The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Inclusive conferences. Barbara Palmer at PCMA Convene lists eight ways conference organizers, sponsors, speakers and attendees can make conferences more racially diverse. There’s much work to be done and I hope that at last we’re all ready to do it.
Implicit bias. In an interview with Knowable Magazine, social psychologist Anthony Greenwald explains what works and what doesn’t work to curb implicit bias. Hint: data collection and discretion elimination are key.
Conference and education teams. As some associations canceled in-person conferences and made the switch to virtual, two association teams found themselves owning different elements of the experience—the meetings team handled the content while the education team managed the platform. WBT Systems suggests it’s time to integrate these two teams so attendees have a more effective learning experience.
Virtual conference advice. Frank Catalano has been to several virtual conferences in the last few months. Now he’s sharing the “woes and wows” of his experience in an article at EdSurge as well as “three tips for virtual conference organizers to consider, based on hours of my life that I will never get back.”
CRP challenges. If only more association leaders knew about the challenges component relations professionals (CRPs) must handle on a daily basis, then maybe CRPs would receive more resources. Yes, I’m a dreamer. Billhighway describes some of these CRP challenges and reminds everyone why CRPs matter.
Virtual conference success story. Commsor, a community management software firm, held a two-day virtual conference in late May. Here’s what caught my eye: an impressive tech stack on a “shoestring budget,” four types of sessions—and none lasted more than 30 minutes, and one-on-one connections made via networking sessions.
Quick hits before we get to the list of this week’s free education:
- Associations need new skills for a new era. (J.P. Moery, The Moery Company)
- How the pandemic put a magnifying glass on sponsorships. (Bruce Rosenthal and Dan Kowitz, Partnership Professionals Network)
- How to run a Zoom cocktail party—and have better classes, conferences, and meetings too. (Misha Glouberman)
- Imagine floating/kayaking/rafting down the Nantahala River in Bryson City NC—or watch someone else do it.
Good eats—skip down to the list of free webinars if you’re not into cooking. If you’re into it, check out my weekly In The Kitchen posts on my Grabbing the Gusto blog for more.
- Between my deck garden and CSA share, I can’t keep up with all the herbs coming into my kitchen. I made a pesto with lemon basil from the CSA (plus cashews, garlic and parmesan) and put it on top of blueline tilefish fillets that were heading into the oven. Quick and tasty.
- The next night, I made a southeast Asian-style pesto with Thai basil, cilantro and mint from my garden to toss with large pieces of pan-fried blackline tuna. So good! Besides the herbs, this favorite pesto of mine includes garlic, ginger, peanuts, sesame oil, palm sugar, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, soy sauce and grapeseed oil. The recipe is coming this weekend on my Gusto blog.
- Alongside the tuna, I served a favorite, Chinese-style eggplant. I added corno del toro peppers and green onions to the pan.
- Until this past weekend, I had never made roast beef. When I saw this NY Times article, I got an immediate hankering for a roast beef sandwich with cheese, sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms, slathered with mayo and horseradish. So last Sunday, we had roast beef for dinner and every day since we’ve had a sandwich—or at least I have. Heaven. I added garlic powder to the roast’s salt and pepper rub.
- Earlier in the stay-at-home period, I binged on a bunch of videos that Rachael Ray’s husband took of her cooking at home. One night, she made baked salt and vinegar smashed potatoes. I’ve had that stuck in my head ever since so they appeared alongside the roast beef. Excellent!
- When I lived in the DC area, my brother and I used to go to the Baltimore Lithuanian Festival every year for our fix of people who looked like our relatives (we’re a strong quarter Lithuanian), sausages, dumplings, potato pancakes, Lithuanian beer, viryta (spiced honey kick-ass liqueur), and šaltibarščiai (Lithuanian chilled beet soup). I found an excellent recipe for shull-tee-barsh-chay in a Facebook group, Our Mom’s Lithuanian Recipes. Jim won’t touch it (fool!) but I’ve been enjoying it as breakfast, snack and appetizer all week.
Here are the educational events scheduled for next week. If you have a free webinar or event coming up, please send me the link before Wednesday evening the week before it’s scheduled. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Until next week, stay awkward, brave and kind.*
*I picked this up from Brené Brown whose podcast I’ve been enjoying lately.
Fri 6/26 at 1 p.m.* – How to Go Virtual (While Still Creating an Engaging Experience)
Learn how to take events online in a way that is going to deliver high value, create an engaging experience, and preserve the outcomes you were seeking to achieve with your in-person conference. Hear about some major considerations for online engagement. Find out how to design for virtual-first experiences, satisfy the desire to network, and keep your members engaged. We’ll also touch on the tech because we know it’s on your mind! More info/register.
Host: Matchbox Virtual Media
Presenters:
- Graham Harvey, Chief Strategy Officer, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
- Arianna Rehak, CEO & Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Jeff Cobb, Managing Director, Tagoras
*All times are Eastern Daylight Savings Time unless otherwise noted.
Fri 6/26 at 2 p.m. – Evolving Legal Considerations During COVID-19: Ask an Association Attorney
Associations are dealing with enormous change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and virtually all of it has legal consequences. It is no easy feat to deal with these challenges, adhering to legal guardrails, avoiding legal pitfalls, and otherwise protecting your association as you navigate this new path. In this webcast, a leading association attorney will guide you through these issues and considerations. 1.25 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenter: Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum, Esq., managing partner, Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC
Fri 6/26 at 2:30 p.m. – Upgrading to Drupal 9 and the Importance of Ongoing Web Maintenance
This webinar will cover the newly released Drupal 9, suggest a timeline for upgrading, and describe why regular and recurring Drupal maintenance is essential to the health of any website. We’ll also talk about how to manage and hopefully avoid technical debt during any sort of web project. More info/register.
Host: Fíonta
Mon 6/29 from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. – Virtual Event Demo Days
You’ve been tasked with finding the right platform to move your organization’s event from face-to-face to virtual. You’ve got tons of questions: What platforms are out there? What features should I be looking for? Where are the pitfalls? To help with this ASAE has developed Virtual Event Demo Days featuring a presentation by Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele of Tagoras, a leading consultancy that helps organizations select and implement learning platforms and researchers behind The Virtual Conferences Report, demos of 12 virtual event platforms and a wrap-up discussion. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Mon 6/29 at 1 p.m. – Chatting with Agnes & Cecilia
This series of 15-minute videos cover hot topics and issues related to 501c organization management. A new episode is posted every Monday by 1 p.m. More info.
Hosts:
- Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
- Agnes Amos-Coleman, MBA, CMP, education, conference, event, certification consultant, Amos-Coleman
Mon 6/29 at 2 p.m. – Virtual Idea Swap: Chapters and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
As most national/global associations posted letters in support of #BlackLivesMatter and linked to D&I statements, their chapters wondered with less clarity how to act. Yet, our chapters are truly on the front line of the protests and conversations. How do we enable them to act? How do we guide them? How do we support them? How do our HQ’s policies and actions include chapters? Let’s focus this month’s virtual idea swap on how we can engage chapters in the work of DEI. More info/register.
Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management
Facilitator: Peggy Hoffman, president and executive director, Mariner Management
Tue 6/30 from 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. – Virtual Event Demo Days
You’ve been tasked with finding the right platform to move your
organization’s event from face-to-face to virtual. You’ve got tons of questions: What platforms are out there? What features should I be looking for? Where are the pitfalls? To help with this ASAE has developed Virtual Event Demo Days featuring a presentation by Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele of Tagoras, a leading consultancy that helps organizations select and implement learning platforms and researchers behind The Virtual Conferences Report, demos of 12 virtual event platforms and a wrap-up discussion. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Tue 6/30 at 12 p.m. – Building Community for Your Virtual Event
Learn best practices and expert advice on virtual events, non-dues revenue, and associations; how to drive engagement and attendance to your digital event; the importance of building a virtual community; and increasing digital turn out and participation while gaining more sponsors. More info/register.
Host: Gather Voices
Presenters:
- Nikki Bell, co-founder of Fundraising Everywhere
- Michael Hoffman, co-founder & CEO of Gather Voices
Tue 6/30 at 12 p.m. – Build a Sponsorship Strategy Focused on Monetizing Your In-Person & Digital Events
Explore how to create a sponsorship strategy that will generate revenue through sponsorships, partnership and other sales opportunities through in-person and digital events. Learn best practices and innovative ideas on how to maximize your sponsorship dollars to deliver an amazing event, whether it be in-person or digital. 1 CMP credit. More info/register (fee for MPI non-members).
Host: MPI
Presenter: Meg Fasy, Principal, FazeFWD
Tue 6/30 at 12 p.m. – How to Use Data to Drive Your Content Strategy & SEO
Are you using data to clean up your content? To organize your content? To inform what new content you produce—the content your audience really wants, not what you think they do? Learn how you can use different types of data to organize and produce audience- and SEO-pleasing content. More info/register.
Host: Beaconfire Red
Tue 6/30 at 1 p.m. – Outfrastructure: New Tech Models for the New Normal
Old models for delivering technology have been stretched to the breaking point, and associations are adopting new ways of thinking about their technology infrastructure. Outfrastructure embraces technologies that empower teams, untethers from physical locations, and embraces ‘always on’ components. From Cloud to SaaS to Mobile it is clear that new models are necessary to support the changing workforce and workplace. The panel will share their Outfrastructure experiences along with lessons learned from the COVID-19 experience. More info/register.
Presenters:
- Ray Arambula, Director of Information Technology, American Association for Respiratory Care
- Anita Josh, IT Director, National Investor Relations Institute
- George Rears, PMP, MBA, Principal, Inter Tech
- Rick Bawcum (facilitator), CISSP, CEO, CIMATRI
Tue 6/30 at 2 p.m. – Exploring Accepted Practices for In-Person Events During and After COVID-19
The Events Industry Council has convened a COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force to quickly aggregate accepted practices and provide a framework for meeting in-person again safely. The task force will follow two parallel paths. The first will address the immediate need for guidance on accepted practices and work already underway to restart the industry. The second will address the long-term need to examine adaptation and transformation for the future stability of the association workforce and the relevance and resiliency of the industry. Learn more about the work of the task force and the variables you should consider when crafting in-person gatherings in the future. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenters:
- Amy Calvert, CEO, Events Industry Council
- Michael Dominguez, president and CEO, Associated Luxury Hotels International; cochair, APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force
- Amy Ledoux, CAE, CMP, chief learning and meetings officer, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
Tue 6/30 at 2 p.m. – Fast-Tracking Online Learning During a Global Pandemic
COVID-19 restrictions on in-person events are forcing associations to quickly move education online so their members can maintain certifications and professional credentials. This can be a tedious task without the proper system integrations in place. Learn the best practices for leveraging your association management software (AMS) and learning management system (LMS) to broaden the accessibility of education and bring more value to your members while they adjust to living and working during a global pandemic. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Protech Associates
Presenter: Liam O’Malley, Blue Sky e-Learn’s Vice President, Association Solutions
Tue 6/30 at 2 p.m. – Best Practices to Accelerate Your Pivot to Virtual Events
Learn how going virtual affects the event planning lifecycle (what stays, what goes, what changes); how to build an engaging virtual event your attendees will love, and how to connect them with each other; and best practices from industry peers for virtual events of all sizes. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Presenter: McNeel Keenan, Vice President of Product Management, Cvent
Tue 6/30 at 2 p.m. – Thinking Outside the Typical Lecture: Keys to Adopting Alternative Presentation Styles
Explore a variety of content delivery formats conducive to presenting online as well as focusing on ways to encourage presenters to embrace a new style of content and education delivery. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenters:
- Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein, Endless Events
- Brian Fanzo, Virtual Keynote Speaker & Digital Futurist, iSocialFanz
Wed 7/1 from 6:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. – ExOrdoCon 2020: Beyond the Conference Walls – Exploring the Power of Virtual Experiences
In-person research events all over the world have been postponed or outright cancelled. And right now, organizers’ only option is to go virtual. But starting from scratch can be scary. So, to help you get your disrupted event back on track, we’re hosting a virtual conference on virtual conferencing (yes, that’s a bit of a mouthful). Explore what virtual means for research conferences. Learn from the community about what works, and what doesn’t. Hear the experiences of organizers who have successfully delivered virtual research events to their communities. More info/register.
Host: ExOrdo
Wed 7/1 at 12 p.m. – Nobody Knows Us: Launching A Public Education Campaign For Your Association
Many associations want to broaden their audience and reach by increasing the public’s understanding of their members’ role and impact. Learn the 7 key steps to improve your organization’s visibility and influence. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Insights In Old Town
Presenter: Sheri Singer, owner of Singer Communications
Wed 7/1 at 12 p.m. – Content Forum Weekly Community Chat
Join Content Forum members for content strategy advice, to share what you are working on, and for support with any professional and personal challenges you are facing. Join first, then look in Events for more information
Host: Content Forum
Wed 7/1 at 1 p.m. – Association D, E & I Efforts In Action: A Showcase of Models
In recent weeks, associations around the country (and world) have put forward statements and commitments in support of diversity, equity, and inclusivity efforts—the first step toward affecting change, bridging divides, and bringing healing to communities which have long been discriminated against. Yet, many organizations are struggling with finding practical examples of what a next-step commitment looks like in action. Hear brief, powerful narratives from association executives whose organizations have had diversity, equity, and/or inclusion programs in place for years and those who are rolling out new initiatives. More info/register.
Host: Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CEO & Strategy Catalyst, Vista Cova
Wed 7/1 at 1 p.m. – #ExpoChat on Twitter
ExpoChat is a Twitter-based conversation on topics related to the trade show industry. More info.
Wed 7/1 at 2 p.m. – Content Curation: Your Association’s Secret Weapon Against Information Overload
Your members are overwhelmed by the volume and variety of information coming at them. They need you to hand-pick accurate, relevant information and add critical context that is uniquely yours to provide – in other words, to curate content. Learn how your association can use sophisticated content curation strategies effectively to move your association from a “nice-to-have” option into becoming a vital partner in your members’ professional success. More info/register.
Host: Impexium
Presenters:
- Hilary Marsh, Chief Strategist, Content Company
- Elizabeth Weaver Engel, Chief Strategist, Spark Consulting
Wed 7/1 at 2 p.m. – Continue the Conversation: Remove Implicit Bias to Improve Interactions
What is all the talk about implicit bias? Do you wonder how to make your organization more just and welcoming? Implicit biases or subconscious biases influence how we respond to others. To create equitable work environments, event organizers must acknowledge their own biases and take steps to confront them. Through a mixture of presentation and interactive discussion, participants will explore the sources and impacts of unconscious biases as well as some concrete steps for reducing them. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Ameerah Saine
Wed 7/1 at 2 p.m. – How to Prevent Limited Resources from Limiting Your Results
When you’re just starting out as an exhibitor, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all of the decisions you’re expected to make… especially when you also feel limited by your available resources. Learn about three typical trade show expense categories budget-savvy exhibitors avoid, four “splurge worthy” exhibiting components that can make a big impact, and three free (and nearly free) ways to personally enhance your exhibiting performance. More info/register.
Host: Trade Show Summer School
Presenter: Robyn Davis, founder, Exhibitors WINH LLC
Wed 7/1 at 4 p.m. – Actual Disruption: Part 5 – Does Your Data Move the Needle?
Hear how data should be used, some past learning experiences with data, and how we should be refocusing on specific analytics post-COVID. More info/register.
Hosts: Breezio and Adage Technologies
Presenters:
- Dan Hickey, Strategic Consultant, Technology Management, DelCor Technology Solutions
- Julie Sciullo, CEO, Association Analytics
- Jake Toohey, Senior Digital Consultant, Adage Technologies
- Joe Post, Vice President Strategy, Adage Technologies
- Ben Muscolino, CEO, Breezio and AMS Geek
Thu 7/2 from 6:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. – ExOrdoCon 2020: Beyond the Conference Walls – Exploring the Power of Virtual Experiences
In-person research events all over the world have been postponed or outright cancelled. And right now, organizers’ only option is to go virtual. But starting from scratch can be scary. So, to help you get your disrupted event back on track, we’re hosting a virtual conference on virtual conferencing (yes, that’s a bit of a mouthful). Explore what virtual means for research conferences. Learn from the community about what works, and what doesn’t. Hear the experiences of organizers who have successfully delivered virtual research events to their communities. More info/register.
Host: ExOrdo
Thu 7/2 at 2 p.m. – Creating a Strategic Virtual Event Plan that Works
This session will help participants uncover and prepare for the pitfalls you can expect when planning a virtual or hybrid event and share best practices from planners who have gone before you. Also explore the real conversations around money—what is realistic from a budget and spending perspective and how to talk with and to vendors who are trying to convince you their mobile event app platform is really a virtual option. More info/register.
Host: Hubb
Presenters:
- Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey, CEO, Nifty Method Marketing & Events
- Allie Magyar, Founder and CEO, Hubb
Thu 7/2 at 3 p.m. – Power BI for Association Professionals (not Data Scientists)
Microsoft PowerBI has been consistently ranked by Gartner as the leader in data visualization. This session will focus on how all association professionals can use PowerBI visualizations to make data-informed decisions. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Fri 7/3 at 1 p.m. – How to Go Virtual (While Still Creating an Engaging Experience)
Learn how to take events online in a way that is going to deliver high value, create an engaging experience, and preserve the outcomes you were seeking to achieve with your in-person conference. Hear about some major considerations for online engagement. Find out how to design for virtual-first experiences, satisfy the desire to network, and keep your members engaged. We’ll also touch on the tech because we know it’s on your mind! More info/register.
Host: Matchbox Virtual Media
Presenters:
- Graham Harvey, Chief Strategy Officer, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
- Arianna Rehak, CEO & Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Jeff Cobb, Managing Director, Tagoras
Wed 7/8 at 2 p.m. – How to Use Design Thinking to Improve Your Virtual Initiatives
Navigating both your business operations AND events remotely without prior planning has left many organizations operating on autopilot. The Design Thinking approach to tasks or problems explores understanding your users, challenging traditional assumptions, and finding innovative strategies that are less apparent under initial review in a computational way. Design Thinking can help you navigate a “new normal” and guide you to greater success supporting your team and your members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Altai Systems
Presenter: Moira Edwards, founder, Ellipsis Partners
Thu 7/9 at 1 p.m. – Virtual Events Generate Fantastic Member Engagement Scoring Data
Digital activity leaves digital footprints, and virtual conferences are a gold mine of member engagement information. See for yourself how your association can benefit from one of 2020’s member-industry megatrends, the shift to virtual events and online meetings. More info/register.
Host: Gravitate Solutions
Fri 7/10 at 1 p.m. – Beyond Covid-19: Identifying and Addressing Today’s and Tomorrow’s Critical Issues
Learn a step-by-step approach to identify and prepare for the next critical issues that your association will face. This process will help you both identify known and potential issues and also help you develop action plans on how to address them – even when, as with the current pandemic, the way forward isn’t entirely clear. More info/register.
Host: Tecker International
Presenters: Sharon Cox, Cheryl Williams and Jim Meffert, Tecker International
Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers free professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter before Wednesday evening.
Creative Commons photo by Clint Patterson via Unsplash
Association Brain Food 