Historical ALMA Meeting In Oslo
ALMA came to Oslo - and won!
A report on the first EuroALMA conference
by Dr. Karina Langseth and Dr. Thomas Lyttle
The first European ALMA Conference was held in Oslo in November 1998. A main objective of ALMA, the Analytical Laboratory Managers Association, is to function as a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences between laboratory managers. The ALMA Conference is originally an American idea (the twentieth meeting will be held at Argonne National Laboratory in 1999); however, experience has shown that there is a future for ALMA also on the European side of the Atlantic.
The Conference was held on November 20–22, and it is seldom that we have heard so many positive comments on such a meeting. Quite often, at such meetings, there are one or two of the invited lecturers who stray from their theme during their presentations. This did not occur at ALMA, and the committee is to be commended for choosing excellent lecturers.
Program
The Conference consisted of two parts. First a “Short Course” on management of analytical laboratories which was held by Dr. Claude Lucchesi, Northwestern University, USA. The two-day short course was followed by the Conference with 60 conferees from 15 countries (Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Latvia, France, Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Scotland, England, Israel, Australia, Norway and USA) attending. The lecturers came from Germany, UK, USA, Netherlands, and Norway. The audience participated actively resulting in many fruitful discussions. A post conference survey indicated that some of the most informative lectures were Wei Hansen (Manager, Corporate Analytical Department, Unichema International, The Netherlands), Emily Jones (Director, Analytical Technology Division, Eastman Kodak Co., U.S.A.) and Jo Døhl (Director, HR Development, Nycomed AS, Norway). A major activity of the ALMA Conference is the Round Table discussion session. Four subjects were chosen, and the discussions were spirited and informative.
Accommodations
The conference hotel (the Holmenkollen Park Rica) was superb. It is felt that this was one of the reasons that EuroALMA was so successful. The hotel provided excellent logistics and service. The food, especially the banquet, was exquisite. The conferees arrived on a sunny Oslo afternoon, and the hotel appeared as a grand castle on a snowy mountain slope.
Social Program
The Conference Committee had also arranged an exiting social program. The Conference Mixer was held at the Norwegian Ski museum. The conferees were requested to don their winter clothes and stroll to the museum (5 minutes from the hotel) on a lovely winter night. At the museum, two very engaging guides led them through the museum where they were served canapés and white wine. All took the elevator and stairs to the top of the famous Holmenkollen ski jump, where all received a gold medal (the Holmenkoll medal) sponsored by Waters. The conference banquet consisted of different Norwegian dishes.
Conference Sponsors
The Conference would not have been as successful without the excellent sponsorship of Instrument Teknikk, Waters, Perkin Elmer, Hewlett Packard, LabConsult, and Kebo Lab. Each corporate sponsor had an exhibition booth.
Networking
Finally, active networking between the conferees was established during the Conference coffee breaks and other activities. Many good ideas, exchanges of experiences, and discussions surfaced. This is an essential part of the ALMA experience. It is the belief of the organizers that EuroALMA has created a forum for European Laboratory Managers that many of the attendees are interested in continuing.
Next EuroALMA in 2000
Thus, EuroALMA has come to stay. The committee will transfer the “baton” to another European country in order to arrange the next EuroALMA Conference in the year 2000.