The International Symposium on Logistics (ISL) has a rich history spanning the last 25 years or so, and it has been instrumental in discussing, debating and shaping the field of logistics and supply chain management. In early 1992, a proposal was made to the United Kingdom's Operations Management Association (OMA), which subsequently was expanded as the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA), to provide support for the inaugural ISL in Nottingham, UK, in July 1993. The launch of ISL came from the growing realisation that a common forum to bring together and stimulate the exchange of ideas between academic research and industrial practice did not exist. Since its inception, this event has alternated locations annually, between Europe and outside Europe. ISL has been held in many countries across Europe, whilst outside Europe, it has been to Japan,