ALA Conference: Uncertainty Looms

So far, 9,290 people have pre-registered for the conference—up from the 7,811 who registered for Atlanta—just six weeks shy of the start of the meeting. Some vendors, such as EBSCO and Ingram, say they have no plans to downsize exhibit space or staff, but others, pointing out that the number of registrants doesn't accurately reflect those who will actually attend, say they're cutting back, and in some cases, not going at all. Follett and its divisions, including Follett Library Resources and Book Wholesalers, will probably be the most significant absentee vendor from the exhibit floor. "We decided not to attend ALA this year, given the concerns of our associates," says Follett spokeswoman Pam Goodman. "They were still concerned [about SARS], and their family members were concerned." Other no-shows will include book distribution company Quality Books and publishers Lee & Low and Gareth Stevens, which all expressed concern over SARS.

"It's unavoidable that attendance will be hurt [by the SARS crisis]," says Tom Grant of the library automation company SIRSI, which conducted an informal survey of its customers and determined that there will be 30 percent fewer librarians in attendance than originally expected. SIRSI plans to reduce its conference staff by one-third, bringing only 40 employees to Toronto.

The Gale Group, traditionally one of the largest exhibitors, has canceled most events and will cut its booth size in half, says spokeswoman Kim Ward Gabbert. In fact, many vendors, including library suppliers Gaylord Bros. and Brodart, will be cutting back on the number of receptions and other events. Scholastic will slash its numbers by a third to about 40, including authors and illustrators. But the publisher still plans to hand out copies of the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at its annual Grolier Breakfast June 22. Random House Children's Books plans to have a slightly smaller exhibit booth and bring fewer staff members. Some vendors chose to attend simply because the deadline for exhibitor's refunds lapsed a while ago.

As of May 9, ALA officials still say they expect $5.25 million in total gross revenue for the June 19–25 meeting, more than the $4.9 million garnered at the 2002 annual conference in Atlanta and a little less than the $5.3 million secured at the 2001 annual conference in San Francisco.

"I can't speak to the financial implications at this point," says ALA President Mitch Freedman, who adds that there would have been losses for everyone if the conference was moved to an alternate site. ALA, for example, could have incurred $2.5 million in liabilities for canceled contracts, and attendees might not have been able to afford additional plane tickets.

After intense consultations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies, ALA decided May 9 to keep the conference in Toronto. "Our primary concern was the health, safety, and security of ALA staff, our members, and vendors," says Freedman, who points out that all public libraries in Toronto remained open during the weeklong WHO advisory in April against all unnecessary travel there. "Once the advisory was lifted, those concerns were allayed."
—Debra Lau Whelan; Norman Oder and Walter Minkel contributed to this story.