Host: Annik Sobing

In this Simply Trade Roundup, host Annik Sobing sits down with global shipping and trade journalism leader Peter Tirschwell, the driving force behind the TPM Conference, to explore how a niche maritime newspaper event evolved into one of the premier gatherings in global container shipping. Peter shares the origin story of TPM: how the Journal of Commerce reinvented itself around 2000 by turning its deep reporting network into a live, editorially independent forum timed to the annual trans‑Pacific contract season.​

They discuss how TPM, held each March in Long Beach in the heart of the LA–Long Beach port complex, became a place where BCOs, carriers, NVOs, ports, and tech providers can gauge supply–demand balance, negotiate with better intelligence, and refresh critical relationships. Peter explains how the attendee mix has shifted over 25+ years, with hundreds of major shippers now present and representation from about 50 countries, turning TPM from a trans‑Pacific event into a broadly global container‑trade platform.​

How the Journal of Commerce pivoted from a collapsing print model to launch TPM as a data‑driven, neutral conference for BCOs and carriers.​

Why TPM is held in early March in Long Beach and how that timing aligns with trans‑Pacific contract cycles and port/rail/warehouse visits.​

How TPM’s strictly editorial program (no “pay‑to‑speak”) builds trust, attracts senior executives, and shapes real contract and routing decisions.​

How the attendee base has grown to include ~575 shipper companies and participants from around 50 countries, spanning Asia–Europe, North–South, and more.​

How 2025’s tariff shock—from ~2% to ~17–18% average duties—has pushed shippers to use TPM for cost‑reduction ideas, legal tariff strategies, and sourcing shifts.​

How TPM Tech and AI discussions are tackling repetitive-process automation, carrier cost reduction, and competitive risk if rivals adopt AI faster.​

Practical ways to “do TPM right”: coming in with a plan, choosing sessions strategically, and using the event to build and refresh critical relationships.​

TPM now functions as a market pulse + relationship engine: attendees leave with clearer views on capacity, pricing, risk, and who they can rely on when markets tighten.​

Shippers are under intense pressure from tariffs and volatility; events like TPM help them hunt for every legal saving—from transport choices to customs strategies.​

AI is moving “fast and hard” into container shipping; companies that ignore it risk being undercut on cost and losing business to more efficient competitors.​

To get real value from TPM, attendees should arrive with specific problems to solve, a prioritized session list, and pre‑planned meetings across their network.​

Host/Producer: Annik Sobing

TPM CONFERENCE DETAILS

New Roundup episodes every week.

Connect with us:

Don’t forget to rate, review, and share with your fellow trade geeks!

Want to Be on the Show or Have Topic Suggestions?