Your weekly list of free webinars and events for the association community…
If your association plans to get a new association management system (AMS) in the next few years, or you want to learn more about AMS selection and implementation, or you just have an abnormal interest (hello!) in AMSes in general, you must get yourself to the next AMS Fest. Teri Carden, founder of ReviewMyAMS, puts on an enlightening and enjoyable event for association execs, AMS providers, consultants, and uncategorizable people like me.
If only AMS Fest was around back when I worked in associations, life would have been so much easier. The information from the speakers and everyone else in the room was priceless. The next one is in the fall in the DC area – keep your eye out for it. In the meantime, check out what Aptify’s Jen Barrell had to say about AMS Fest—I’ll publish my own take in the coming weeks.
The competition for online professional development is fierce out there. How can you differentiate your association’s eLearning programs from those of deep-pocketed for-profits? WBT Systems shares 12 ways to add extra value to your online courses.
As a writer it pains me to say this, but voice has a big future. I can imagine associations publishing professional development “skills” for voice-enabled speakers and offering voice-activated search on their websites and mobile apps. Get the lowdown on the voice-enabled speaker market in this post from eMarketer.
How well do new ideas, like Alexa skills, go over at your association? If you’re in the IT department, you have to walk the fine line between saying “no” to some ideas while not shutting down your staff’s innovation muscle. DelCor explains how to both encourage innovation and reject ideas with no future.
You have until Wednesday, June 21 to contribute to the 15th Annual .Org Community Food Drive supporting the Capital Area Food Bank. Anyone in the association and nonprofit community is encouraged to donate to this digital food drive organized by my friends at DelCor Technology Solutions. Every $1 you donate provides 2.5 meals. Learn more about the food drive, participating teams, and how to contribute on DelCor’s food drive page.
If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Tue 6/20 at 12 p.m.* – Driving an Innovation Strategy
Disruption is inevitable. Associations must innovate or become obsolete. Why is it then that associations seem to be stuck doing things “the way we have always done it?” Explore an orchestrated strategy concentrating on informed leadership, streamlined processes, future facing technology and concierge service can accelerate your movement along the innovation spectrum. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: NimbleUser
Presenters:
- Teri Carden (moderator), founder, ReviewMyAMS
- JP Guilbault, president, Community Brands
- Dan Stark, director of product strategy, NimbleUser
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 6/20 at 12 p.m. – Launching an Association Podcast Program (Washington DC Idea Swap)
In today’s environment where people crave information in quick sound bites, a podcast may just be the perfect fit for your members. Learn how to create a plan (content, format & structure), stand out in the crowd of podcasts, collaborate with others, and identify the right format. Our presenters will have the equipment on hand to showcase how simple a podcast can be. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Greater Washington / National Capital Community
Presenters:
- Charlie Birney, co-founder, Podcast Village
- Jeffrey A. Davis, APR, managing director, Van Eperen
Tue 6/20 at 2 p.m. – Digital Strategy Meets Reality (Association Chat)
Learn what association execs get wrong about digital strategy. Duration: 1 hour. Watch/participate live or view the recording.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth
Guest: Olivier Blanchard, senior analyst, Futurum Research + Analysis
Wed 6/21 at 12 p.m. – Empowering Users & Scaling Programs with Mobile
Hear about the pros and cons of mobile apps and mobile web, and walk through examples of both and the strategies behind them. Learn about Ocean Conservancy’s (OC) mobile app and its data visualization reporting system which have transformed and grown one of OC’s most important programs, the International Coastal Cleanup. Leave with a checklist on how to plan a mobile project. More info/register.
Host: Beaconfire RED
Presenters:
- Allison Schutes, Ocean Conservancy
- Lynn Labieniec and Mark Leta, Beaconfire RED
Wed 6/21 at 12 p.m. – How to Get More from Your Event Budget
Discover how to get the most from your event budget and make every dollar count. Learn pro tips for making your money go further. Gain practical advice on how to manage complex event budgets. Hear best practice in terms of reporting and the key figures you need to know. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Event Manager Blog
Presenter: Becki Cross, founder, Events Northern Ltd.
Wed 6/21 at 1 p.m. – Supercharge Your Event Data: 8 Ways to Drive Results
Hear how to unlock, understand, and institutionalize the data surrounding events; the eight key components of an event program strategy, and best practices for showing your event program’s impact throughout the organization. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenters:
- Kimberly Scott, MBA, CMP, HMCC, senior regional marketing manager, Illumina, Inc.
- Kevin Yanushefski, product marketing manager, Cvent
Wed 6/21 at 1 p.m. – The Dangers of Disjointed Social: Social Media Masterclass
Learn the difference between earned, owned, and paid social media; how to employ the Social Trifecta™ to optimize your social performance; ways to increase your earned social media footprint; how to scale your social listening with machine learning; surefire tactics for optimizing your organic and paid content; and how to create a more unified, efficient social media strategy that incorporates the right mix of owned, earned, and paid. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: American Marketing Association
Presenters: Jenifer Kern, CMO, and Rebecca Lombardo, director of strategic services, Tracx
Wed 6/21 at 2 p.m. – Leverage Your Event Participant’s Smartphone Addiction
Understand behavioral changes due to mobile technology and how to leverage mobile apps to increase engagement and create more effective audience experiences before, during or after an event. 1 CMP credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Salvatore Camarda, co-founder, MeetApp North America
Wed 6/21 at 4 p.m. – Latest Nonprofit Cloud Strategies
Learn about the costs and design concerns for cloud hosting and software options, including Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS) and Software as a service (SAAS). Discussion will focus on costs for migration, support, hosting, and hidden costs even for “free” cloud platforms for nonprofits; functionality and usability issues; and especially security. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: Community IT Innovators
Presenter: Johan Hammerstrom, president and CEO, Community IT Innovators
Thu 6/22 at 1 p.m. – How Analytics Should Guide Your Content Strategy
Learn how analytics enabled two associations to identify what content resonated the most with members and ultimately drove conversions. Find out how to pinpoint which metrics matter the most for your organization, how to turn your analytics analysis into actionable reports and tie them to business goals, and how to craft a killer content strategy based on the data you’ve collected. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: Matrix Group International, Inc.
Presenters:
- Jill Notini, vice president of communications and marketing, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
- Kelli Windsor, senior manager of digital and member communications, Food Marketing Institute
Thu 6/22 at 3 p.m. – Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC) Meetup (Washington DC)
Presenting is hard. It’s even harder when you are the topic of the presentation. Whether interviewing, asking for a promotion, or talking to a client, pitching yourself is a skill. Get tips for giving powerful presentations and work with others to master the perfect, authentic pitch. Duration: 2.5 hour. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: AWTC
Presenter: Mark Milroy, managing director of global learning, American Industrial Hygiene Association
Thu 6/22 at 3 p.m. – Small Association Forum for Executives (McLean VA)
Join a complimentary executive peer roundtable for executives of small staff associations with ten or fewer employees—a free-flowing discussion around pressing issues on a variety of topics. Duration: 1.5 hours. Location: McLean VA. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Executive Management Section
Fri 6/23 at 9 a.m. – Mobile Apps: AENC Meeting Planners Round Table (Raleigh NC)
Whether your association is currently using a mobile app, just changed your vendor, or thinking about it, come and share your experiences and questions. Are they just for events or can they be more? Breakfast/networking at 8:30 a.m. 1.5 CAE credits. Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours. Location: Raleigh NC. More info/register.
Fri 6/23 at 11:30 a.m. – Data Analytics: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Numbers (#AssocEvolve – McLean VA)
Knowing where to begin with data analytics can be daunting, and staying on top of data and its tools can be challenging. Learn how to demystify data and empower staff to take action. Find out the five steps to get started with data analytics and how to help your staff understand the story in your data. Understand what’s new with Microsoft’s Power BI software. CAE credit. Duration: 2 hours. Location: McLean VA. More info/register.
Host: benelSolutions
Presenter: Debbie King, founder, Association Analytics
Fri 6/23 at 3 p.m. – HighRoad U 2016-2017 Wrap Up
Host: HighRoad Solution
Save the date: Wed 6/28 at 1 p.m. – How to Build a Winning Business Case for New Membership Software
While you may be certain it’s time for serious change, your board may not agree. So how do you build a business case to get board support for new membership software? Learn how to go beyond just the numbers in making a case for change, ways to differentiate between ROI and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), and what makes a solid project plan. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: Aptify
Presenters: Johanna Kasper, director of engagement, and Eric McDonald, engagement manager, Aptify
That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.
Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.
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