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Whither ISA?
 ISA has a problem.
Two years after it first moved to change its name to International Society of Automation, total membership has continued to stagnate and no major new expansions have been accomplished anywhere in the world. The society is reducing staff by about 30 percent. Many once-key positions have been eliminated.
ISA has reduced “InTech,” its once flourishing monthly magazine, to just six issues a year. With an already popular e-magazine format, “InTech” could have been expanded to international circulation. This would take minimal additional investment and would be well-justified by the increased “international” focus. Instead of being developed further for international circulation at minimal cost, the lucrative “InTech” e-mail newsletters have now been outsourced, effectively relinquishing ownership of the valuable e-mail list—about 75,000 subscribers. There are many different ways in which this profitable e-business could have been expanded.
A couple of decades ago, the annual ISA Expo was the premier automation show in North America, with about 60,000 attendees—largely from North America with a fair sprinkling from Europe and the rest of the world. By contrast, attendance at ISA Expo 2009 was only about 8,500. As usual, all the major automation suppliers were absent. ISA has finally decided to end the run. Next year, ISA will feature a conference-only format, dubbed “Automation Week.” With a $950 entrance fee, the ISA conference-only event will, in my opinion, draw only a minimal number of attendees. I’ll be happy to be proved wrong.
From a strategic standpoint, the ISA Expo should have been moved to a major international location in collaboration with local organizers who would be happy to use the ISA name. Events in Singapore, Shanghai, Bangalore, Mexico City or Sao Paulo attract standing-room-only crowds.
Antiquated governance
Many of its leaders agree that ISA has a governance problem, deeply entrenched in governing documents and traditions. It is impossible to nominate anyone for an officer position who has not stood in line for years. Senior executives, and young movers and shakers in automation could never qualify to be nominated. ISA’s executive board has 16 voting members, reduced three years ago from almost twice that number. They are all volunteers, and as a result, almost any decision of consequence is subject to “paralysis by analysis..."
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» Feed Forward: Ignite the Torch, by Gary Mintchell
“When you ask someone to do something, don’t insult them by asking for something easy to do.” Max DuPree, business leader and author.
The International Society of Automation (ISA) certainly dropped the proverbial bomb on the floor of ISA Expo 2009 held Oct. 6-8 in Houston. When exhibitor representatives assembled for the annual booth location drawing for a presumed ISA Expo 2010, they were informed that there would be no ISA Expo 2010. “Automation Week” would be taking its place Oct. 4-7 next year at the Westin Galleria in Houston. This event will be a conference that will incorporate small “table-top” displays.
Ending the run of the last automation general trade show was not the end of the news, though. And rumors spread during the Expo, spilling over into blog posts, “tweets,” e-mail exchanges and even telephone calls as industry insiders hustled to get the news and then try to understand what was going on with the Society. (I hope you all understand blogs by now—and are following me at www.garymintchellsfeedforward.com. “Tweets” are 140-character messages on a social network called Twitter, www.twitter.com. You can visit www.twitter.com/garymintchell for an example.)
Controversial topic
Jim Pinto calls me every month and asks, “Gary, what controversial topic would you like me to address this month?” He devoted more than two full days researching for this month’s column on ISA (see "Whither ISA?"). He talked with at least a dozen people, including ISA Executive Director Pat Gouhin, and came up with the important facts, succinct analysis and a few suggestions. Both of us are interested in what you think about his ideas—and will pass them along to appropriate people at ISA as applicable.
All of these discussions started me thinking about the role of ISA and other member organizations. I’m a member of ISA, but I don’t participate in many activities. I am supposed to be affiliated with the Dayton, Ohio section, but I’ve never made it to a meeting...
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