The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
As a history major, I’ve been waiting for virtual reality (VR) to shake up the way history is taught and it’s finally happening—or maybe it’s been happening and I just haven’t noticed. Derek Ham, a North Carolina State University professor, asked: “What was it like to be there? How could VR transport us there?” His “there” is the Memphis sanitation workers strike and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
If a competitor beat you to a new market opportunity or disrupted your business model, know you’re in good company. CB Insights collected 42 “foot in mouth” quotes from big corporate executives who laughed off disruption when it hit.
Expand how your association thinks about sponsorship: partner with companies whose sponsorship and involvement will add value to your online learning programs. TopClass LMS provider WBT Systems suggests several ways to create these new sponsorship opportunities.
Billhighway shares a success story from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS). By changing their mindset and conversations with chapters, RAPS built stronger relationships with their chapters and helped them increase member engagement.
Some quick hits before we get to the list of upcoming free webinars:
- More adults now share their living space because their kids are back in their old room. (Pew Research)
- Are we going to eat China’s dust when it comes to AI? (MIT Technology Review)
Off-topic: Check out my Grabbing the Gusto blog if you’d like to see the list of recipes I’ve made this week or plan to make in the coming weeks, and my list of recommended fiction and non-fiction ebooks (including cookbooks) on sale.
Now for the main event: upcoming free professional development events for the association community. If your organization has a webinar or educational event coming up, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not product-centric.
Tue 3/13 at 2 p.m.* – Top Ten Legal Questions You Need Answered Before Producing a Digital Event
Take a deep dive into the world of digital law, specifically the top ten questions you need to think about to protect your participants, presenters and organization. Learn how to best navigate this space and hear tips for developing speaker contracts, guidelines for streaming music and insights into the nuances of medical digital events. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenters:
- Matt Mille, registered patent attorney and founder, MG Miller
- Debi Scholar, expert on virtual meetings
*All times are Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
Wed 3/14 at 1 p.m. – Your Event Marketing Survival Guide
Event marketing doesn’t have to be a nightmare, but it is a fight for survival—and our event’s survival depends on attracting engaged attendees every time. Driving attendance to events isn’t easy, but with some time-tested tactics, you can make it easier to retain and grow our audience year after year. Learn the seven steps to event marketing survival and top tactics to attract and engage attendees. Take away a sample 12-month marketing calendar. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Kevin Yanushefski, Product Marketing Manager, Cvent
Wed 3/14 at 2 p.m. – G.D.P.R. and the Event Industry: A Fast-Track Guide to Compliance
Believe it or not, General Data Protection Regulation (G.D.P.R.) can affect your brand, as events and meetings are a surprising storehouse of personal data that falls directly under G.D.P.R. regulation. Are you armed with the tools you need to stay up to date? Learn about the legislation and its effects on the industry, including the importance of implementing new policies, procedures, and infrastructures. Hear about strategies and tactics to meet the requirements of one of the most modern and stringent personal data legislations. More info/register.
Host: BizBash
Presenters:
- Kerry J. Plowman, QuickMobile
- Chris Elmitt, Crystal Interactive
Thu 3/15 at 12 p.m. – Adapt to Attract Millennial and Gen Z Talent
Millennials make up the largest segment of the workforce. Generation Z, the oldest of whom turn 22 this year, is about to join the workforce and will further disrupt the world of work as we know it. Many associations will need to adjust their structure to attract and retain millennials and Gen Z, whose members will bring critical skills and a fresh perspective to the association community. Hear about the challenges associations face when vying for younger generations’ attention—and how to adapt. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenter: Sarah Sladek, author of Talent Generation: How Visionary Organizations Are Redefining Work and Achieving Greater Success
Thu 3/15 at 12 p.m./12:30 p.m. – Sexual Harassment: What Should Your Nonprofit Be Doing to Keep Itself Out of the Headlines and Out of Legal Hot Water? (webinar and Washington DC)
Find out what constitutes unlawful sexual harassment, what a nonprofit organization’s obligations are under the law, and the steps a nonprofit organization can take to minimize potential liabilities stemming from claims of sexual harassment. Through an application of real-life examples, learn about best practices, common pitfalls, and areas of particular risk to nonprofit organizations. 1 CAE credit. Online and Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: Venable LLP
Presenters:
- Cindy Lewin, Esq. (moderator), Partner, Nonprofit Organizations Practice, Venable LLP
- Todd J. Horn, Esq., Partner, Labor & Employment Practice, Venable LLP
- Jennifer G. Prozinski, Esq., Counsel, Labor & Employment Practice, Venable LLP
Thu 3/15 at 1 p.m. – The New GDPR Data Protection Regulations: What Associations Need to Know About Compliance
Learn about the GDPR and how it applies to U.S. associations; key principles behind the regulation and how they relate to compliance; mapping your data flows; GDPR gap assessment—knowing what needs fixing; and legal, technical, and management compliance issues. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: enSYNC Corporation
Presenter: Terrance Barkan, CAE, international association management consultant
Thu 3/15 at 1 p.m. – Lead or Lose: Seven Principles of Learning Leadership
Explore seven principles for those working in learning businesses that provide professional development, continuing education, and lifelong learning. These “leading learning” principles focus on helping your business ensure its own success and the success of the learners you serve. Leave with practical insights into how you can implement these principles to build authority and buy-in within your organization and deliver lasting impact for the audiences you serve. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: Tagoras and Digitec Interactive
Presenters:
- Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele, founders, Tagoras
- Jack McGrath, president and creative director, Digitec Interactive
Thu 3/15 at 2 p.m. – #ReviewChat Online Customer Product Reviews
Your members’ businesses are affected by online reviews—86% of consumers read reviews often or very often before buying. Hear how the Specialty Sleep Association is giving their members resources to help them cope and thrive in The Review Economy. Learn key takeaways from a panel discussion about online reviews of mattresses, and steps your association should take to educate your members about the effects of online reviews on buying decisions in B2C and B2B markets. More info/register.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth
Thu 3/15 at 2 p.m. – Don’t Retire – Move Into Your Next Career!
Launching into a new career path means re-branding yourself appropriately. Learn about the best starting point and direction to avoid the “Failure to Launch” syndrome. Find out how to demonstrate your personal and professional value, recognize professional development opportunities that facilitate your continuous improvement, and identify and generate a professional image that will assist you in working well in a leadership role with your colleagues. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Lynne Wellish, CMP, CHSE CHO, speaker, consultant, trainer and Hospitality Educator with Triage Meetings and Events
Thu 3/15 at 2 p.m. – How to Respond to Active Threats to Your Meetings
Although it is uncomfortable to think about, meetings and hospitality professionals alike no longer can afford to avoid thinking about how they would respond to realistic threats at their events. Learn how to prepare for the unthinkable happening at your meeting by understanding current threats against the hospitality industry that could affect meetings and events; develop a plan for active threat response; recognize the signs of terrorism; and work towards personal resiliency by knowing how to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Presenter: counterterrorism and security professional David H. Lau, Counterinsurgency Advisor (Retired), U.S. Army
Thu 3/15 at 2 p.m. – Ideas for Delighting Attendees of All Ages
New research from IACC on trends in demands for the meeting room of the future could hold the secret captivating new audiences. From innovative ways to present information and use food and beverage to flexible room settings, find out what top planners are doing to make sure everyone is comfortable. More info/register.
Host: Smart Meetings
Presenter: Mark Cooper, CEO, IACC
Tue 3/20 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC
Wed 3/21 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA
Thu 3/22 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit.
Host: Billhighway
Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Location: Reston VA. More info/register.
Wed 3/21 at 11 a.m. – Search, Navigation and Wayfinding on Your Website: Best Practices and Lessons Learned
Do you hear “I can’t find anything on your website” or “I have to use Google to find anything on our website”? Learn about the many ways people “wayfind” (orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place) on a website or app, including navigation, search, Google, and related links. Find out how navigation and search should work together, the importance of content strategy to a good site search, the latest technologies available for good wayfinding, and how analytics can and should guide your wayfinding strategy. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Matrix Group
Presenters: Joanna Pineda, CEO, Alex Pineda, Creative Director, and Dave Hoernig, Search Guru (aka Director of Software Engineering), Matrix Group
Wed 3/21 at 1 p.m. – Beyond the Fear: Embracing Simplicity with the GDPR
Starting May 25, new European Union data privacy regulations mean that your organization can be fined nearly $25 million for mishandling even relatively benign personal information about attendees from the EU. Join a different discussion about GDPR, its underlying principles, and how we can improve and transform the business of events with it. Learn what consequences GDPR will have on the meetings industry, what types of data fall under the GDPR, how vulnerable your organization may be, and how organizations can protect themselves from violating GDPR. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth
Wed 3/21 at 2 p.m. – Steal These Ideas: 3 Growth Strategies from Top Fundraisers
Hear about strategies membership organizations can steal from fundraisers to create compelling campaigns that bring in money, build relationships, and attract diverse audiences. Find out why the most successful fundraisers raise more money by NOT treating everyone equally, and why you shouldn’t either; the keys to creating compelling, multi-channel campaigns to recruit new members and volunteers; and why millennials are loyal to some organizations and not others, and how you can create the right experience to attract them. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Wild Apricot
Presenters: authors of the recently released whitepaper Steal Like a Fundraiser
- Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE, CEO and Chief Strategist, Spark Consulting LLC
- Sohini Baliga, director of communications, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and executive director, Vienna Choral Society
Wed 3/21 at 3 p.m. – Vetting Member Needs and Market Opportunities (Executive Exchange: Associations Catalyzing Entrepreneurship – Washington DC or teleconference)
Explore how entrepreneurial thinking can point the way to association success in a time of growing competition. Discuss how to really listen to members and leverage data on engagement; how to gauge the needs and find market opportunities that members don’t know about yet; and how to test products and programs before market launch. More info/register.
Moderator: Meena Dayak, VP, Media & Communications, American Public Power Association
Presenters:
- Nicole Beidler, Marketing Manager, American Speech Language Hearing Association
- Anthony Shop, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Social Driver
Thu 3/22 at 2 p.m. – Solving the Mystery of Association Innovation: 7 Practical Steps to Increasing Members, Revenue and Value
Learn how to ease into innovation and apply it to membership, growth and organizational sustainability. Find out how to identify and break down the leading barriers to innovation; quickly and inexpensively assess which innovations members value the most; create a collaborative innovation strategy that starts today; and form a culture of continuous innovation. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Digitec Interactive
Presenters: Wendy Scott, CAE, and Bob Reed, founders, ReedScott
That’s it for now. 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 free professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.
Creative Commons licensed photo by Jonas Nordberg on Unsplash.
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