ORLANDO, FL – The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) announced today that it has approved a business plan for significant expansion in Europe that will commence later this year. The announcement was made by incoming SLAS President Jeff Paslay at the opening session of SLAS2013, the Society’s second annual conference, taking place at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

“Almost one-third of the Society’s 15,000 global members are based in Europe. With a strong SLAS presence established in North America and Asia, the Board felt it was an opportune time to re-engage with those professionals at a higher level,” said Paslay. “Laboratory science and technology are crucial to many European-based organizations and industries. We feel that the expert resources, education, and peer-to-peer intelligent networking that SLAS can provide will be of tremendous and immediate value to laboratory professionals, researchers, technologists and academics in Europe.”

As revealed in today’s announcement, SLAS will deploy a deliberate approach to growth in Europe, guided by a research-based plan that was commissioned and thoroughly vetted by the SLAS Board of Directors and International Advisory Committee for several months. The major strategies of this plan include:

• To build awareness of SLAS brand in Europe by providing unique value to European science and technology professionals
• To grow membership and member engagement in SLAS through grassroots activities
• To develop and implement relevant education opportunities through in-person and online channels
• To nurture mutually-beneficial partnerships with other entities that provide complementary products and services to science and technology professionals in Europe
• To focus initially on specific European markets with a high concentration of qualified professionals. These include Denmark, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

During the announcement, Paslay indicated that the formation of an SLAS European Advisory Committee and the opening of a professional staff office in Europe were two initial steps that would be addressed in the near future. The local volunteer leadership and staff professional team would play an important role in ensuring SLAS delivers programming and abides by business practices that best resonate with European audiences.

“Today’s announcement is a milestone for SLAS as we continue our aspirational efforts to be a truly global organization,” added Gregory Dummer, Chief Executive Office for St. Charles-Illinois professional society. “By engaging more European professionals – and their combined experience and expertise - towards our overarching mission of helping to advance the global community of professionals dedicated to laboratory automation, our entire community benefits.”