The Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) hosted their 7th Annual Meeting in Sevilla, Spain March 22-25 and had around 365 attendees and 18 exhibitors. GALA is the world’s leading trade association for the language industry. As a non-profit, membership organization it supports its member companies by creating communities, championing standards, sharing knowledge, and advancing technology. GALA conferences are advanced educational and networking events where leaders in localization come together to forge connections and learn how to improve individual and organizational performance to better meet the demands of multi-lingual markets.The program itself was incredibly robust, anchored by 3 outstanding keynote presentations:&nbsp;“Why Our Industry Matters”&nbsp;was presented by Meritxell Guitart, President, Americas Division for Hogarth Worldwide. She spoke specifically about how and when a company needs to step away from the standard norms of the translation LSP business model. Hogarth has developed and implemented a vision utilizing the power of transcreation that blends native insight with language technologies and expertise to deliver powerful, locally relevant content to markets worldwide.“Innovation and Openness”&nbsp;was presented by Robert Laing, Chief Executive Officer, Gengo in which he spoke of the need for innovation within the industry and how that innovation can sometimes be risky but necessary.“The Innovator’s Dilemma”&nbsp;was presented by Paula Barbary Shanno, Chief Sales Officer, SVP for Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. She gave a very powerful presentation speaking to the evolution of the translation industry over the past several decades and how Lionbridge has adopted a “change before you have to” philosophy in their business model. She explored whether innovation, change, and a start-up mentality can come from within an established firm and how this “innovators dilemma” plays out in terms of leadership, creative destruction, and constructive conflict.Along with the outstanding keynote presentations, there was a very informative and solid group of presentations over the 3 days that covered topics such as:<ul><li>Globalization: Capturing Lightning in a Bottle</li><li>Bridging the Gap: Open Source and Community Development for the Localization Market</li><li>Increase Business with On-Demand Communication</li><li>Freelancers: Angels or Demons</li><li>Positioned for Success: Standing out in the Crowded Localization Market</li><li>Strategic Coopetition: The Value of Relationship in Small Business</li><li>Can David beat Goliath?</li></ul>Also, running concurrently, were a set of Master Classes focused on specific business challenges including sales, IT, and infrastructure.On the social side, there was a wonderful dinner and dance evening where it was possible to meet old friends and make new ones as well as a speed networking event where you had the opportunity to meet up to 100 attendees in an hour. It was fast, furious and a lot of fun.With their open atmosphere and unique focus on information sharing, GALA conferences deliver high-value networking opportunities where language professionals can expand their connections and contribute to the growth of the language industry community. Overall, we found great value in attending the meeting as it helped us better understand the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the coming years and how best to prepare for them. We look forward to further participation in next year’s event which will be held in New York. If you would like to know more about how Ulatus can help with your translation needs, please contact us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto: marketing@ulatus.com">marketing@ulatus.com</a>

Crimson-Ulatus Attends the 7th Annual Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) Meeting--Sevilla, Spain, March 22-25

Crimson-Ulatus attends the 7th Annual Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) Meeting--Sevilla, Spain, March 22-25

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Crimson-Ulatus Attends the 7th Annual Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) Meeting--Sevilla, Spain, March 22-25

March 13, 2015