Day 1 in Las Vegas began with the second annual Volunteer Leadership Appreciation Breakfast, held to honor and recognize our more than 100 volunteer board and committee members. Year-round, these individuals lend their time, talent and expertise to governing and advancing the mission of the association. During this breakfast meeting, IAM President Brian Limperopulos shared how the work of each committee advances IAM’s strategic plan, then each IAM volunteer group chairperson presented achievements from 2024 and announced initiatives for 2025. IAM appreciates all of its volunteer leaders, and we look forward to their continued guidance in the year to come.

Our learning labs and speaker panels kicked off in the late morning of day one. Three learning labs were held throughout the day, the first of which was the Play Your Cards Right—What Customers Want at 10:30 am. This session featured key insights into customer expectations in the moving and relocation industry, with a focus on the IAMTrusted Moving Company designation. Panelists emphasized the growing importance of trust and transparency in vendor relationships, which the IAMTrusted designation directly addresses. The program ensures that companies commit to resolving disputes, adhere to a strict code of ethics, and maintain compliance with industry standards, providing customers with confidence in their choice of service providers.

Panelists agreed with the live audience poll that listed communication, reliability, timeliness and pricing as the top factors influencing customer satisfaction. Prioritizing these items helps moving companies stand out by demonstrating their commitment to professionalism and ethical business practices, which are increasingly important to both corporate and private customers. By keeping them top-of-mind during every client and customer touchpoint, companies not only build trust but also enhance their reputation, which reassures clients that issues will be resolved transparently and efficiently.

The panel further discussed how technology and sustainability are reshaping customer expectations, but emphasized that having a strong, trusted network of moving partners remains critical. Technology can help with simplifying complex tasks and calculations, and demonstrable sustainability efforts can differentiate your offering in the eyes of clients and customers. At the end of the day, though, it is the human interactions that build those relationships. This is the area where your transparency and frequency of communications, along with the other factors, will truly shine, reinforcing to the customer that they can be assured they will get what they want.

Panelists included Moderator Morgana Somers, Director of Global Operations, IAM; Joana Carvalho, Logistics Administrator, IMF; Jose Pose, Head of Partner Relationships, K2 Corporate Mobility; Peter Bowsher, Project Manager – Household Goods, World Bank; and John Roller, Executive Consultant, Atlantic Relocation Systems.

The IAM Young Professional (IAM-YP) membership was out in full force at the IAM 62nd Annual Meeting, with an impressive turnout of YPs from around the world. The YP events kicked off on Monday with the IAM-YP Connect activity at a local escape room, where YPs split into groups and picked their own adventures, choosing rooms by theme and difficulty level. Some teams successfully escaped, while others are… still finding their way out! (Just kidding—we ensured everyone was released after the one-hour session.)

After the escape room fun, YPs gathered for the Membership Meeting, where the Management Board shared updates on various initiatives from 2024, introduced our new YP Chair Lennert de Jong and Vice Chair Anu Dattani, and discussed upcoming projects like the IAM Country Guide Updates Project—a valuable resource the IAM-YP will help lead to benefit our entire community. Interested in joining IAM-YP? Learn more here.

The next session, Grow Up Fast—AI and the Future of Moving, presented by Zach Rattner of Yembo, the first session proposal winner, began at 1:30. This interactive workshop explored how AI is positively transforming the moving industry, providing strategies to enhance customer experiences and future-proof moving businesses. It started with a live audience poll and a brief synopsis of the current state of AI technology and progressed to a hands-on collaborative session workshopping applications of AI in attendees’ businesses.

Topics of the discussion included how to select an AI tool and identify the value proposition, how to manage constraints, embrace the learning curve, and how to assess the tool’s maturity. Attendees were introduced to the MIT AI risk repository, which is basically a database of what could possibly go wrong with AI, and how to deal with false or misleading information. Conclusions included encouragement to view every big AI problem as an opportunity for problem solving, and the fact that AI magnifies you—it does not replace you.

IAM’s U.S. Domestic Asset-Based Mover Group (The U.S. DAB) hosted a session named U.S. DAB: Exploring Critical Issues in Asset-Based Moving at 3:00 pm. The Domestic Asset-Based Mover (U.S. DAB) leadership explored hot topics in the asset-based moving arena. Peers engaged in small group discussions and provided feedback on each topic with other session attendees. The energy in the room was intense and members were deeply engaged in the discussions. The topics included:

Training and onboarding: takeaways included the need for quality training videos, an acronym cheat sheet for new hires, and to consider the personality of your trainers—the person who’s been there the longest is not always the best person to train others. Also, performing background checks for all staff is essential, though some states only allow them after an offer is made, and the importance of random drug testing for all employees.

Claims prevention: These discussions focused heavily on mold & mildew, including the importance of proper mold identification during the initial survey, having professional mitigators train drivers on mold vs. dirt, notifying the account right away, and liftvan conditions. Advise clients beforehand that you won’t take wet things, and that they should not have things steam cleaned before the move. When receiving, open the liftvan as soon as you receive. Another important factor in claims prevention is to use ziploc bags and high-visibility boxes for parts.

Diversified revenue streams: Topics ranged from considering different types of moving including senior moves, move management (connecting utilities, etc. as a white glove service), and model homes. Consider opening your warehouse to non-moving-related storage, and using your assets for other lines of business, to keep your company making money from them.

Cost accounting: Members talked about the critical importance of the relationship between sales and operations, inflation of equipment costs (for instance, when the cost goes up during the approval process), accounting for assets (like counting crates in and out), preventative in-house maintenance, productivity-based compensation, and people maintenance (for instance, retention—including bonuses—can save costs of all kinds on employee turnover).

Waste management: Attendees noted that money can be made—or at least, costs reduced—by using balers and specialized dumpsters for corrugated cardboard, as well as reusing anything that doesn’t touch the body: used cartons can save 35% on costs. They also discussed how certifications like Ecovadis and alternative fuel vehicles like electric forklifts can reduce waste and costs, as well as promote client satisfaction.

The Newcomers, First Time Attendees & IAMTrusted Moving Company Reception began promptly at 6:00 pm. New attendees were afforded the opportunity to meet and greet IAM staff, IAMTrusted members, volunteer leaders and distinguished guests. Immediately afterward, the Opening Reception sponsored by M. Dyer Global, was held at the Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard pool, offering scenic views of the Bellagio and Paris hotels. Members enjoyed music, drinks, and food while relaxing and socializing together in an informal atmosphere.

Following the Opening Reception, we kicked off the Afterparty hosted by the U.S. Domestic Asset Based Mover group (U.S. DAB) for a night of fun, camaraderie, drinks, games, entertainment, and light food. Members relaxed and enjoyed the company—including an Elvis impersonator and a magician—listened to the DJ, and played games including craps, foosball and beer pong.

The proceeds benefitted IAM’s charity partner Move For Hunger in their mission to end hunger and food waste. The Afterparty was also the site of the third annual IAM Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) tournament. Congratulations to tournament champion Marc-Antoine Beltramo of Transcausse-Demimpex, who won a free four-night hotel stay for the 2025 Annual Meeting in New York City, and bragging rights to the title of Best RPS Mover In the World. Our raffle winner of the evening was Alise Elliott of Elliott International (Pty), Ltd., who won a complimentary 2025 Annual Meeting Registration.