It’s A Wrap!
Eighteen months to plan it, 6 months to deliver it, 3 days to experience it – and 90 minutes to pack it up! Whilst VALA2016, the 18th Biennial Conference and Exhibition, is over, the great conversations, partnerships and opportunities that it initiated will continue. Rich content can be viewed and downloaded from the Conference pages and we invite you to invest a little of your time in your own professional and learning journey.
There was a buzz about this conference that many of you have noted. So firstly a huge thank you to every one of the +1300 participants at VALA2016 for bringing such great energy to the event. Our outstanding international keynote speakers and guests set a high bar, and we thank them for so generously sharing their passion, insights and experience with us. Peer reviewed papers, Roundtables, L-Plates, P-Plates, BootCamps and Workshops brought diversity and the opportunity for debate.
The Exhibition Hall packed with 99 booths was an outstanding aspect of our event. We are indebted to our loyal and valued sponsors and exhibitors – the best vendors in the industry – for making VALA this region’s conference of choice.
Our support technology worked overtime with #vala16 the top trending twitter feed in Australia and New Zealand, and going Top 10 in Singapore. The new Zerista app had 91% of delegates engaged, blowing our target and industry averages out of the water. Thank you tech people for supporting our vision of a paperless conference.
Supported by the MCEC’s reliable coffee, some truly great food and strong wifi; outstanding conference management (thank you WSM); and our brilliant library-and-allied-industries community, VALA2016 was a pleasure for us to lead and, we hope, a pleasure for you to experience.
Photos taken at VALA2016 can now be viewed on Flickr. If you would like the rights to download any images please contact vala@vala.org.au for access.
On behalf of the Conference Committee, thank you for coming and we look forward to welcoming you back to VALA2018, a celebration of our 40th year. Mark your diaries for 12-15 February 2018, in Melbourne Australia.
David Feighan and Ebe Kartus
Co-Chairs, VALA2016 Conference Committee
Listen to David and Ebe’s interviews with Corin Haines
Thank you to our sponsors…
Welcome to VALA2016
VALA2016 is the must-attend event for specialists, managers and leading edge thinkers working in information and technology in the GLAM sectors, and will attract 1,000+ participants to Melbourne from 9-11 February 2016.
Invitation from the Conference Committee
On behalf of the VALA2016 Conference Committee, it is our pleasure to invite you to join us at VALA’s 18th Biennial Conference and Exhibition, the leading library technology conference and exhibition in our region.
In a return to our heartland, VALA2016 – Libraries, Technology and the Future, invites wide discussion, discourse and discovery on the topics that matter to the libraries and information managers of the future.
In response to the Call for Papers our conference program retains some familiar lines of enquiry – Publishing, Collaboration, Social, for example – and introduces some new and emerging areas including Future Gazing, Data Stuff and Finding Things. Our Geek Speak stream will resonate with the true believers in the VALA network.
Our vision for VALA2016 is to gather together the most passionate, clever, insightful and challenging contributors to our digital past, present and future; to enable a rich and rewarding exchange of ideas and possibilities; to celebrate curiousity and fearlessly push the boundaries with colleagues and competitors. The doors of VALA2016 are open to delegates, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors alike, and we welcome all who come with big ideas and a will to embrace the future.
Our VALA2016 International keynote speakers, featured below, and our diverse and expert presenters, will open your mind to new ideas and possibilities.
The popular L-Plate Series returns to support conference and industry newcomers, whilst our new P-Plate Series is pitched for the more experienced driver. For the very advanced, Boot Camp sessions provide intensive hands-on-learning workshop style.
Make time for our 3-day exhibition where you will meet the leading providers and suppliers in our industry. Discover new solutions, rekindle old networks and build new partnerships. The VALA2016 Exhibition Hall is where all conference catering will be served – so you can feed your body and your mind at the same time! A great environment to do business.
The Network Hub will be one of the main meeting places, a central commons in the middle of the exhibition hall; and the Red Carpet area will host launches, presentations and gatherings.
We have been actively involved with VALA for over a decade and stay involved because this “coming together” at the VALA conference continues to inspire us and to ignite our professional journeys. It is a place where people dare to take risks and where we continue to learn so much from the shared experiences of the speakers and the participants.
We look forward to your company at VALA2016.
David Feighan and Ebe Kartus
Co-Chairs, VALA2016 Conference Committee
Key Dates
Registrations open 1 September 2015
Early Bird registrations close 30 November 2015
Online Registration Information
Online registrations open 1 September. Please ensure you have read all registration and accommodation information before registering.
For summary information download a copy of the Conference Program.
Brag About It!
Let everyone know you are attending the VALA2016 Conference! Copy and save one of the buttons below and put it up on your website or blog, with a link to http://www.vala.org.au/conferences/vala2016
Having a MeetUp?
If you are interested in organising a satellite meeting or pre or post Conference workshop during VALA2016, please contact the WALDRONSMITH Management Conference Office on +61 3 9645 6311 or email vala@wsm.org.au . VALA is happy to add your event to our website, either to promote your event, or as a date-saver.