SLA EXCEEDS PRE-CONFERENCE REGISTRATION GOAL
INFO-EXPO One of Largest Ever

Alexandria, Virginia USA, 24 May 2005 — Pre-registration for the Special Libraries Association (SLA) 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto has surpassed the association’s goal by about a third and is nearing last year’s final attendance, Executive Director Janice R. Lachance announced today.

The annual conference will be held 5 – 8 June at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. More than 3,600 people have pre-registered and, traditionally, a strong percentage of overall conference attendees register on-site. Last year’s final attendance was more than 3,800 people.

“We’ve planned a fantastic conference with learning and networking opportunities for professionals at every stage of their careers. We’re in a fabulous city. And people know that SLA is the premier conference for special librarians and information professionals,” said Ethel M. Salonen, president of SLA.

Among the numbers, SLA 2005 has drawn more than 600 first-time participants and more than 50 new exhibitors to INFO-EXPO. Open 5 – 7 June, INFO-EXPO will feature about 260 exhibitors and about 400 booths, making it one of SLA’s largest ever

“There is palpable excitement about this year’s annual conference,” observed Lachance. “We have excellent keynote speakers, and we’re attracting people who have never attended an SLA conference before.”

About 100 non-members have taken advantage of the one-year free membership offered with non-member registration. Conference participants and exhibitors represent about 40 countries. Attendance numbers will, of course, be finalized after the conference.

For more information about SLA 2005, visit www.sla.org/toronto2005.

About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves about 12,000 members in 83 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us www.sla.org.