Trending upward
By Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report September 2023
STLE membership grew in the past year.
Like many other scientific and technical organizations, STLE’s membership numbers dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020-2021. Efforts to rebuild the base during the past fiscal year have resulted in a net gain in membership of about 8% since July 2022.
Individual membership (regular and associate) grew from 2,042 to 2,208. Corporate members went from 158 to 171 companies and organizations. These are the two primary categories of STLE membership.
STLE welcomes these new members to the society each month. To review the list of names and companies, go to www.stle.org/NewMemberRoster.
This performance contrasted with a reported 8% decline in society membership among a broad cross section of technical societies. It marks the lowest level of society membership since the survey began nine years ago.1
What explains STLE’s ability to buck this trend? Association membership experts agree that individuals join an organization for three primary reasons: technical and educational content, support for their career and opportunities to network with colleagues.
STLE’s offerings related to the first reason for joining are headlined by TLT, which will soon mark its 20th year as STLE’s official publication. Individuals who responded to the 2022 STLE Member Needs Study overwhelmingly valued TLT as the most important STLE benefit.
Career support, another primary motivation for joining an organization, is another STLE strength. Participants of the study cited access to industry-specific educational programs and resources as the top reason for becoming an STLE member.
Finally, networking and the resulting ability to connect with thought leaders in the field is a third valuable benefit of membership. More than 90% of survey respondents were satisfied with networking opportunities at the STLE annual meetings. This was one of their primary reasons for attending.
To create awareness of these membership benefits, STLE relies on clear messaging to keep attracting more new members. The messaging is anchored by the STLE value proposition: Connect. Learn. Achieve.
This November presents a unique opportunity to experience the value proposition in action. STLE is offering two great opportunities for industry professionals to come share and present the latest research in tribology and lubrication—and discuss technological advancements and commercial opportunities for the electric vehicles market—all in one location.
The 2023 STLE Tribology Frontiers Conference (TFC) and the STLE Tribology & Lubrication for E-Mobility Conference will be held Nov. 12-15, 2023, at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower in Cleveland, Ohio (U.S.). Program details and registration information for this co-branded event are available at www.stle.org/joint.
REFERENCE
1. 9th Annual Wiley Society Member Survey, July 2023.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.