Some Love, Some Hate PIA, NAPL Merger Idea —Michelson

My view: Although neither association is fully in step with satisfying the needs of its constituency, current market forces will ultimately force some form of coupling. 
Why? Well, first off, industry suppliers can no longer financially sponsor the multitude 
of industry conferences, seminars, economic reports, special publications and other programs. M&A activity and bankruptcies have resulted in fewer companies on the supply side today. And, those that remain are struggling themselves due to very soft demand for capital equipment and unfavorable credit markets. For example, they can no longer afford to sponsor both the annual PIA Presidents Conference and NAPL Top Management Conference, typically held just weeks apart and suffering from shrinking attendance. Nor can they fund the duplicity of each association's economics departments, publishing operations, and their other targeted conference and seminar programming.