The biggest Freight Tech event of the year coming to Chattanooga, TN

The first-ever in-person Future of Freight Festival will take place in Chattanooga Nov. 1-3.

a white brick building with the word "FreightWaves" displayed above a set of double doors.

Global supply chain market intelligence provider FreightWaves — headquartered in Chattanooga — will host the festival.

Photo by NOOGAtoday

Step aside, SXSW — there’s a new major festival on the horizon, and this one will be situated right here in Chattanooga (which is loads better than Austin, anyway — right, ATXtoday?)

And what better place for the Future of Freight Festival F3, for short — to take place than the heart of Freight Alley?

Locally-based business FreightWaves will soon bring freight and logistics professionals from around the country to the Scenic City for its first in-person Future of Freight Festival, anticipated to be “the hottest FreightTech event of the year.”

Here are some quick hits about what the festival will entail:

  • The central hub will be the Chattanooga Convention Center, but events will take place throughout the city (we spotted some axe-throwing + beer tasting in the promo video).
  • While it is a freight conference, with events like rapid-fire demos, interactive sponsor kiosks, and keynote speakers, it’s also...
  • A festival experience with live music, entertainment, after parties, and VIP events.

Keynote speakers will include:

  • John Ibbitson | Journalist + author who co-authored “Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline”
  • Leland R. Miller | Cofounder + CEO of China Beige Book International, a private data collection network that tracks the Chinese marketplace
  • Manti Te’o | Former NFL player + All-American linebacker for the University of Notre Dame
  • Peter Zeihan | Geopolitical strategist + author of “The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization”
  • Rosemary Coates | Founder and Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, a nonprofit focused on expanding US manufacturing + President of Blue Silk Consulting, a supply-chain management consulting firm
  • Spencer Frazier | Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

Live entertainment will include:

  • Boyce Avenue
  • Eli Young Band
  • Pat Green
  • Larry Fleet
  • Yacht Rock Revue

While it’s technology that drives our future forward, it’s the people behind the innovation that bring the creation to life – F3 will be a full celebration of just that.” — FreightWaves