The Most Significant Library Conference in Canada

Trade Shows are the Most Cost-Effective way for you to Market

Bar none “the trade show” remains the most cost effective way to meet face-to-face with current and future customers. Even if your firm only sees 15 existing customers during the two days and meet and convert five more, where else would you be able to have 20 meetings in just two days – especially with customers who are spread around this vast province.

This is the Premier Forum for the Industry in this Country

Super Conference is a meeting place for leaders, a place to learn, a place to network and the ultimate venue for the exchange of ideas that relate to and affect the library and information profession. Super Conference attracted more than 4,900 attendees in 2018. They came to Toronto to get the most for their education dollar.

The Top Decision-Makers & Decision-Influencers Will be There to See You

OLA prides itself on being able to attract the largest library and information audience in the country. We attract the CEOs that attend national and international conferences, but OLA also attracts the people who sit on the selection committees, the implementation task force, the technology sub-committees, and the management team. These are the real decision-makers and decision-influencers. Increasingly OLA is attracting key decision-makers from across the country who recognize the quality of conference and the value it offers as a professional development alternative.

OLA is the Largest Information Event of its Kind in Canada

Super Conference is the biggest, that’s been mentioned. Super Conference is the oldest event of its kind in Canada. Super Conference is recognized as the source of the best and the latest the industry has to offer. It is beneficial for delegates, because it is during a “quieter” time in most types of institutions and the program is so enticing that practitioners cannot afford not to attend.

OLA believes that the EXPO is an integral part of the education process. It is an extension of what is taught in the workshops and at plenaries. We hope you agree.
For over 119 years the Ontario Library Association has been a leading force in the profession. OLA aims to be proactive in its leadership and stewardship of libraries in this province, as a result we are unique in that the OLA draws members from all types of libraries and from all parts of the province. The Association has grown to more than 5,000 members because it provides meaningful benefits to our members.

The Ontario Library Association’s annual Super Conference is equally as important. It is Canada’s largest library and information conference. Here are some of the pertinent statistics if you have not attended an OLA event in the past, or as a reminder for those who will be returning

Come Celebrate 25 years of being Super!

Some statistics:

  • 3,031 in-person delegates in 2023 and another 2,022 participated virtually
  • Over 375 workshop sessions and events
  • Over 500 expert speakers from within the library field and from outside the field
  • 195 author signings by 174 authors
  • More than 400 delegates from outside the province
  • Over 260 public libraries represented
  • More than 100 academic libraries represented
  • Over 55 school boards represented, plus independent schools
  • Over six hours of unopposed exhibit time
  • Reasonable hours (Thursday 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM) to maximize effort and avoid fatigue and slow periods
  • 170 companies represented and over 550 booth personnel
  • Among the lowest registration fees for delegates on the continent

The OLA Conference is planned by professionals who work in the Ontario market. Each year following the conference more than 30 practitioners come together to plan the next year’s event. The committee draws on the needs and experience of their colleagues, fellow association leaders and others. The goal is to put together a continuing education program that has broad appeal to the Association Membership. Year in and year out the changes that are made are reflective of the changing face of the Ontario library community.