The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) is an international professional society that translates discoveries and technologies across various aspects of the life sciences: biology, technology, engineering, and research. SLAS Europe brings together a distinct European community from academia, industry, and government to foster collaboration and spark innovation that shapes the future of life sciences. Biologists, technologists, engineers, principal investigators, laboratory managers, professors, and graduate researchers explore new technologies to accelerate their scientific discoveries. Technology and hardware providers find new collaborators and customers, and a unique opportunity to connect with their European users.
THE CHALLENGE
SLAS has its own in-house events team and hired SB Expos & Events to support their efforts in executing the conference, including meeting logistics. One of the key challenges was coordinating across both organizations, with each team managing different components of the event. The division of responsibilities between SLAS and SB required a technology solution that could support real-time access, transparency, and flexibility. Feeding into a single, centralized event specification database was essential—yet complex—given the need for seamless collaboration between two distinct teams.
OUR STRATEGY
SB Expos & Events introduced a custom-built event specifications database in Airtable to streamline collaboration and centralize information. This centralized tool served as the single source of truth for internal SLAS staff and the SB team, ensuring clear communication to event partners and seamless execution before, during, and after the 2025 conference in Germany.
“Working with SB Expos & Events gave us a partner who truly understands how to align with our in-house staff and connect our teams with our local partners in Europe. It felt like we were one team working from one playbook.”
— Amy Wilkinson, CMP, DES, Director, Global Events & Corporate Partnership, SLAS
KEY BENEFITS
Real-Time Transparency for all Stakeholders
- SLAS staff, internal departments, and external vendors could all access the event specs in real time—no delays, no version control issues.
- Aligned with SB’s core values, this transparent process fostered trust, accountability, and clarity.
Department-Specific Views and Custom Filters
- The Airtable was structured with tagging functionality to match the way SLAS organizes its event: Meals, Sessions, Posters, Membership, Exhibits, Board Activities, and more.
- Each SLAS department received a custom link to filter and view only their relevant logistics, making it easy to stay focused.
Dynamic Collaboration and Change Management
- SLAS staff could submit change requests directly in Airtable. The SB team was instantly notified, allowing for rapid updates and version control.
- All edits were tracked, so everyone stayed informed of changes without needing to sift through emails or spreadsheets.
Onsite Execution: Real-Time, Real Simple
During the live event in Hamburg, Germany, both teams accessed the Airtable specs onsite using iPads:
- SB created streamlined client views tailored to the onsite essentials—no clutter, only what mattered.
- SLAS’ in-house events team had full editing access, enabling them to make real-time updates and check off items as they verified onsite setups.
- Both teams could upload photos and notes directly within the Airtable records they managed, ensuring clear communication and a consistent record of on-site execution.
- This live collaboration turned Airtable into a shared script for event operations, helping two teams function as one
Post Event:
- Since both SLAS and SB used Airtable event specs onsite, there was one repository for onsite notes and changes for the following year’s conference.
- Encapsulating photos of events and suggestions into one database ensured information was captured from many people in one place for post-event reporting and improvement tracking.
THE RESULTS
By leveraging a custom Airtable database, SLAS and SB Expos & Events achieved a highly coordinated and transparent planning experience for SLAS Europe. Teams across time zones and functions worked together without friction, and the onsite execution reflected that preparation.
THE CONCLUSION
The event’s success showcases “transparency through technology,” one of SB’s core values. Thoughtful technology integration, tailored to a client’s specific needs and structure, turns the potential for complexity and confusion into an easy, real-time conversation and partnership between teams to deliver an exceptionally executed event.
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