Summer Issue: Association News
July 6, 2018Looking Ahead to Illuminate ’19 AOLP Annual Conference and Expo!
September 28, 2018
By Michael Deo, CLVLT, COLD
Happy summer… finally! For many of us in various parts of the country, spring was late to show up. Here in the northeast, our season began at least three weeks late, more if you count all the rainout days. That’s the downside when you make your living outdoors. Thankfully there’s a great upside!
I’d like to give a shout out here to the communications committee and everyone who worked on our new website, which launched in April. It is awesome! If you haven’t visited yet, you really must. The new site navigates easily, is chock full of good info and offers great tools for members. Log in!
Speaking of websites, Nicely Done Sites, who built ours, is offering special pricing to AOLP members who engage them for their many services including website design, graphic design, search engine optimization and more. Another recently added member benefit is with Review Builders, a service offering an online reputation service. Their product automates review generation, helping SEO and more.
I am happy to report that the AOLP Board of Directors met in Harrisburg in May for our face-to-face annual meeting, and it was very positive and productive. We began with reviewing our financial statements, which were even better than expected. The association is on solid ground—stronger than we’ve been in years. We beat income projections and kept expenses at or below budget on most line items. Our conference, Illuminate ’18, was a great success for all who attended and also for the bottom line. To those of you who completed the survey—thank you. If you did not, please feel free to drop an email to any of us with an idea or feedback.
On another positive note, company membership continues to grow, and we are seeing more manufacturers as well. Our manufacturer and distributor members keep this association rolling with their support, especially at conference. So, when you are buying your equipment, please show them your appreciation by directing your purchases to them when possible. Remember, one hand washes the other!
And now, back to the designs and proposals piled on my desk. I hope you are all busy writing spring contracts and creating beautiful lighting designs. As the old proverb says, you have to “make hay while the sun shines.”
Best wishes,
Mike
