The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Virtual sponsors/exhibitors. In conversations about virtual conferences, one question always arises: how to provide value to virtual sponsors and exhibitors. WBT Systems has been gathering insights over the last six months or so and shares their new ideas on this topic.
Virtual event tips. Layla Masri at Yes& offers 22 tips from the virtual conference trenches. Yes& produced the recent virtual ASAE Annual Meeting as well as many other virtual events in the last four months so their tips are fresh from the frontlines and well worth taking to heart.
Hybrid conferences. Everyone’s focused on virtual-only right now, but some time next year, hopefully, hybrid conferences will be front of mind. Alex Palmer at Northstar Meetings Group describes how to provide an optimal experience for both in-person and virtual attendees.
Bias in conferences. In their second annual research report, Speak Up 2020: Redesigning Tech Conferences with Women in Mind, Ensono examines how unconscious bias in conference design affects the experience of women attendees and speakers, particularly women of color.
Sending website traffic to members. Association CEO Clive Roux shared advice at Association Success for using your association’s digital assets to grow your audience and deliver value to members. One of his suggestions really stopped me in my tracks—and would really help your exhibitors. His association made their website “a real megaphone for… members, bringing them awareness, recognition and even new business.” They sent about 30% more traffic to their members.
Quick hits before we get to the list of next week’s free education:
- 7 reasons why your association should seriously consider investing in SEO. (Chris Bonney, Gulo)
- The “Great Works, In Focus” series features art critic Sebastian Smee’s favorite works in permanent collections around the United States. (Washington Post)
- Webcams around the world! (Atlasphere)
Good eats—skip down to the list of free webinars if you prefer take-out. If you’re a home cook, check out the weekly In The Kitchen posts on my Grabbing the Gusto blog.
- This smoky red chimichurri recipe is great on baked swordfish. I’ve made it before for tilefish and dogfish, and can imagine it’d be great on other meats. It’s made of garlic, shallots, cumin, parsley, olive oil and the red ingredients—red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, chipotle powder and red pepper flakes.
- I pulled some sockeye salmon out of the freezer to make creamy lemon zucchini spaghetti. The shredded zucchini just about melts into the pasta. I added onion (instead of shallot), yellow bell pepper, and tomato to kick it up a bit. Salmon wasn’t part of the original recipe but I thought it would work nicely and it did.
- On the side, we had green beans sautéed with bacon, mushrooms, red bell pepper, red onion, garlic and a little chicken broth to keep the beans cooking.
- One of my guy’s favorite beach snacks is boiled peanuts topped with slices of pickled jalapeño, passed around to your beach buddies on a frisbee, of course. Even better on a cracker with a dollop of pimento cheese—or low-rent canned cheese. I made this boiled peanut salad with bacon dressing for him. It’s a keeper. I added sweet onion and substituted basil for the cilantro, but forgot the pickled jalapeños.
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.” (Brené Brown)
Fri 9/4 at 9:15 a.m.* – Hire Moment Mastermind
On the hunt for your next opportunity? Looking for job advice from an executive recruiter? Join an open job search mastermind where you get to ask your questions about resumes, LinkedIn profiles, salary negotiations, and more. More info/register.
Host: Shira Lotzar, Resumes/LinkedIn Profiles
Guests:
- Corliss Jackson, Federal Government Resumes
- KiKi L’Italien, Video Image Expert, founder, Amplified Growth, and senior consultant, Tecker International, LLC
- Mike Robinson, Government Contracting/Hi-Tech
- Julien Bois, Accounting/Finance Recruiter
*All times are Eastern Daylight Savings Time unless otherwise noted.
Fri 9/4 at 10 a.m. – Member ROI Simplified: Safeguarding Your Organization’s Future
The most important method for safeguarding your organization’s future is to research, embrace, and maximize your Member ROI. Learn how to measure your current ROI in actual dollar numbers, use the numbers for influencing the membership decision, grow your ROI, and prove beyond a doubt that membership in your organization is a good business decision. More info/register.
Host: Ed Rigsbee, CAE, president at Rigsbee Research
Fri 9/4 at 1 p.m. – How to Go Virtual (While Still Creating an Engaging Experience)
Learn how to take events online in a way that will 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:
- Ann H. Hoover, Vice President of Programs, Association Health Law Association
- Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
- Arianna Rehak, CEO & Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Heather Varndell, Digital Strategist & Assistant to CSO, Matchbox Virtual Media
Mon 9/7 at 11 a.m. – The ROI Member Recruitment Brochure: How to Create Brochures That Positively Influence Membership Decisions
Learn to determine who should be membership targets, which features of membership should be highlighted, how to develop an effective brochure layout, decision motives for joining, and how to train your members to use the brochure. More info/register.
Host: Ed Rigsbee, CAE, president at Rigsbee Research
Mon 9/7 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
Tue 9/8 at 1 p.m. – The Content Pipeline: Turn Your Association’s Data Assets and Virtual Events Into Essential Content
Learn how virtual events can be part of a meaningful data-driven content strategy. In Part I of this session, we’ll talk about ways of leveraging your existing data to inform virtual event programming. In Part II, we’ll look at ways to use the data that will come from your virtual events to generate even more meaningful content across multiple mediums. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Technology Professionals Community
Presenters:
- Duncan Bell, Association TRENDS
- Arianna Rehak, Matchbox Virtual Media
Tue 9/8 at 2 p.m. – Your Culture Is Broken! How COVID-19 Changed Organizational Culture and How to Get Back on Track
Hear how COVID-19 accelerated workplace culture innovation. Learn how to find new ways of working that take into account the world we’re living in right now, use ongoing culture management to drive results, and use video communication to bring back passive transparency and create inclusive hybrid work experiences. More info/register.
Host: Gather Voices
Presenters:
- Jamie Notter, Co-Founder and Culture Designer at Human Workplaces
- Michael Hoffman, CEO of Gather Voices
Wed 9/9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – PCMA Braindate: The Future of Live Events
Virtual braindates are knowledge-sharing conversations that you book with others to have one-on-one or in small groups, right here on Braindate. They’re the best way to connect with, learn from, and have terrific conversations with new people — all virtually. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Wed 9/9 at 11 a.m. – The ROI of Words: How to Write Website Copy That Will Drive Member Renewal and Recruitment
You can no longer depend on interns or web designers to write your member value copy for influencing renewals and retention. They do pretty, you must do effective. Learn how to write the kind of benefit (or what’s in it for me) copy that will influence the decision to join or renew. More info/register.
Host: Ed Rigsbee, CAE, president at Rigsbee Research
Wed 9/9 at 12 p.m. – How One Association Delivered Community & Connection in a Virtual Experience
Meet the brains behind the design of the highly successful National Speakers Association’s Influence 2020 Virtual in August. Discover how they created memorable experiences, facilitated networking and delivered inspiring general sessions. Understand the strategy behind transforming a 3-day event into an 8-week virtual experience that launched their new digital vault. Hear testimonials from first-hand attendees–experts in the meeting and event space–who can’t stop singing the virtual experience’s praises. More info/register.
Host: Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
Presenters:
- Mary Lou Peck, President & CEO @National Speakers Association
- Anna Liotta, Creator of Generationally Savvy™ Communication Solutions
- Sylvie di Giusto, CSP, C-Suite Advisor, C-Suite Book Club
- Sarah Michel (facilitator), VP, Professional Connexity, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
Wed 9/9 at 12 p.m. – Why These Three Associations Will Save the World: Lessons From Their Leaders
When ten of our clients were chosen by ASAE as the top 100 Associations that Will Save the World, we couldn’t wait to get some of them in the hot seat to talk about their mission, how they’ve stayed relevant to their members, and the secret sauce for their success. More info/register.
Host: MCI
Presenters:
- Alison Teitelbaum, Executive Director, American Health Quality Association
- Amy Burke, Executive Director, Special Libraries Association
- Bob Gilbert, President & CEO, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International
- Erin Fuller, FASAE, CAE, MPA, President of Association Solutions
Wed 9/9 at 1 p.m. – Natural Settings Improve Meetings Performance
Learn how meeting in a natural environment releases endorphins and oxytocin, which results in increased attention and productivity. Hear about examples of outdoor activity options that will keep meeting attendees engaged and invigorated, as well as give back to the community in which they’re held. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Janice Litvin, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel Visitor and Convention Bureau
Wed 9/9 at 1 p.m. – #ExpoChat on Twitter
ExpoChat is a Twitter-based conversation on topics related to the trade show industry. More info.
Wed 9/9 at 2 p.m. – Navigating the Future of Events
The world of events is changing. Organizations and their members have now embraced the idea of digital meetings and events, something that many may have never considered before. Hear where the industry was, how it is transitioning, and what they see for the future. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenters:
- Hud Englehart, founding partner of Beacon Advisors, Inc. and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism
- Jim Russell, Executive Vice President, Client Solutions at Freeman
Thu 9/10 at 11 a.m. – Change! Six Months On
We wanted to revisit some of the themes we covered at our March event and review where we are six months on. How has COVID-19 developed our thinking? How are we adapting to the changes, and what skills do we need to develop to bring value to our organizations safely through the turbulent times ahead? What has been surprising about the last six months, and what opportunities do we see for the future? More info/register.
Host: Society Street
Presenters:
- Mary Williams, Features Editor – American Society of Plant Biologists
- Cindy Sparrow, Acting Deputy Chief – Community & Support Services, Red Deer Emergency Services
- Tracy Gardner, Consultant – Renew Consultants
Thu 9/10 at 11 a.m. – Easy and Effective Ways to Add Networking to Your Online Events
While much of the transition to online events has focused on content, we’ll concentrate on delivering the connection-building that’s often as valuable at conferences and events. Learn easy ways to get attendees to meet and network online by doing it yourself with a great group of fellow events/conference pros. More info/register.
Host: Better Meetings
Presenter: Lee Gimpel, founder of Better Meetings
Thu 9/10 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Hybrid Revolution Summit
The industry seems to agree: hybrid events are the way back to safely meeting in person. The Hybrid Revolution Summit will provide an opportunity for event professionals to learn from the world’s best experts on hybrid events. CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Event MB
Thu 9/10 at 11:30 a.m. – Virtual Events Lessons Learned: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Featuring stories from the frontlines of virtual events—association professionals, sponsors and technology providers—this webinar will expose the good, the bad and the ugly of lessons learned. What worked? What didn’t? How did your peers maintain value for event sponsors? What are sponsors saying? What advice do association leaders have for other associations planning their virtual conferences in the near future? 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Community Brands
Thu 9/10 at 11:30 a.m. – Virtual Conferencing: Designing Event Formats for the Online Experience
Trying to copy/paste your in-person research conference format into an online event simply won’t work. Designing a program and considering the way you deliver content ought to be some of the first tasks on your to-do list. Hear about conference format considerations to help you create an experience that will keep your attendees coming back year after year. More info/register.
Host: Ex Ordo
Thu 9/10 at 2 p.m. – Projected Outcomes of the 2020 Elections and Impacts on the Market
Hear about the latest polls and macro political trends driven by politicking on the campaign trail, what we would expect for the first 100 days under either a new Biden Administration or second-term Trump Administration under various Congressional scenarios, and a deep dive into our outlooks for the economic and policy sectors we cover, including: energy and utilities, TMT, tax and infrastructure, and tobacco and cannabis. More info/register.
Host: FiscalNote
Presenters:
- Katie Bays, who covers the regulatory risks faced by electric utilities, midstream and LNG companies, and upstream oil and gas producers
- Stefanie Miller, who covers election politics, fiscal policy, trade, tobacco, and cannabis
- Nils Tracy, the newest addition to the team, who provides TMT coverage, including the policy risk facing the software, hardware, wireless, wireline, and media sectors
Thu 9/10 at 2 p.m. – Cyber Attack: Are You Ready?
Walk step by step through a virtual cyber incident and hear best practices to protect your organization against this ever-increasing occurrence. You will be challenged to decide what you think is the best course of action through interactive polling. Learn how to mitigate the impact of a cybercrime, what needs to be done to continue operations and how to respond and recover from the event. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenter: Rob Zegarra, cyber advisor from AXIS Pro
Thu 9/10 at 4 p.m. – Drive Action with Great Subject Lines
In the busy inbox, you have just a few milliseconds to convince someone to open your email. Learn the basics of a good subject line, trends for writing great subject lines, and tips for getting creative with your subject lines. More info/register.
Host: Digital Toolbox
Fri 9/11 at 10 a.m. – Member ROI Simplified: Safeguarding Your Organization’s Future
The most important method for safeguarding your organization’s future is to research, embrace, and maximize your Member ROI. Learn how to measure your current ROI in actual dollar numbers, use the numbers for influencing the membership decision, grow your ROI, and prove beyond a doubt that membership in your organization is a good business decision. More info/register.
Host: Ed Rigsbee, CAE, president at Rigsbee Research
Fri 9/11 at 1 p.m. – How to Go Virtual (While Still Creating an Engaging Experience)
Learn how to take events online in a way that will 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:
- Ann H. Hoover, Vice President of Programs, Association Health Law Association
- Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
- Arianna Rehak, CEO & Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Heather Varndell, Digital Strategist & Assistant to CSO, Matchbox Virtual Media
Fri 9/11 at 2 p.m. – Foresight Fridays with Jeff De Cagna
During this series, we will discuss pre-selected foresight topics and questions. Participants will enjoy compelling future-focused learning. If you plan to attend, please complete this survey by September 8 to help determine the Foresight Fridays topics for September. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Jeff De Cagna, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC
Mon 9/14 – LMS Demo Day
Online learning has always been important, but now it may be the only way you can provide education for your members. When leveraged properly, an LMS will help any organization simplify and streamline learning content, programs, courses and support materials. So what features should you be looking for in an LMS? Where are the pitfalls? To help with this ASAE has developed LMS Demo Days. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Tue 9/15 at 11:30 a.m. – Top Trends to Increase Non-Dues Revenue and Membership Dues in 2021
Learn the current trends to retain your existing membership dues and examples of how associations are effectively increasing non-dues revenue in 2020. Find out how to incorporate new sources of revenue, provide more value to your virtual events, create an effective revenue driving sponsorship program, and increase member retention. More info/register.
Host: YourMembership and ReviewMyAMS
Presenters:
- Teri Carden, Co-founder, ReviewMyAMS
- Tirrah Switzer, Association Advocate, Community Brands
Tue 9/15 at 1 p.m. – Association Technology & Data 2025: Evaluating your IT and Data Readiness
2020 has spawned both new demands and solutions for most associations. DelCor’s IT Maturity Model is the perfect framework for evaluating your readiness to address these challenges and keep IT aligned to changing business requirements. Data has become an ever more important component driving solutions and decision making. Hear the views of a panel of industry technologists on technology initiatives that will drive your organization up the maturity model and prepare it to support the new business environment. More info/register.
Hosts: Gravitate Solutions and DelCor
Presenters: senior technologists from the American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, DelCor and Gravitate Solutions
Tue 9/15 at 2 p.m. – Membership According to Gen Z: How Associations are Engaging Future Members, Leaders and Advocates
Explore the many ways associations are innovating to keep students involved in a time of pandemic. Learn best practices from associations on the front line of student membership outreach, recruitment, and retention. Gain valuable insight into how younger generations engage with and learn about the world around them, what inspires them, how they advocate, and what they expect from a membership in your association. More info/register.
Host: Sarah Sladek, founder, Saving The Associations
Wed 9/16 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (to 4 p.m. for HighRoad clients) – Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Data as the New Gold
Learn how to tap into your data for short- and long-term success. Get the tools to grow your digital footprint, build member and customer journeys that count, and ultimately, meet your organizational objectives. Take away actionable insights and approaches to follow your yellow brick road to success in 2021, and beyond. More info/register.
Host: HighRoad Solutions
Wed 9/16 at 11 a.m. – Driving Revenue with Contextual Engagement and Marketing
Do you guess what it is your members need? Are you struggling to understand why they do the things they do, or don’t do? Contextual Engagement is the process of asking questions, capturing context, and acting with automated workflows and alerts. It helps you engage members with more relevance and personalization throughout the member journey. Learn how associations are using Contextual Engagement to drive revenue. More info/register.
Hosts: PropFuel and ReviewMyAMS
Wed 9/16 at 2 p.m. – Surprises, Opportunities, and Successes: The Story of ASAE’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting
When navigating the virtual event environment, it can be challenging to know how big your planning team should be, what your event schedule should look like, what tools you need to make your event successful, how to engage your audience, and how to build develop and deliver opportunities for your partners. ASAE hosted its 2020 ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting & Exposition just three months after making the decision to go virtual. Hear about the planning, execution and lessons learned while hosting over 14,000 attendees in a virtual environment. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenters:
- Amy Ledoux, CMP, CAE, Chief Learning & Meetings Officer
- Krista LeZotte, CMP, CSEP, Associate Director, Meeting Operations & Special Events
Thu 9/17 at 1 p.m. – Membership Lifecycle Part I: Member Acquisition
Learn how membership management technology helps create awareness for the association and generates new members and revenue. More info/register.
Host: Impexium
Thu 9/17 at 4 p.m. – How to Pivot Non-dues Revenue & Sponsorship Strategies During This Crisis
Non-due revenue and sponsors are so critical for the overall financial health of most associations and foundations, thus a shift in strategy may be necessary during this pandemic. Hear how one association pivoted their fundraising strategy at the height of Covid-19 and successfully transformed the programs at a time when others were scrambling for solutions. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Organizer: Reston-Loudoun Idea Swap
Presenter: Stephen E. Peeler, CFRE, Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Society of America
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 Elliott Engelmann via Unsplash
Association Brain Food 