Miami International Airport and Brussels Airport organized the first ever Fresh & Flower Forum at the Air Cargo Americas/Supply Chain Americas Show Conference. This was an interactive session and debate, with presentations and panel discussions all about fresh and flowers. “The aim of the forum is to bring both communities closer together and strengthen the link between Latin America and Europe via Miami”, says Nathan de Valck of Brussels Airport. “By showing the participants the potential of and possibilities at our airports I am sure we can make a difference”.

“Both of our communities represent a huge part of the global expertise and best practices”, says Sam Quintelier of Brussels Airport, “On a product with slim margins you need to innovate, so low-cost scalable solutions, such as the perishable management app fit perfectly. We are here to help shippers and forwarders to achieve this.” 

One of the topics discussed was the opportunities in digitization and creating transparency in both the phytosanitary and operational processes, as well as collaboration between all different stakeholders.

Also the importance of adequate infrastructure for these special products was discussed, specifically first line inspection capacity as well as suitable temperature-controlled storage for when things take longer as planned.