Politicians and industry leaders are gathering today in Erie, Pa., to observe the inaugural celebration of National Logistics Day, a new holiday sponsored by transportation and supply chain service provider Logistics Plus Inc.

Pennsylvania-based Logistics Plus arranged to have the event listed on the "National Day Calendar" every June 28 as an official date to recognize and appreciate the importance of the logistics industry, the company said.

Fans and attendees can observe the event by: reading interesting facts about the sector at the national day's website, sharing the holiday's logo, watching a video titled "The Evolution of Logistics," and downloading a complimentary copy of "Logistics Careers Plus More For Dummies," an eBook by Daniel Stanto.

The event can be tracked online through social media posts marked with the #NationalLogisticsDay hashtag, for sharing among friends, family, or colleagues that work in the logistics and supply chain fields, according to Logistics Plus.

Photographers can also commemorate the event through a photo sweepstakes by snapping selfies of themselves near any logistics-related equipment or location and posting it to Instagram or Twitter with the event's hashtag. Submit photos through June 30 and a prize winner will be randomly chosen on July 1. Entries are expected to span the full range of semi-trucks or truck depots, cargo planes or airports, railcars or train stations, and container ships or port authorities.

Historians at Logistics Plus note that the industry can trace its beginnings to Marco Polo's 1271 journey from Europe to China on the Silk Road. That founding achievement was followed by milestones such as the 1896 invention of the first "horseless carriage" semi-truck, the first air cargo flight in 1910 between Dayton and Columbus, and the first container ship sailing in 1956 from the port of New Jersey to Texas.

Today, the logistics industry employs more than 50 million people worldwide, and the third-party logistics (3PL) sector represents an $800 billion industry on its own, the company said.

The #NationalLogisticsDay #Photo #Sweepstakes #Contest ends in less than a week - submit your awesome #logistics #photograph now to Twitter or Instagram! https://t.co/5DPieRMmRy pic.twitter.com/u09TVRmRbh

— Logistics Plus Inc. (@LogisticsPlus) June 25, 2019