TLA SHOWTALK

Exhibits KUDOS • Volunteer THANK YOU's • 2001 Sign-Up • MARKETING Opportunities • TPALS

2000 TLA Conference

An onsite survey of attendees at the TLA 2000 Conference in Houston resulted in the highest ranking of exhibits in the history of TLA: 97.5% good or excellent! The exhibitor booths were exceptionally inviting with beautiful graphic displays, attentive and knowledgeable sales representatives, and well-organized marketing campaigns. We congratulate all exhibitors on an exemplary job and we appreciate all the hard work and dedication to excellence!

In spite of the conferences (January ALA Midwinter in San Antonio, March PLA Conference in Charolotte) and the Texas Board of Education TAAS testing conflict, TLA was well attended. The total attendance was 7414. Of that amount, the following types of Texas libraries were represented in these numbers:

There were 1700 exhibitor representatives. The remaining attendees included educators, library supporters, board members, and students.

TLA Thanks 2000 Volunteers and staff!

Mary Alford (Bellaire City Library) and Don Thomas (Harris County Public Library) were the cheerful and attentive co-chairs who assisted exhibitors at the registration area. Over 65 volunteers worked for the TLA 2000 Exhibits Committee assisting with registration, boothsitting, distribution of information, and overall exhibitor assistance. 2000 volunteers also assisted the 2001 Exhibitor Advanced Signup! The TLA conference owes its success to our volunteers and their Texas hospitality! Many thanks to all who dedicated time to volunteering at TLA 2000!!!

TLA staff and contractors worked many hours to the success of the conference. TLA thanks Aileen Cavazos, TLA Exhibits Assistant, Velvet New, TLA Exhibit Hall Programs and Services Assistant, Tom Folts, TLA Floor Manager, and Joe Rodriquez, TLA Security Manager, for an exemplary job in Houston! A special thank you is extended to the TLA contractors who make the conference an exciting and beautiful event: Aramark, AVW Audio Visual, Inc., Convention Foliage Unlimited, Freeman Decorating Company, George R. Brown Convention Center, Smart City Networks, Southwest MicroRentals, Sullivan Shipping, and Summit Security.

TLA 2001 - Unique and Unlimited!

A successful TLA 2001 Exhibitor Advanced Sign-Up resulted in over 85% sold! The TLA 2001 is anticipated to be another record-breaker scheduled March 29-31, 2001 in San Antonio. Invoice/confirmations will be mailed by May 31 to exhibitors who participated in the advanced signup process. Booth sales will resume by May 8. In order to request a booth, please contact Cindy Boyle, TLA Exhibits Manager, with your contact information (include phone, fax, email and website) at cindyb@txla.org or 512/328-1518 x16. Cindy will fax a contract and current map of the exhibit hall for booth selection.

TLA owes the success of this process to our many volunteers who dedicate unbelievable amounts of time and talent. We express much thanks and gratitude to the 2001 Exhibits Committee Co-Chairs, Louise Foster, Boerne Public Library, and Christine Godin, Northwest Vista College. Martha Knott, San Antonio Public Library, and Barbara Knotts, San Antonio College, 2001 Local Arrangements Co-chairs dedicated their leadership to the process and worked unbelievable hours. In addition, Danea Hall and Jill Sumpter, Fort Bend County Libraries, and Liem Nguyen, Houston Public Library, worked above and beyond the call of duty! Wow, what a team!!! We could not have done it without you!

Marketing Beyond Conference

How do you stay visible in the Texas library market? Successful Texas library suppliers know that visibility throughout the year is vital in the competitive library market. Consider the following:

Texas Professional Association for Library Sales Round Table - TPALS - boasts a successful conference! Programs sponsored by TPALS were: The Annual TLA/TPALS 2000 Golf Tournament, TPALS Vendor Training program, TPALS Vendor Relations Roundtable Discussion, and TPALS Business Meeting. All programs were well attended and much appreciated. Congratulations is extended to the 2000 TPALS Conference program planners: Kevin Billings, Chair, and Jeff Scott, Chair-Elect.

The 2000 TPALS Directory is now available in electronic format, housed on the TLA website. It is not too late to join TLA/TPALS and to be listed in the TPALS online directory. You can obtain both an individual TLA membership application and a TPALS directory application through the TLA website.