The ability to test hundreds to thousands of cellular phenotypes in a single experiment has opened up new avenues of investigation and exploration and led to important discoveries in very diverse applications of microbiological research and development. The information provided by global phenotyping is complementary to, and often more easily interpretable than information provided by global molecular analytical methods such as gene chips and proteomics. This report summarizes advances presented by scientists brought together to share their experiences and knowledge gained with high-throughput phenotyping.