Top 10 reasons to attend the STLE Annual Meeting

By Jack McKenna, STLE President | TLT President's Report March 2025

Here’s a small sample of things you can do at the conference.
A photo of a panel discussion taken from the back of the audience.
For many of us in the STLE community who have been around for a while, the Late Show with David Letterman used to have the Top Ten List, which was worth staying up for on a daily basis. Each night the host would present a list of 10 items based on current events. I am going to borrow this concept and apply it to the STLE Annual Meeting & Exhibition:

10. Visit the World of Coca-Cola, a museum showing the history of Coca-Cola with interactive exhibits and beverage samples.
9. Learn about sustainability trends with the new Sustainability in Motion track.
8. Visit the trade show and see new chemistries, equipment and services. 
7. Expand your knowledge base in one of our 11 education courses. Visit www.stle.org/annualmeeting/edu for more information.
6. Network with new suppliers, customers, educators and rocket scientists. 
5. Work on a new certification: STLE Certified Lubrication Specialist™ (CLS), STLE Certified Metalworking Fluids Specialist™ (CMFS) or STLE Certified Oil Monitoring Analyst I and II™ (OMA I and II). 
4. Attend a technical session and learn about new trends in the industry. 
3. Attend the Commercial Market Forum and learn about the latest commercial offerings. 
2. Stop by the STLE Membership Booth and help STLE staff by updating your interests and other areas in your STLE profile. Once you update your profile, you can win a prize! 
1. Compete in our first annual STLE Fun Run/Walk—you might win!

These are just a small sample of the many things you can do at the 2025 STLE Annual Meeting, May 18-22 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga. If you have questions, email or call a member of the STLE staff or any of our volunteers—we are here to help you!

Some things I want to remind you to do right away: go to www.stle.org/annualmeeting and register! Early bird registration ends on March 21. Book your hotel room; rooms fill up fast, and the hotel reservation deadline is April 17. A reminder here: you might think booking a nearby hotel is a good idea, and perhaps a way to save money, but we have a room block that we need to fill. Please stay at our official hotel, which is where the conference is as well, so it’ll be a short walk from your hotel room! As always STLE is a volunteer community—when you come to the meeting, ask how you can get involved in the great organization. You will connect, learn and achieve on a new level!

Jack McKenna is vice president of corporate accounts for Sea-Land Chemical Company located in Cleveland, Ohio, and is based in Elmhurst, Ill. You can reach him at jack.mckenna@sealandchem.com.