The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Self-assessment tools/programs. Self-assessments reveal where you need to improve your skills and what you need to learn. WBT Systems shares several association examples of self-assessment tools and programs for choosing a career path or course of study, preparing for a certification exam, or improving business practices and policies.
Subscriptions. If you offer learning or membership subscriptions, clear your Harvard Business Review cookies and read this article by Nir Eyal. You’ll need to channel your inner psychologist to address the fascinating issues he raises about choice, novelty and user investment in subscriptions. His insight should help you improve the subscriber experience at your organization.
Event gamification. In their new guide, EventMobi explains the psychology behind gamification. They describe strategies for applying game mechanics to influence attendee behavior, including the incentives and technology that will help you achieve event goals.
Sponsorships. How can associations provide corporate partners with valuable access to their member communities? That’s the question the Professionals for Association Revenue asked several association executives and consultants. I love the idea from Jay Ablondi of the Massachusetts Medical Society about sponsors being resident experts for boards and committees—a natural role for experienced industry partners.
Self-mastery. Casey Rosengren’s post about doing hard things is a long one but worth every moment of reading—and could have momentous effects. He describes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), how it changed his life, and how you can apply its principles. “ACT looks at how our thoughts influence our behavior and offers tools for debugging when our minds get us stuck.” We often confuse our thoughts with reality. They can take us away from the here and now if we let them, allowing us to get caught in negative spin cycles about the past or the future. Isn’t being human endlessly interesting?
AMS (r)evolution. Empowered Margins sat down with 70 AMS developers to get their perspectives on all things AMS, such as integration, APIs, security, ecommerce, data visualization, and more. They explain how these AMS functions affect the member experience, how the AMS market is changing, and what you should look for in a new AMS.
Quick hits
Real accountability at work requires better metrics across the organization. (Jamie Notter, Propel)
Five ways thought leadership content drives higher search rankings. I especially love the first two pieces of advice. As for #3, it works too, but please don’t ask me to write your book, ha ha. (Andy Crestodina, Orbit Media Studio)
Don’t you loathe the idea of banned books? Humans of all political persuasions can be such jerks and have been forever. Read the late Pat Conroy’s letter to the editor on teachers, censorship and banned books. (Pat Conroy, Poetic Outlaws)
Good eats
Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.
After one night of delicious eggplant parmesan—see last week’s post for the recipe—I broke down and made spaghetti with tomatoes, garlic, fresh oregano and Italian parsley, dried basil, red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese to enjoy with the leftovers. Any excuse for pasta.
We enjoyed one of our favorite fish species another night: baked sheepshead fillets with lemon-herb butter made with lemon zest, chives, oregano and parsley. On the side, an old Pierre Franey recipe for broccoli purée made with butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and roasted sweet potato wedges sprinkled with smoked paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder and cinnamon.
For a family birthday party, I made broccoli salad with cheddar and bacon vinaigrette. I used a mix of sharp cheddar and asiago cheese, dried cranberries instead of grapes, and all parts of the green onions.
If you have a free webinar or event coming up, please send me the link by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled. I’m happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Fri 3/3 at 10 a.m.* – Coffee with Innovators: Association Design Circle
We meet on the first Friday of each month hosted by an association leader who leads a conversation on an association innovation topic. Our topic this month is association finance innovation. More info/register.
Host: Product Design Community
Facilitator: Annie Doresca, Chief Financial Officer at Jewelers of America
*All events are online at Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
Fri 3/3 at 1 p.m. – iPaaS Show-and-Tell: Real Life Examples from the Trenches
Get a look under the hood of the iPaaS-based integrations at four associations. See how things look and work in Zapier, Tray.io, ShuffleExchange, and MS Power Automate. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Technology Professionals Community
Fri 3/3 at 4 p.m. – Diversity Discussion Series: Women in Leadership (Panel Discussion)
Join us for our continued panel discussion series, Diversity Discussions in honor of Women’s History Month. The moderator will lead panelists through a conversation on association leadership experiences, themes include values, relationships, and boundaries. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Speakers:
- Ally Brown, MS, Director of Training, Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine
- Celia Chomón Zamora, Director of Professional Learning and Certification, ACTFL
- Jakeeva Lee, member and community engagement outreach, Chicago Association of Realtors
- Angela Nelson (moderator), diversity, equity, and inclusion, Travel Portland
Fri 3/3 at 6:30 p.m. – DMV First Friday Black Association Executives Dinner
Organizer: ASAE Black Association Executives
Mon 3/6 at 8 a.m. – Creating Community via Content (Radio Free 501c)
Radio Free 501c, the podcast of Rogue Tulips Consulting (formerly Nonprofit Conversations) features guests from across the nonprofit community and the business world to share expertise on a variety of topics related to the practice of nonprofit management. Episodes are published Monday mornings in both audio and video format on most podcast services.
Guest: KiKi L’Italien, senior consultant, Tecker International
Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
Mon 3/6 at 1 p.m. – Inflection Points with the New MPI Academy Director
Join us as we welcome Tim Luepke, the new Director of the Academy, as he shares about him, his experience, his vision and his goals for the Academy in 2023. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MPI
Tue 3/7 at 11 a.m. – Cybersecurity Assessment for an Association/Nonprofit: A Checklist for Success
After the pandemic, small and medium sized organizations, including nonprofits and associations, are facing increasing cyber threats as they are more connected today—with remote staff, members, customers and vendors. Easy availability of low-cost cyber weapons has led to a surge in phishing attempts, malware, and ransomware attacks on inadequately secured networks. Learn about the types of security assessments available in the marketplace, what an assessment framework is and which one your organization should be using, why types of information should be delivered through an assessment, and what your organization should do with the assessment output. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Brian Scott, President, CIO, ClearTone Consulting LLC
Tue 3/7 at 12 p.m. – The For-Profit Competitors Are Here
More and more, for-profit private networks and communities are competing with associations for membership, engagement opportunities, and revenue. Hear about the rise of for-profit competitors and their impact on how associations can drive greater member value and impact going forward. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Executive Management Professionals Advisory Council
Speakers:
- Miranda Barrett, CAE, PMP, Owner, Capacity to Scale
- Jennifer Lewi, MBA, CAE, ACC, Vice President, Career Development and Conferences, School Nutrition Association
- Martin Sirk, Owner, Sirk Serendipity / International Advisor, Global Association Hubs Partnership
- Dean West, FASAE, President, Association Laboratory
- Tommy Goodwin (moderator), FASAE, CAE, PMP, Vice President, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
Tue 3/7 at 12 p.m. – Event Analytics (Association Analytics Network)
Join association professionals for peer-led discussions on topics related to data and analytics. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Tue 3/7 at 12 p.m. – Meetings Outlook
Deep dive into MPI’s most recent Meetings Outlook research, published quarterly in The Meeting Professional magazine. Review the forecast for events in the coming year, including a budget, attendance, and business conditions, trends that matter, and how these trends affect you and the future of your meetings. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MPI
Tue 3/7 at 1 p.m. – Bark Up the Right Tree: Align Your Event Marketing Strategy to the Right Promotional Channels
Unique new ways to promote your events are constantly popping up; from TikTok and LinkedIn Conversation Ads, to influencer marketing and podcasts, the options can be endless. Learn how to know which channels are right for your event and organization and how you can use new channels to tell your brand story and promote your events. More info/register.
Host: American Marketing Association
Speakers: Emily Dick, Director, Demand Generation, and Tiffany Sanford, Assistant Team Lead, Demand Generation, Cvent
Tue 3/7 at 2 p.m. – Uncommon Approaches to Engage and Retain Your Members and Grow Your Community: A Conversation with Amanda Lea Kaiser
Members’ ever-increasing lack of time is why it is more challenging to encourage them to engage (attend, contribute, and volunteer) than it was even five years ago. We need a new roadmap to engage members now and in the future. Amanda Lea Kaiser’s book, “Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community,” reveals hundreds of ways to help members engage with others in their community and with your association at each stage of their member journey. More info/register.
Host: Tasio
Speaker: Amanda Kaiser, founder, Kaiser Insights
Wed 3/8 at 7 a.m. – Taking Advantage of Tech to Boost Association Revenue
Hear about the latest tech trends and best practices for maximizing revenue potential. Learn how to leverage data analytics, marketing automation, and other cutting-edge tools to increase engagement, retain members, and drive revenue growth. More info/register.
Host: Association of Association Executives
Speakers:
- John Martinez, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Shocklogic
- Paul Walsh EMIAM (facilitator), Seminar Programme Manager, Association of Association Executives
Wed 3/8 at 9 a.m. – First Calls and Focused Follow-Ups: How Associations Stay Connected to Customers
Staying top of mind with customers is an important part of relationship building. Whether it’s members or partners, associations must strike the right balance of keeping in touch and staying connected with those they serve. Share tips and tactics for staying connected to customers in meaningful ways. 1 CAE credit. More info/register (members only).
Host: Professionals for Association Revenue
Speaker: Sean Soth, Founder & Leadership Advisory Board Chair, Professionals for Association Revenue
Wed 3/8 at 1 p.m. – The ABCs of APIs: Integrations for Those NOT in the Know
Integrations and APIs are common buzzwords, but what exactly do they mean and why are they important? Learn the basics of making your systems talk to each other, how to express your integration needs to your tech teams and make better system selection choices based on the integration options. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Olivia Wilkins, Business Analyst/Project Manager, PerByte
Wed 3/8 at 1 p.m. – The Association Hiring Landscape
Join a discussion with recruiters and career experts on the state of the association hiring market. Learn how to position yourself as a strong candidate, and how to attract the best applicants in today’s market. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Speaker: Shelly Howard-Horwitz
Wed 3/8 at 1 p.m. – Membership Growth Strategies that Work: Using Marketing Technology (MarTech) to Add New Members
Hear insights on technology, tools, and approaches to identify and nurture new members for your association. Learn how to develop lead magnets that will attract prospective members, use tools and strategies to identify patterns and better determine your audience, and leverage technology to generate more leads in your profession or industry. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Fonteva & Protech
Speakers:
- Aimee Pagano, Director of Programming, HighRoad Solutions
- Erin Lemons, Senior Director of Marketing, Fonteva & Protech
Wed 3/8 at 1 p.m. – Delivering Cost-Efficient, Attention-Driving Event Content: Part 2 of Maximizing Event Influence at Minimum Cost webinar series
Booking famous speakers is a popular way to drive registrations and attract sponsors, but that strategy comes at a cost—literally. Hear about alternative ways to grab prospective attendee attention without relying solely on big names. More info/register.
Host: Bizzabo
Speakers:
- Oren Berkovich, Head of Experience Lab, Bizzabo
- Allison Crooker, Director, Experiential Marketing, VMWare
- Adele Durham, Senior Director, Global Events, VeeAM
Wed 3/8 at 2 p.m. – Expert Strategies to Help Meet Your Goals
marketing trends and actionable takeaways to take your marketing plan to the next level. We will share why marketing plans are important, the essential components to consider, and why aligning the plan to meet your association goals is essential. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Adviser/Naylor Association Solutions
Speakers:
- Melinda Adamec, Senior Vice President, Gabriel Marketing Group
- Kaydee Brown, Senior Corporate Marketing Manager, Naylor Association Solutions
Thu 3/9 at 7 a.m. – Boosting the Educational Value of Congresses
Explore the latest trends and best practices for boosting educational value, from designing innovative sessions to leveraging technology to foster engagement. Learn how to create interactive and engaging sessions that encourage attendee participation and promote active learning. Additionally, you’ll discover how to measure the success of your educational programming and use feedback to improve future congresses. More info/register.
Host: Association of Association Executives
Speakers:
- Jeremias Rodriguez, Director, Congress & Meetings, World Federation of Hemophilia
- Paul Walsh EMIAM (facilitator), Seminar Programme Manager, Association of Association Executives
Thu 3/9 at 11 a.m. – Deep Dive: 2023 Membership Performance Benchmark Report
Take a deep dive through the recently released 8th annual 2023 Membership Performance Benchmark Report. Association executives from around the world share their top priorities for 2023 and offer tips for overcoming the biggest challenges. This year’s report also shares insights on how different generations, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials, view issues differently and how this impacts their decision making. More info/register.
Host: iMIS by ASI
Thu 3/9 at 11 a.m. – Marketing Artificial Intelligence in Action
Learn about low lift, low cost AI tools, specific to the marketing, membership, and communications functions, you can begin experimenting with right away at your organization. Hear about SEO/search optimization tools that use NLP for semantic-powered inline optimization as well as search volume recommendations; email tools that leverage AI for content recommendation and send-time optimization; content generation and inline editing tools; image and other content generation tools; and AI-powered audio editing tools. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Erica Salm Rench, MBA, COO, Rasa.io
Thu 3/9 at 12 p.m. – By Association: Branding and Marketing Strategies for Your Association
Strategically planning your association’s branding and marketing is a huge step toward moving your mission forward. When done correctly, it allows for associations to remain relevant in their communities, more opportunities to connect with potential supporters, and an increased likelihood of attracting new members organically. Learn how associations can find success in branding and marketing. More info/register.
Host: NXUnite by Nexus Marketing
Speakers:
- Murad Bushnaq, Founder and CEO of Morweb
- Ashish Malik, CEO, 108 ideaspace
- Jim Wacksman, Producer & CEO at Association Studios
- Rusty Williams, Co-Founder, AnswerStage
Thu 3/9 at 12 p.m. – The Community Check-In
A weekly community chat on Slack for black professionals working in the events industry. More info/register.
Host: Black In Events Network
Thu 3/9 at 1 p.m. – What’s Trending in 2023?
Hear the latest event design, F&B and entertainment trends for 2023. Learn the concept of “events as theater” and “event touchpoints,” how the five senses influence the attendee experience, how to tap into local resources for F&B and entertainment, and how to identify entertainers and speakers that appeal to every demographic. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Prevue Meetings
Speakers:
- Kate Brack, VP of Design & Strategy, Haute
- Dianne Devitt, CEO, Dianne Devitt LLC
- Tahira Endean, CITP, CMP, DES, CED, Head of Programme, IMEX
Fri 3/10 at 12 p.m. – Conversations with Champions
Each conversation features an AWTC leader or AWTC Award winner, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). These intimate, virtual conversations are a chance to form meaningful connections with other women and allies in the association technology community. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Guest: Rebecca Achurch, PGMP, PMP, CSM, CAE, founder, Achurch Consulting
Mon 3/13 at 11 a.m. – Membership Mondays Celebration (hybrid event)
We meet on the second Monday of every month to discuss membership topics based on the group’s current needs. Location: online and Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Membership Professionals Community
Tue 3/14 at 11 a.m. – Culture by Design: How to build a High Performing Culture (Leadership & Learning Series)
Learn how to create and drive the culture you want to have by understanding the difference between a good culture and a high-performance culture, why values are less important than behaviors, why vision and mission statements are often a mistake, critical mistakes most leaders make in defining their culture and how to avoid them, and the role of ritual in sustaining a focus on culture over the long run. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Bill Kaiser, Senior Vice President, CultureWise
Tue 3/14 at 12 p.m. – LGBTQIA2+ Community Call
We will continue our conversation about ways to promote inclusiveness. Log on in March as we discuss, among other things: How can work done by the DEI committee be augmented/supported by this community? And how does this work get integrated into what ASAE does? Where are things at with the results of ASAE’s last DEI strategic plan (2019-2021) and with a new one? More info/register.
Host: ASAE LGBTQ Association Executives and Supporters
Wed 3/15 at 11 a.m. – How to Personalize and Automate your Member Experience
Despite technology that helps associations take some of the labor out of communicating with members, true custom member experiences still tend to require manual effort. Learn how the member experience has changed over time, historically via phone, letter and fax, then to email, and into the current era of automation; how to automate elements of your members’ experience that are needlessly still manual, from building/updating profiles to gaining a deeper understanding of individual needs; and how to align member experience with member expectations. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Dave Will, Co-Founder and CEO, PropFuel
Wed 3/15 at 12 p.m. – 6 Habits to Build in Your Components (& for CRPs)
Discuss essential habits for building effective components and for CRPs (Chapter Relations Professionals). We will draw from habits that have helped chapters get out of a crisis to provide valuable insights into the key strategic and tactical issues that can impact your association. Learn practical tips to help your components succeed. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management
Speaker: Peggy Hoffman, president and executive director, Mariner Management
Wed 3/15 at 2 p.m. – How Associations Can Build Lasting Client and Member Relationships
Hear about the academic research about why keeping in touch with current and past clients and members is important and its multiple benefits, how to apply this research to your own relationship-building strategy, how to develop an intentional mindset and overcome self-imposed barriers to keeping in touch, and actionable keep-in-touch strategies that you can implement immediately following the workshop. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Professionals for Association Revenue
Speaker: Jason Levin, Author, Speaker, Trainer & Career and Business Development Coach, Ready, Set, Launch, LLC
Wed 3/15 at 3 p.m. – Analytics in Action: The Top Ten List: Data Challenges
After working with hundreds of associations, we can confidently say most of them have similar challenges when it comes to data. These range from difficulty accessing data to conflicting numbers sitting in different source systems. We’ve compiled these common challenges into a David Letterman-style Top Ten list and share concrete ways you can overcome each challenge so you can continue to advance your analytics journey. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Speakers: Bill Conforti, SVP of Strategy & Solutions; Greg Pollack, Vice President of Sales; and Rachel Mace, Sr. Developer, Data Visualizations, Association Analytics
Thu 3/16 at 11:30 a.m. – Association Marketplace: Spotlight on AMCs
If you are interested in learning more about AMCs, join this fun and interactive knowledge sharing session, featuring ten of the industry’s leading association management companies. Ask the experts and gain insight and ideas without lifting a finger or issuing an RFP. Each panelist and/or content leader will share their knowledge and recent experiences in cycles of short, 12-15-minute sessions with plenty of time for face-to-face conversation. More info/register.
Host: Qiqo Chat
Thu 3/16 at 12 p.m. – Guiding You in the Right Direction: How to Engage with a Professional Coach
The association industry is fortunate to have several individuals providing coaching services to professionals at every stage of their careers. An experienced coach’s guidance may help identify areas of potential growth and goals to achieve, and always a confidential sounding board. Where do you start? How do you find the right coach? Can a coach be affordable? Learn how coaching can benefit an individual, and establishing a connection with a coach can be one of the most rewarding professional relationships. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Speaker: Cynthia Mills, FASAE, CAE CMC, CPC, CCRC, Founder, President & CEO of The Leaders’ Haven
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 by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled.
Association Brain Food 