Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1532052
FEBRUARY 2025 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 13 In 2024, we had new alliance groups form in northeast Mexico and in Taiwan, and on Jan. 1, 2025, they transitioned into official chapters. It's a big deal for us because we are always trying to grow our reach internationally. is year, we're focusing on India. We have a chapter in Ban- galore, but it is just a small section of India, so, we're trying to create an alliance group in Pune or New Delhi. We are hosting a couple of events this year to gain some traction in those regions. We are also working with one of our board members to create an alliance group in Ire- land. We've already held a few events there, and some companies are interested in forming a committee. To assist chapter leaders, we conduct an offi- cer leadership forum in-person in the even years and virtually in the odd years. Something new this year is a leadership forum solely for our Mexico chapters, where chapter activity is just blowing up. ey're already pretty big as far as attendees go, and they want to be even bigger this year. For instance, in our U.S. shows, we usually have a few hundred attendees at the events of the local chapters. Obviously, SMTAI is differ- ent, but the Mexico chapter expos see a min- imum of 500 attendees, and it's oen much higher. We will host the Mexico events because everything is run differently there. We will host something just for the chapters in Puerto Val- larta in May to show our support and gratitude for all the good things going on in Mexico. Tell me more about the alliance group concept. To form an alliance group, you need commit- tee members from several different companies. For instance, Taiwan took about a year and a half to get an alliance group together. ey can stay as an alliance group if they prefer, and host a few meetings here and there. Alliance groups don't require a full officer team, whereas one of the requirements for a chapter is you need a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer. You have to be financially indepen- dent and host three technical events per year. With an alliance group, you can have an officer and titles, or you could just organize it as a for- mation committee. A social event hosted by an alliance group is a good place to start because we receive many inquiries about new chapters. Northeast Mex- ico and Taiwan are good examples of an alli- ance group maturing into a chapter. ey met the requirements for an entire year, had a full officer team, and held chapter meetings. ey had chapter events and came to our officer meetings, like the leadership forum. en I was able to bring that information to the board, and they voted them into chapter status. Alliance group status is also an option for struggling chapters that are having a hard time filling their officer positions or sending in finan- cial reports. Maybe the struggle is in meet- ing the event requirements. ey can transi- tion to an alliance group for a short amount of time while they rebuild the chapter. It's a nice