Scaffold Industry Association
2010 Annual Conference & Exposition
July 21-24, 2010
Philadelphia, PA
Call for Speakers
The Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) is holding an open call for speakers for
the 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition. The meeting will be held July 21-24, 2010 in Philadelphia, Penn.
The SIA is currently comprised of 10 active councils. Each council represents a particular niche of the scaffolding and access industry. The councils are responsible for the development and implementation of affairs consistent with the product and/or service applicable to each council. Councils are tasked with the oversight of regulatory/ jurisdictional safety concerns and specific industry issues relative to each established council.
Although the purpose of this call for speakers is to select quality speakers for the 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, outstanding professionals within the industry topic may be asked to supply referrals for future quarterly series. Presentations that are sought provide practical and useful information to an audience representing a broad range of scaffold & access equipment. Each council is looking for a speaker to talk on a subject during the 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition.
SIA Councils
Aerial Work Platform Council
The Aerial Platform Council with your involvement is here to serve the access industry which includes manufacturers, dealers, rental companies, government, users and operators to help educate all on the safe use of aerial work platforms.
Construction Hoist Council
The Construction Hoists segment of the access industry is underserved, taken for granted and is in need of a raised profile throughout North America. The SIA serves the scaffold industry from the ground up (Supported Scaffolds), the top down (Suspended Scaffolds) and now all points in between (Construction Hoists, Mast Climbers, Transport Platforms). SIA believes that we can use the SIA platform to advance the initiatives of the verticle transport industry.
Fall Protection Council
Industrial Scaffold Council
Many of the clients of SIA members operate in what is considered the industrial arena; including the power, refining, shipbuilding, mining, chemical and manufacturing facilities industries. A separate council was initiated to address the unique needs of these clients.
Recommendations regarding personnel issues such as training, government regulations like the TWIC card requirements and various safety issues are developed and made available for use in the marketplace.
International Council
The need to become part of the Global Economy rather than just the U.S. market has never been stressed as much as it is today. Some of the S.I.A. members are actively involved in International Trade, both exporting and importing, and many more would like to be, if only they knew how to do it and even where to start. The International Council of the S.I.A. has established the goal of being the forum for the education process and a resource for the information that is available.
Mast Climbing Council
The Mast Climbing Council (MCC) is one of the many councils offered by the SIA. Our focus is on Mast Climbing Work Platforms (MCWP) and Transport Platforms (TP). We meet twice a year to discuss issues concerning both MCWP’s and TP’s with a focus on product safety, developing documents, which can be used by the industry, and working with other organizations and groups. We are working with a goal of offering a training program for MCWP’s. The MCC has developed a Code of Safe Practices, which is a set of general guidelines covering how to safely erect, dismantle and use both MCWP’s and TP’s. The Code of Safe Practices for TP’s was recently approved and is currently available from the SIA and we are in the process of updating the document for MCWP’s.
Permanent Installation Council
Plank & Platform Council
The lack of criteria for producing metal platforms within the scaffolding industry has created safety issues. With a multitude of international and domestic metal plank manufacturers producing plank under various proprietary production methods and testing methods, the platform section of the scaffold industry has a need for clarification on such testing procedures. Our industry will benefit from historical data outlining the different ANSI, SSFI, CSA and UL requirements as well as uniform load and point load tests.
Supported Scaffold Council
Suspended Scaffold Council
The Suspended Scaffold Council has always attracted many attendees at the SIA’s bi yearly meetings. Enthusiasm and participation continues to drive this group who have always provided educational and useful agenda’s, designed to help reduce accidents or problems in the field.
To date this Council has produced up to date training programs and materials. Items currently available from the SIA include: The Codes Of Safe Practices for Suspended Scaffolds, a nationally recognized training program and a 200 page-training manual. To date approximately 10, 000 students worldwide have taken the SIA’s Suspended Scaffold Training program.
Ten speakers will be chosen to present in July 2010.
Speaker Suggestions?
Attendees are coming to learn - they don't want to hear a sales pitch, no matter how thickly veiled. Please do not submit classes that are geared around persuading attendees to buy your product or use your service. SIA Annual Conference sessions are for teaching, not for marketing.
Attendees and the conference organizers are skeptical of talks proposed by marketing people. Even the appearance of a sales pitch, such as when a talk is given by a marketer, will cause people to not attend that session.
Attendees don't want to be lectured on why something is important. That's not why they are coming to SIA's Annual Conference, and that is not why they are attending your session. They are here to learn how to do new things. In your abstract, explain what new tools you will teach.
SIA wants session proposals from expert instructors - not from companies. If you are proposing to teach a class at SIA's Annual Conference, be sure that your schedule is clear, and that you are prepared to teach the class.
Speaking at SIA's Annual Conference means more than just showing up at the conference. Please pay attention to the deadlines for submission of handouts and other materials. These deadlines help us ensure that the conference provides a quality educational experience for all attendees, and your cooperation is appreciated.
Please plan on sticking around for most or all of the conference, to interact with attendees, attend session, and partake of the entire SIA Annual Conference experience. We are not looking for instructors to parachute in for a class, teach, and then disappear without a trace.
Information shall be presented in a factual manner based upon scientific research or engineering study. If information presented is based upon experience or observation, it should be so noted in all material and presentation media.
Submission Information
2010 SIA Annual Conference & Exposition
July 21-24, 2010
Philadelphia, Penn.
All submissions must be received by January 29, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. CST.
Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
No materials will be returned once submitted to SIA.
One presenter may submit no more than three presentations for consideration.
No more than two presenters may participate in any session.
Please do not submit a proposal unless each presenter is available to appear on any day of the conference.
A primary presenter, who will serve as the point of contact, must be identified for each submission that involves more than one person. The primary presenter is responsible for informing the co-presenter of the final acceptance or rejection of a presentation, audiovisual equipment requirements, and all other deadlines.
The submission of a presentation does not guarantee participation in the program.
Presentations must be no more than an hour of information.
SIA does not provide expenses for conference presenters; however, a discounted registration fee will be offered to each speaker and co-speaker.
Speakers will be notified of acceptance by e-mail beginning March 5, 2010, with a detailed contract for your review.
Everyone will be notified by the end of March whether his or her proposals have been accepted.
Questions? Contact SIA Headquarters, 816.595.4860 or info@scaffold.org.
All proposals to present at the 2010 SIA Annual Conference & Exposition must be completed electronically on the SIA Web site on this site by January 29, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. CST.
To submit a proposal to present, you will need to provide all of the following items exactly as requested for your submission to be considered:
Full presentation outline, bullet pointed, and no more than 200 words.
200-word, or less, description of the session blended with biography for registration/advertisement materials.
At least two references or recent speaker ratings from other conferences.
200 words, or less, professional biography.
30 words, or less, on how the session will provide interactive training.
30 words, or less, on what the presentation “take-away” will be.
If you have a co-presenter you must list them as well.
Please use the following link to register online
