“2008 was definitely another banner year for ALA.”
We've all heard the saying, “What goes up must come down.” This principle can be applied not only to Newton's Law of Gravity, but also to the gravity created by a dragging economy. For years, the United States has been fortunate to have experienced a relatively healthy economic outlook, but unless you've been locked inside your lab for the past year, you know this situation changed dramatically in 2008, and in turn, created unwelcome pressure on markets around the globe.
Because membership and participation in professional societies are often easy targets for employers who are forced to reduce operating expenses, it became mission critical for ALA to work more creatively than ever to keep from being categorized as expendable or nonessential.
With guidance from a carefully crafted strategic plan, and with the ingenuity of the ALA Board of Directors, volunteers, and staff, ALA was able to help its members reach beyond the immediate constraints of a tight economy in 2008 to take advantage of a better-than-ever line-up of educational programs and professional opportunities. In the process, ALA maintained its own financial stability, enhanced many of its existing programs, introduced meaningful new programs, and experienced enthusiastic participation by a record number of association members.
LabAutopedia—The ALA Knowledge Network. ALA's latest and perhaps greatest addition to its menu of member services is LabAutopedia, a one-of-a-kind online wiki that offers an impressive breadth and depth of practical information exclusively tailored by experienced lab automation professionals for lab automation professionals at all levels. This one-stop know-how shop embraces everything from the history of the field to terminology essentials, short tutorials, helpful how-to's, lively discussions; and delivers it all directly to member desktops. Plus, it comes with its very own theme song and live-action YouTube video.
The Better- Than-Ever Lab Man. ALA enhanced the value of its popular Lab Man blogs and podcasts in 2008 by introducing a more user-friendly interface that includes search capabilities, reorganization of topics by industry, tag clouding, easily accessible links, and enhanced user comment/discussion functionality.
24-7-365 News. A live news feed made its debut at www.labautomation.org in 2008, driven by a state-of-the-art search platform that selects from more than 14 billion headlines each day to deliver the latest and most pertinent lab automation information to member desktops.
Free Internship Postings on ALA Career Connections. Thanks to input from the energetic new ALA Student and Early Career Professionals Committee, the ALA Career Connections program was expanded to include free postings by companies offering lab automation-related internships in drug discovery and development, clinical diagnostics, food and agriculture, energy generation, petrochemicals, forensics, and security science.
LabAutomation Conference and Exhibition
$200 Flight Discounts to 500 LabAutomation2009 Attendees. In partnership with the City of Palm Springs and LabAutomation2009 exhibitors PerkinElmer, Agilent, Symyx Technologies, Caliper Life Sciences, and Thermo Fisher, ALA pioneered a new travel program that rewarded the first 500 full conference registrants with $200 off the cost of airfares booked via the ALA Travel Desk. In addition to this unique financing arrangement, ALA was able to continue its tradition of not increasing conference registration fees for the fourth year in a row. By creating a win—win scenario for all involved, these factors enabled members to stretch tight travel budgets, and ensured healthy attendance at the conference for ALA, LabAutomation exhibitors, the Palm Springs community, and the travel industry. The success of this inventive approach also attracted attention as a milestone achievement within the nonprofit association community.
Biz-Dev Business Development Forum at LabAutomation2009. ALA took a major step forward in how it facilitates business-to-business collaboration among industry representatives and corporate vice presidents of business development, directors, and other key decision makers at LabAutomation2009. The concept of Biz-Dev was constructed at the behest of members and exhibitors for more dedicated one-on-one face-to-face time between strategic decision makers. Its goal is to maximize the LabAutomation conference experience in the short term, and the strategic development of new lab automation technologies through partnerships in the mid term to long term.
Alert System for Emergency Communications. In January of 2008, many LabAutomation attendees, volunteers, and staff experienced weather-related travel delays, reroutes, and cancellations. Whether traveling by air or by auto, getting to the rain-drenched desert became difficult and frustrating for many. This signaled an opportunity for ALA, and as a result, LabAutomation2009 participants were able to opt-in to an emergency text-messaging program. The ALA Alert System ensured that LabAutomation travelers were the first to know about any service interruptions at area airports, train stations, and expressways. In addition, the system provided a safety net for rapid communication in the case of any other local emergency.
Regional Education
ALA Spotlight Series V.2. With sponsorship support from Pioneer Hi-Bred and Syngenta Seeds, ALA introduced students and young scientists at Iowa State University and Michigan State University to the field of laboratory automation and to ALA. The ALA Spotlight Seriesnew focus on students in 2008 reflected ALA's flexibility and portability as a strategy-driven professional society. An evaluation of 2007 attendance patterns, attendee feedback, and sponsor feedback suggested that the series be reinvented and redirected toward students to better align its purpose with the ALA Strategic Plan goals and objectives.
ALA Support Request Program. In recognition of its role as an industry leader and its mission of advancing the science, study, and practice of lab automation, ALA introduced this program in 2008 to create a pathway for nonprofit groups in related industries to follow when searching for financial and promotional support of their own specialized programs and events.
Lab Automation Market Place. JALA World News Online is being reinvented to incorporate a new, searchable product directory. Under the banner of Lab Automation Market Place, ALA members will continue to have access to up-to-date product and technology news, calendar of industry meetings and events, online technical libraries, announcements of new application and technical notes, and company news announcements, plus an all-new, searchable product directory.
Whew, That Was Fun!
Despite the uncertainties caused by a shaky economy, 2008 was definitely another banner year for ALA and its members. Thanks to an ongoing commitment to sound financial management, strategic planning, and a nimble mindset, your association continues to not only survive, but thrive as an essential resource for lab automation professionals.
As the ALA Board of Directors, volunteers, and staff look forward to the rest of this year and beyond, it is with a preemptive eye for problem-solving and a devotion to service excellence. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this extraordinary organization.
