Professional Practice Networks to Vet Annual Meeting Proposals
PPN members will help review all proposals in advance of the Annual Meeting Steering Committee.

Although it seems like a long way off, ASLA staff and members are already preparing for the 2007 ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO, which will be held October 5–9 in San Francisco, California. As part of these preparations, members should be getting ready to submit education session proposals for the meeting. Proposals are due into ASLA no later than January 10, 2007 (See “ASLA Call for Education Sessions for 2007 Annual Meeting”). The time to start preparing is now, and submissions can be made online by clicking here.

Members who are not planning on submitting proposals but would like to influence the program selection should join a Professional Practice Network (PPN). ASLA views PPN members as authorities in their areas of practice, and therefore, PPN members are an important part of the process for selecting the programming that will run at the Annual Meeting.

April Philips, ASLA, who currently serves as chair of the Sustainable Design and Development PPN, has reviewed proposals as a PPN member for many years and notes that "the opportunity to help shape the educational experience and guide the dialogue at the annual meeting is extremely rewarding both professionally and personally. It also provides you with an insider's glimpse of the state of the profession. It can be an energizing experience."

By the day’s end on January 10, ASLA will have received all proposals for the 2007 Annual Meeting programming, and it is anticipated that 200-plus submissions will compete for space in one-fourth as many slots in the program. PPN members review all proposals in advance of the Annual Meeting Steering Committee, which will make the final determinations on which sessions will run. 

In the next few weeks, all PPN members will receive an email inviting them to review proposals corresponding to specific areas of professional expertise. Participating members will review proposal abstracts, assign a numerical value to the strength of each proposal, and provide supplementary comments to guide the Steering Committee’s reexamination of the strongest proposals. The proposals deemed weakest by the PPN reviewers will not be considered by the Steering Committee.

How many proposals should PPN members expect to review as a volunteer? That depends on the popularity of the review category that members request. Some reviewers receive 8–10 proposals to review, while others receive 20–25 proposals.

Members who are not involved in a PPN may join any one PPN at no charge. If you join now, you will be sure to receive an invitation to participate in the review of proposals for ASLA's 2007 Annual Meeting. Current PPN members should get ready—email invitations to join in the review process will be coming soon!