About the ATA

The ATA is a member of the AALAS Site Selection Committee, is invited to all AALAS Board of Trustee meetings, and sits on the AALAS Exhibitor Advisory Committee. During the past few years, the ATA has broadened its scope to include working with the various AALAS branches with the same goal of having good facilities and exhibits at their annual meetings, at sites beneficial and convenient for all attendees.

ATA members receive exhibit points for exhibiting at national AALAS meetings, accrued annually to provide fairness in exhibit booth location in the event of more than one exhibitor wants the same space. This method takes both point count and postmark date on the application for space into consideration when assigning exhibition space, and has worked well over the years. In addition, AALAS provides booth fee discounts for ATA members. Members in good standing receive a six week advance notification for booth space and hotel room bookings for all AALAS National Meeting.

Meetings, Officers, and Awards

The ATA meets twice per year, at the AALAS National Meeting and midyear at the Tri-Branch meeting. The ATA also publishes a periodical newsletter to its members, and to AALAS BOT and executive members.

The ATA executive board comprises the President (2 year term), President-elect (2 year term), Past President (1 year term) and Secretary-Treasurer (3 year term). All officers are elected at our annual meeting during the AALAS national meeting.

Periodically, the ATA awards its prestigious FLOYD POLLING VENDOR-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD to a worthy member who has served the organization well. The Polling Award commemorates the ATA founder and his important vision for cooperation.

The ATA initiated the ATA INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD during the year 2000 in order to recognize individual vendors who have been responsible for developing apparatus or services that have been adopted into general lab animal science use.

The ATA works hand-in-hand daily with AALAS members and organizations and appreciates the reciprocal opportunities for doing business it receives from all those involved in the laboratory animal care industry. Look for the ATA membership sign in exhibit booths at AALAS shows and spend some time with those vendors proudly displaying that commitment to our field of endeavor.

History

The ATA was formed in the late 1950's by a small group of vendors serving our industry. The idea was to have an organized body that could work with AALAS National regarding the needs of vendors exhibiting at national meetings. All of the long-time suppliers to our industry have belonged since the ATA's inception, and many have had employees who have served in an elected leadership capacity for the ATA over the years.

The idea was immediately embraced by AALAS and a fruitful relationship between ATA and AALAS organizations was born. A similar organization exists in Canada (ATA/CALAS). Over the years, many innovations for national meetings have been implemented, with the result that the exhibit hall at AALAS meetings today is the best in the world. Most vendors marketing nationally attend, demonstrating up-to-the minute equipment, products, and services to all those interested.