MODEX 2020 attendees can choose from a variety of educational sessions covering
the latest manufacturing and supply chain trends,
technologies, and innovations. This year’s education
conference will include four keynotes and over 150
supplier-led seminars covering a broad array of sup-
ply chain, material handling, and logistics topics.
Nikki Haley, who has served as governor of South
Carolina and U.S. permanent representative to the
United Nations, will deliver
the opening keynote address
on Monday, March 9, at 8:45
a.m. In an interview with

DC VELOCITY Group Editorial
Director Mitch Mac Donald,
Haley will share her personal
story of leadership and talk
about the supply chain’s crit-
ical role in both U.S. econom-
ic development and global
commerce.

On Tuesday, March 10, at 8:45 a.m., Tan Le, founder and CEO of bio-informatics and tech company Emotiv, will deliver a talk on how technological advances on the near horizon will offer us ways of integrating humans and machines. Arguing that automation and AI ( artificial intelligence) are not competitors to humans, but rather part of an extended, augmented human organism, Le will explain how that could affect supply chains in her presentation, “The Neurogeneration— The Future Is Closer Than You Think.” On Wednesday, March 11, at 8:45 a.m., George W. Prest of MHI and Thomas Boykin of Deloitte Consulting will preview the findings of MHI’s “2020 Annual Industry Report,” which focuses on the trends and technologies that are transforming supply chains. After the presentation, they will moderate a panel of manufacturing and supply chain leaders on the real-world significance of the report’s findings.

Later that day, Peyton and Archie Manning of NFL fame will join DC VELOCITY’s Mac Donald for a “fireside chat.” In the session, the Mannings will share their stories about the power of teamwork, collaboration, preparation, and giving back both on the field and in business. Their keynote, which takes place at 1:00 p.m., promises to be an inspirational and dynamic discussion about football and what it can teach you about life.

Following the keynotes each day, MODEX visitors can choose from a wide array of supplier-led educational seminars. These 45-min- ute sessions, which are held right on the show floor, are offered free to all registered show attendees. This year’s seminars are divided into seven tracks: automation and robotics; data capture, analytics, and information management; manufacturing, planning, and sourcing; sustainability and risk management; transportation, distribution, and warehousing; workforce and labor; and the Internet of Things.

New to the schedule this year are special sessions held in a Sustainability Theater hosted by the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA). Topics covered in these sessions include sustainable materials management, zero-waste supply chains, energy and resource conservation, reusable packaging systems, asset-tracking technologies, and public policy developments.