So Much More than the Symposium

Last issue, I talked about the importance of attending SID's annual International Symposium, Seminar & Exhibition (SID 2006) because of the strategic importance of displays in practically every commercial electronic product produced today. I pointed out the breadth of technological innovation and long-term industry context that can be found nowhere else. If you are reading this issue ofInformation Display while enjoying a break somewhere around the Moscone Center, then you already know what I'm talking about. But SID 2006 is not just about technology. For the fourth-consecutive year, the event includes one of the most comprehensive business conferences in the industry, a two-day program featuring presentations by more than a dozen top display-industry executives on the white-hot display industry's ever-changing marketplace. Being successful in our industry requires as much business and market knowledge as technology savvy, no matter what part of the field you work in. It also requires an intimate understanding of your customer's markets and business imperatives because display technology is sold today both horizontally and vertically, and the biggest markets are dominated by dynamics that in many cases are only loosely related to the science of the displays.

The Society for Information Display is about much more than just one great event per year. In fact, SID offers a calendar abounding with exciting international display-industry events, some focused on a particular technology or field of research and others almost as broad as the Symposium. For example, just within the next 6 months, there are nine significant upcoming SID events, including the International Display Research Conference (IDRC) at the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, U.S.A.; the Asian Symposium on Information Display (ASID) in New Delhi, India; the Advanced Display Technologies (ADT 2006) conference in Moscow, Russia; the ADEAC 2006 conference in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.; and the International Display Workshops in Otsu, Japan. This is only a partial list, but it is indicative of the very rich calendar of SID events that spans the globe (see centerfold).

However, some of the most important Society activities are those that take place regularly on a local and regional level at each of SID's 30-plus chapters worldwide. It is hard to find any industrialized part of the world that does not have some chapter activities going on. And if all that is not enough, SID's publications, online resources, and network make it a truly indispensable tool to a successful display-industry career.

It is my suspicion that quite a few people join SID by registering for one of our many conferences – most often the Symposium – and then fail to take full advantage of that membership throughout the rest of the year. This is unfortunate. Even if you attend only one additional SID event or take even partial advantage of your local chapter activities and the online resources, you get the value of your membership back many times over. So, if you are new to SID, I hope you find it a truly enriching experience, and do not forget about your membership after SID 2006 is over. Take advantage of the almost endless resources membership offers. If you have been a member for a while, how about doing your friends a favor and bring them on-board? In fact, SID has recently launched the Member-Get-A-Member (MGM) Program as an opportunity for you to recruit your friends to join. We all know how beneficial SID membership is in our professional lives and what it has meant to our technical and career development. SID is conducting the MGM Program to grow membership through the rest of 2006 and, as an incentive, is rewarding current members with a $10 credit for each new member recruited. Because of this campaign, SID members themselves can get the word out about SID's membership benefits and, as a result, do both themselves and others a favor at the same time.