Mini-Lab

CALLERLAB Mini-Labs were created to make the experience of a CALLERLAB Convention more accessible to existing and potential members. A Mini-Lab is a convention lasting about two and a half days with a format similar to the annual CALLERLAB convention but located at a time and place different from the annual convention. It is called a Mini-Lab because it is expected to draw attendees from a limited area and to have a smaller attendance than the annual convention. A Mini-Lab offers a program similar, in most respects, to the annual convention. The principal difference is that committee meetings are not usually included. While caller training is not the primary purpose of a Mini-Lab, CALLERLAB recognizes that technical, artistic and leadership training is an important responsibility of a professional organization. Mini-Labs include a balance of caller training, insights into the direction the activity is taking, camaraderie and a chance for callers to exchange information and ideas with CALLERLAB leaders.

The first two Mini-Labs were scheduled off the North American Continent. Mini-Labs were originally planned to be held on a rotational basis between the Pacific and European areas every four years. The first mini-lab was held near Brisbane, Australia in 1990. The second was held near London, England in 1994. The success of these two led to the CALLERLAB Board of Governors approval in 1995 of the extension of the Mini-Lab concept to locales within the North American Continent. The first Mini-Lab held within the North American Continent was in Portland, Maine in 1997. The purpose for holding such conventions is the same as that for overseas locations – to make CALLERLAB more accessible to existing and potential members. In order to avoid conflict or competition with the annual CALLERLAB convention, Mini-Labs will normally be approved only for dates and locations well separated from the annual convention.