When the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) convenes its annual Logistics Conference in San Diego next month, the group will have some weighty issues to address. The conference's agenda includes discussions on such topics as the U.S. transportation infrastructure, how energy prices are affecting supply chains, and labor management tools. The group promises presentations, too, on such issues as environmental sustainability, demand planning, direct-to-customer delivery and managing sourcing.

The program for Monday, Feb. 12, includes an opening address by Fred Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corp., and a general session in which Ira Kalish from Deloitte will discuss what happened with the economy in 2006 and what he expects for 2007 and beyond. Kalish will also talk about how these economic changes will affect the retail and transportation industries.

Tuesday morning's general session will be a presentation on how a major retail chain transformed its logistics and distribution thinking, processes, organizational design, and network of suppliers and service providers to better align with the organization's evolving business model.

The conference program also features breakout sessions on critical issues. Among them are several "Potpourri" sessions, in which key retail executives moderate an open discussion among attendees. This year's Potpourri session topics include transportation, food logistics, distribution operations, and international logistics. Other panels and presentations will focus on the state of North American ports, railroads and highways; regulatory compliance; supply chain visibility; labor management; and direct sourcing.

The conference and exhibition, which is aimed at logistics, transportation and distribution operations executives from retail and manufacturing companies, is scheduled for Feb. 11-14 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. For information, visit www.retail-leaders.org.