by Dan Trefethen, SLA Treasurer
As the SLA Treasurer, to me “Future Ready” means financial stability. In my presentation last week at the Leadership Summit, I emphasized the importance of the annual conference, both to our coffers and to the vigor of the association.
To be Future Ready you have to engage with your colleagues, and the conference is the best place to do it. You can help yourself, your colleagues, and your association by committing to attend the conference this June in Philadelphia.
Early registrants help us generate excitement among the vendors who will be exhibiting there. A wide range of exhibitors helps to make a vibrant and worthwhile conference.
Here’s how to do your part: Register ASAP (meaning TODAY if possible) to show the exhibitors how valuable the conference will be for them. Also, if you are talking to the vendors you deal with, tell them that you’ll be attending the conference, will look for them there, and (especially helpful!) that you can bring a colleague by the booth to introduce them.
If you have colleagues who are in the market for a service or product, this is a very useful courtesy you can do, both for your colleague and for the vendor. Personal referrals are important business connections. Providing your colleague an opportunity for face to face vendor discussion and product demonstration at the conference is a great thing for you to do. And let the vendor know so that he or she will be ready to greet you there.
Members and vendors are partners in delivering great information services to our customers. Thanks for helping to make it happen.
Dan Trefethen is a long-time member of SLA and has held numerous positions including Treasurer of the Nominating committee, and President of the Pacific Northwest Chapter. He now serves as the Treasurer for SLA.
Dan,
fully support your line “Members and vendors are partners in delivering great information services to our customers.” However, I personally think that physical exhibitions as they are now, are on their way out.
Pre Internet an exhibition was the most efficient and sometimes only place to see new products and meet with vendors.
With technology nowadays (web casts, social media etc) and cost constraints (both for vendors and members), a physical exhbition may not be the best “platform” to connect supply and demand.
I *do* think that we (SLA) can play a role in connecting vendors to members:
- how about having vendors use chapters / divisions as “beta test” groups for certain new products?
- how about using the SLA conference time (plus a virtual component) to invite a potential group of customers for a brain storm session around new features?
- some issues for info pro’s are cross vendors, for example connecting different databases to each other. SLA could engage with different vendors to determine the root problem and set up a (virtual) group with vendors and members to solve problems
- case studies from peers are far more convincing than a brochure and a free pen: how about setting up sessions (physical and virtual) where SLA members showcase how they have implemented product X or hired company Y to solve a problem?
- I’d love to see SLA (chapters and divisions likely) to produce overviews of what products / solutions are available for what. I would not need a consumer report with scores, but having a wiki page with a list of the available databses with features on for example geology abstracts.
Just my 2 cents. Happy to brain storm further over email.
Dennie