Optical Laboratories Association reveals meeting details, ends run as Accredited Standards Committee secretariat

Key Points

Fairfax, VA-The annual meeting of the Optical Laboratories Association (OLA), The OLA 2008, will be held Nov. 6 to 8 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville.

"The daily schedule at The OLA 2008 annual meeting is uniquely suited to both labs and suppliersbecause there are no competing demands for participants attention," said Bob Dziuban, OLA executive director. "In the morning, labs can focus on education classes, while suppliers have a chance to listen to their customers' hot-button issues. In the afternoon, there are no distractions to keep customers away from the exhibit booths. Even the body is cared for, with daily breakfast and luncheon, and beverages throughout the day."

Dziuban added, "We're going to follow with an up-to-the-minute economic forecast when The Wall Street Journal's senior economics writer Steve Moore gives a 'two-days-after' analysis of the election results and what they will mean for business."

In other OLA news, the organization has resigned as the secretariat for the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee Z80 (ASC Z80).

Bob Dziuban, OLA executive director, said, "The OLA staff will be in transition over the next several years and we will not necessarily maintain the staffing required to serve as Z80 Committee Secretariat. This was the appropriate time to initiate the transition to a new secretariat, while several years remain to ensure a smooth continuity of operations."

Thomas C. White, MD, chairman of the ASC Z80 committee, said, "I want to congratulate the Optical Laboratories Association on the completion of more than a quarter century of administrative leadership for the Z80 Committee."

Dan Torgersen, OLA technical director and exiting secretariat for the ASC Z80 Committee, said, "Standards writing is an intensive, long-term process, with every standard requiring revision on a 5-year cycle, and the administrative support function is critical to timely and successful standards completion and approval by the ANSI organization."

The Vision Council has been selected as the new secretariat.