Author

Andrew Woods

Published

24 March 2026

Estimated Read time

3Mins

SupplyChain Strategy was an official partner of Manifest 2026, and here are our insights into the event that had Vegas…

SupplyChain Strategy was an official partner of Manifest 2026, and here are our insights into the event that had Vegas rockin’.

The first thing you notice walking into the Expo Hall at Manifest 2026 is the movement. Robotics arms stack pallets a few metres from a booth showcasing AI-powered planning platforms. Autonomous trucks sit alongside warehouse automation systems. Drones buzz overhead as software startups demonstrate dashboards that track shipments in real time.

But it is not just the technology drawing crowds. Everywhere you turn, supply chain professionals are deep in conversation. Old colleagues reconnect, startup founders pitch ideas and procurement leaders debate strategy over coffee. 

Pam Simon, Conference Chair, Manifest, delivers the opening keynote speech and there’s a palpable buzz around this vast hall as she whets our appetite for what’s to come…

We first got an inkling of what was to come when we spoke to Tanzil Uddin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Manifest, back in October: “2026 will be pushing things up a notch!” And he wasn’t wrong.

Beyond the supply chain

For three days in Las Vegas, Manifest becomes something more than a conference. It becomes a real-time snapshot of the global supply chain ecosystem.

Held once again at The Venetian, Las Vegas, the 2026 edition of Manifest 2026 welcomed more than 7,000 attendees representing manufacturers, retailers, logistics providers, startups, investors and senior executives from across the industry.

And as the event continues to grow, its purpose has remained surprisingly consistent: bringing the entire supply chain ecosystem together under one roof.

From startup summit to global supply chain hub

The event’s origins date back to a much smaller gathering, the Future of Logistics Tech Summit. That boutique event focused largely on venture investors and early-stage technology companies. The modern incarnation of Manifest emerged in 2022, when the event was relaunched with a broader vision: a forum representing the entire supply chain landscape.

Today, the conference operates under Hyve Group and has rapidly grown into one of the sector’s most influential gatherings. As Uddin explains, the goal has always been to represent the entire ecosystem. “Manifest is really a full ecosystem event dedicated to the end-to-end supply chain. We bring together startups and investors, but also supply chain leadership like chief supply chain officers and chief procurement officers from retail, manufacturing, automotive, life sciences and more.” 

That diversity is visible throughout the show floor, where emerging technology companies sit alongside established logistics operators and major enterprise software vendors…

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  • AI in Supply Chain
  • Events
  • Together in Events

Author

Andrew Woods

Published

Estimated Read time

3Mins

As Manifest 2026 draws to a close, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Strategic Initiatives, Manifest, Katie Date reflects…

As Manifest 2026 draws to a close, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Strategic Initiatives, Manifest, Katie Date reflects on record-breaking engagement, the accelerating impact of AI, and how the fast-growing event continues to unite the global supply chain community. Plus, an exciting announcement that will see Manifest’s influence spread even wider… 

As the exhibition halls begin to quiet and the final meetings wrap up, the sense of momentum surrounding Manifest 2026 remains unmistakable. The event has once again positioned itself as a focal point for the global logistics and supply chain community, bringing together shippers, carriers, technology providers, investors and startups under one roof for several days of intensive networking and knowledge exchange. 

For Katie Date, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Strategic Initiatives, the energy is the clearest measure of success. “It feels great,” she says as the event draws to a close. “This year has been so successful on so many different fronts. The energy in Manifest has truly been palpable. You just walk around and you can feel the buzz.” 

That buzz is measurable as well as visible. Manifest’s proprietary badge technology tracks interactions across the venue, revealing the scale of engagement. “As of this morning,” Date explains, “our click to connect Qlik technology had recorded over 75,000 connections. By the end of today, I’m sure we’ll have surpassed 100,000 connections. We had almost 7,500 people check in to be a part of Manifest, which is just huge growth.” 

For the organisers, those interactions are the event’s defining metric. “Really how we measure success here at Manifest is on those connections,” she says. “To see so many people making valuable connections really is a great measure of success.” 

A platform for the entire ecosystem 

From its earliest iteration, Manifest has been designed to serve the full supply chain ecosystem rather than any single segment. That founding principle continues to guide the event’s expansion. “I think we’ve done a very good job of staying close to the original vision, which was to serve the entire supply chain ecosystem,” says Date. “We’re not an event that’s just focusing on shippers or carriers or third-party logistics providers. We’re bringing them all together. We’re bringing in investors and startups. We’re creating almost three days of content and exhibition that really give them an opportunity to interact and create value.” 

Read the full story here!

  • Digital Supply Chain
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  • Together in Events