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GUIDELINES FOR SITE SELECTION FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE & LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

It is the policy of the Special Libraries Association that the SLA Leadership Summit sites are approved four years in advance and that Annual Conference sites are approved nine years in advance.

II. Purpose

The purpose for this policy is to provide ample lead time for the SLA Board of Directors to select appropriate meeting locations that will fulfill the Association's needs.

An increase in competition for the best dates and preferred site locations for meetings of the Association requires more advance work and ample lead time for the appropriate parties involved to make the best selections/decisions.

In the past decade, there has been tremendous growth in the meeting industry. The number of organizations, associations, groups, as well as commercial firms that hold meetings, conventions, trade shows, etc. have grown, as well as the number of meetings each may conduct. This has increased the competition for select dates and sites to hold these meetings.

The SLA Leadership Summit and the Annual Conference have also experienced an increase in size and complexity.

To facilitate this Board approval process, the following practices are to be taken into consideration:

1) To ensure that adequate geographical distribution is maintained, the staff will use the following as a guide:

a) Since 10% of SLA's membership is Canadian, the Annual Conference will be held in a Canadian city at least every ten years;

b) The attached rotation schedule will provide guidance for geographical distribution of the Annual Conference and the Leadership Summit;

c) Whenever possible, the Annual Conference and the Leadership Summit should not be scheduled within the same geographic area, back to back;

d) Proposed meeting sites for the Leadership Summit and Annual Conferences are announced prior to any Board action, allowing time for interested persons to comment;

e) The Association will concentrate on holding meetings, but not limited to, those geographical areas that are economically advantageous to members as well as to the Association: accounting for accommodations, transportation, meeting facilities, program opportunities as well as potential income.

f) Upon the submission by the Executive Director and approval of the Board of Directors, periodic non-North American meeting locations and dates need to be discussed and investigated for possible inclusion in the Association's meeting schedule.

The Executive Director is responsible for monitoring the compliance with this policy.

Revised: October 1997
Approved: 1986