It was the best of times and the worst of times. At least that’s what Janice LaChance, the CEO of SLA, told us at the closing session for the 2010 annual conference. We had a great time meeting with colleagues, networking, and viewing the vendor booths. The West Coast chapters put on a fantastic well-received reception at the Louisiana Supreme Court. The New Orleans Convention Center was so huge that most of the meetings were held in the one hall. This was the first time there were virtual conference attendees, 101, in all. The food, as one would have expected, was beyond description. This is a town based on, and proud of, the tourist experience. We were told stories of epic heroism and the capacity to rebound from tragedy. One of our own, Richard Hulser, won an SLA Member Achievement Award. Sara Tompson was busy with her campaign for the Board of Directors. The conference opening day speakers, James Carville, and Mary Matalin, were literally ripped out of the headlines. It was interesting seeing them on CNN two days later repeating some of their conference opening night comments on the big oil spill. It was if we were insiders. The closing speaker, Nicholas Carr, warned us of the dangers of multi-tasking, especially on the internet.
However, in the chapter meeting, held very late Tuesday afternoon, and repeated at the closing session, it was a different story. First revealed at the January Leadership Meeting, the association is losing money. They say all associations are in the same situation, attendance at annual conferences are down. Money is tight, and many of the Continuing Education courses were canceled. There were a lot of “ticketed events” which were not included in the already steep conference fees. The 2009 centennial convention provided half the annual revenue and was one-third of the annual expense. SLA Headquarters has had to lay off five employees in 2010, eight in 2009, for a total reduction in staff of thirty percent. Revenues are $1.2 million less than anticipated. They have now tapped into long term resources, and had to take out a line of credit. The association treasurer, Dan Trefethen, explained this is typical in the business world, but the first time in the association's history. Headquarters promises that there will be no reduction in services that the typical member will notice. They have reduced the budget to match 2009 revenue. There is a discussion of further tiered memberships. There is discussion about having joint meetings with “closely-related" professionals. They continue to promote the results of the alignment study. There are 900 members that pay $40.00 per year for their membership. Headquarters is looking at a new alignment and new revenue sources.
In short, we all had a great time at the annual conference and they remind us that the association is dependent upon the annual conference, but they admit annual conferences may be a thing of the past, and heartily encourage you to attend the next one, in Philadelphia, for your sake and the association’s sake.
-Bill Lee
July 2010
On a related note, I've added a few photos to the slideshow, and changed the format a bit. Take another look! http://s854.photobucket.com/albums/ab106/robindodge/SLA2010%20New%20Orleans/?albumview=slideshow
Stay tuned for more conference reports from our virtual attendees.
-Robin
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