For over 44 years, the Association of Laboratory Managers has been training laboratory managers to become better leaders. This year's conference was held at the UNC Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, October 10–12, 2023. For the first time, the affordably priced conference ticket included two half-day workshops as well as a day and a half of presentations, vendor exhibits, networking, and roundtables.

This new format brought many new attendees and several returnees. It was our biggest conference to date! Billed as the "Complete Leadership Experience," the choice of six workshops and several engaging presentations lived up to its theme. Workshop topics covered building leadership skills, communication, quality programs, and managing an academic lab. Presentations and a panel discussion covered effective communication, building a culture of inclusion, making the journey from individual contributor to manager, retaining employees and knowledge, doing more with less, and creating and sustaining change.

One particularly timely topic was mental health. Dr. Dennis Stolle of the American Psychological Association presented on this topic and offered many resources for attendees regarding mental health in the workplace to use in their own labs. Attendees also had plenty of opportunities to discuss common workplace issues like making work fun, their greatest management challenges, and engaging and leading people in roundtable discussions, networking lunches, and receptions in the bright and spacious Friday Center Atrium.

Conference organizers consistently heard many attendees saying, "This was great, and I'm coming back next year!" We look forward to welcoming those friends back, along with many new and seasoned lab managers who have yet to experience an ALMA conference. Our program committee has already started planning for next year's conference, and we should have more details in the next few months. Make sure to join the ALMA Community List and watch your inbox for more information.