going to, and why. And I'm, I'm curious as to it, do you feel that happening as well in our industry? And then also, in addition to that, what is the, I guess, the value, or the place of in person events? Because there are some companies that have moved to virtual only. Yeah, I feel like there's still, there's a much needed desire, maybe just a recalibration of attending in person events where you're more picky of, oh, I'm definitely going to go to manifest, but I might not go to these other two shows because I'm just a little burnt out. Do you? Do you get that feeling, too? Yeah,
Courtney Muller:
43:16
I do. I do. And there are a lot of events now, um, and especially if you're looking at the global calendar, I mean, we were looking at one sector of the industry the other day, and like in Europe, you know, there was like 15 events, you know, covering this one sector. And I mean, it's, there's so many of them everywhere. And you do, I think you have to be incredibly, incredibly selective. And it's not always the biggest events that are the best events. I like going to some of the really small events too. They're more intimate. You can have sometimes better conversations. But I do think you need to be picky, and look at who's going, you know, who is it you're looking to see and engage with, and then look at the event from that perspective. Are the people that I really want to engage with that are going to help me move my business forward? Are they at that event? And, you know, that's where you focus your time really? Yeah, I used to when I was working in the casino gaming industry. Um, all the sponsors used to say to us, there's too many shows in the industry. What are you going to do about it? You know? How are you going to stop this proliferation of shows? And it's like, well, I can't stop it. I would say to them, you can stop by not sponsoring all of them, you don't have to. Just because a show exists doesn't mean you have to support it. And if you don't think it's doing, you know, giving you the ROI that you need, then don't continue to put your dollars there. And if you quit putting your dollars there, some of the shows will die out. And I hate to be that kind of hard ass, but that's just the way it is. And event producers can't stop other event producers from creating events, but you as the audience cannot participate in those events, and if they're not good, they'll they'll die eventually. So it's tough. You know, it's a crowded industry. I think everyone is seeing that supply chain has become very big ton of opportunity. I get why there's a lot of events popping up. I completely understand it. Um, and. And I wish them all luck. I think there's a lot of space for really, honestly, for everyone. There's a ton of space out there. Yeah,
Blythe Brumleve:
45:06
I agree with your sentiment on it, especially with manifest I like almost mentally prepare myself for all of the peopling the public help give me a break from that. And then separately, I love the other end of the spectrum where, you know, for example, like TMSA, which I, you know, I've been a board member for them for years now, and we have a smaller event that we host every year, and it's not 200 people, but the conversation, the power of the conversations that I can have at both, is so impactful and so meaningful. So I definitely echo that statement as well. And you know, as I kind of round out this conversation, what can folks expect from, you know, we've talked about a lot with you know, the upcoming conference. But is there anything that you know, you feel is important to mention about the upcoming event taking place February 10 through the 12th? Yes,
Courtney Muller:
45:57
please stay at the Venetian really. I mean, your experience is going to be better if you stay on property, because every time you're outside of manifest activities, you're going to be bumping into people, and if you stay somewhere down the strip, that's not going to happen. So I really do encourage people to stay at the Venetian The other thing is, come early and stay late. We've got a ton of content on Monday, and it doesn't start until noon, but I mean, it is jam packed that afternoon, and then we've got Flo Rida as our closing entertainer. I have never seen him in concert. I know he's fantastic, and I'm so excited about that. We're going back to the Brooklyn Bowl, which is a venue I love you and Grace right. Last time we were there, I
Unknown:
46:41
remember it.
Blythe Brumleve:
46:42
We've been program every single manifest conference for you, for you.
Courtney Muller:
46:46
Um, so yeah, and just take, you know, like you said, make sure to log into the app before you get to the show. Even to spend even an hour will make a huge difference in those three days. Um, so the more you prepare, the more productive the event can be for you? Really?
Blythe Brumleve:
47:02
Yes, absolutely. Cosine, and I, I almost am having a little bit of anxiety that I cannot wait until after Christmas to start planning my meetings, the people who I want to talk to. I, after this conversation, I'm going to go, and I don't know, can we go and download the app now and start that?
Unknown:
47:18
No, it hasn't been released yet. I
Blythe Brumleve:
47:22
can ease my anxiety, then you can actually,
Courtney Muller:
47:25
no, it'll be about four weeks pre show. So it'll be first or second week in January. Oh, perfect. You're gonna, you're gonna have to get through the holidays Blythe.
Blythe Brumleve:
47:33
I guess I'll enjoy my family then, yeah, exactly. Enjoy your new husband. I guess you mean you make a good argument. Well, perfect. Courtney, this is fantastic conversation. I really appreciate your time. Where Can folks follow you? Obviously, you know, register for manifest. We'll put a registration link in the bio, but follow you. Stay connected the manifest newsletter, all that good stuff.
Courtney Muller:
47:58
Yes, absolutely, come onto the website, and if you're not already an insider, sign up to be an insider, and you'll automatically get
Unknown:
48:04
our communication Awesome. Perfect. Courtney, thank you again. This was great. Thank you, Blythe, really
Courtney Muller:
48:08
thank you so much. Happy holidays. My pleasure. Bye.
