The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Virtual conference pricing. WBT Systems describes the different factors you need to consider when pricing a virtual conference, and right at the top they say, “Your virtual conference should not be free.”
Virtual conference FOMO. Check out these 14 ways to spark FOMO with your virtual conference from MemberSuite. I hadn’t seen a few of these before—and I read more than the average geek.
Board diversity. Here’s a must-read for association professionals and volunteer leaders. Jim Taylor at BoardSource explains how to recruit for board diversity without disrespecting people of color—and shares a personal example that should make you squirm.
Burning Man FOMO. Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, shares seven reasons she’s intrigued by virtual Burning Man this year. I love #1 and #4 so much—how can you do something similar?
Daniel Terdiman at Fast Company was skeptical about attending Burning Man in VR, but says it’s great. I’m making a prediction, tech is changing fast so sooner than you think, virtual conferences will resemble these experiences.
Virtual sponsorships. Lewis Flax of Flax Associates says, “Innovative sponsorship options exist way beyond pasting logos anywhere and everywhere.” Hear hear. Take a look at his 16 ideas for virtual sponsorships.
LMS/CRM integration. I love a good integration, but then, who doesn’t? The folks at Fíonta do too, which is why they say integrating Salesforce (or any CRM/AMS) with a learning management system (LMS) should be on your association’s to-do list.
Quick hits before we get to the list of next week’s free education:
- Before we get to the serious stuff, let’s start with this: iconic paintings reimagined with Bill Murray’s face. A true LOL. (Eddy Torigoe, My Modern Met)
- 9 things your association, chapter or chamber can do to help members improve their lives during this pandemic. (Frank Kenny)
- Best video conferencing software and apps for accessibility. (The Big Hack and Business Disability Forum)
- 5 important observations from a virtual conference attendee—I completely agree! (Omnipress)
- Historical perspective from Italy on how pandemics wreak havoc—and open minds. (Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker)
- Did you see this? A record 52% of young adults (18-29) in the U.S. are living with their parents right now. (Orion Rummler, Axios)
- Her family pays the price for America’s chicken dinners. You may reconsider buying supermarket chicken after reading this because you’ll understand the price paid by those who prepare it for you. I put back a pack of thighs yesterday–I’ll get them from a local farmer instead. (Shorlette Ammons, The Bitter Southerner)
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.
- Thanks to my sister-in-law’s fig harvest, we enjoyed baked vermillion snapper topped with fig chipotle jam—I doctored up the jam per the recipe.
- Enjoying the last of corn season, another night we had saucy spiced catfish with corn and basil.
- This one’s on rotation here: pan-fried eggplant with a mix of peppers (shishito, poblano and other sweet peppers), red onion, tomatoes, garlic, basil and a dash of red wine vinegar at the end.
- For our Saturday happy hour last weekend, I made blackberry margaritas. Quite tasty. I used agave syrup instead of making simple syrup, and triple sec instead of Grand Marnier.
- For Sunday dinner, I made skirt steak for the first time, specifically pan-fried skirt steak with shallot butter. Excellent—what a flavorful cut of meat. On the side, roasted baby potatoes tossed with leftover red chimichurri. I also pan-fried a mix of shiitake and cremini mushrooms with garlic and thyme because steak and mushrooms, mmm. Our veggie was zucchini pesto sautéed with yellow carrots, orange bell pepper and tomatoes.
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 9/11 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
*All times are Eastern Daylight Savings Time unless otherwise noted.
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 from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. – 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
Mon 9/14 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 9/14 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 9/15 at 10 a.m. – Virtual Events – How to Keep Your Attendees Engaged
Hear about current trends around virtual and hybrid events. Learn about attendee expectations for virtual vs live in-person events, engagement ideas that work—from directing speakers and rethinking agenda design to polling, Q&As and fun networking activities, and critical considerations to get your virtual engagement right. More info/register.
Host: Eventsforce
Presenters:
- Ian Webb, Head of Business Development, Eventsforce
- Paul Cook, founder of The Hybrid Centre
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 12 p.m. – Crunch and Munch Monthly Chat
We’ll feature different questions from our component relations and volunteer management community and assist each other with best practice sharing and idea generation. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management Section Council
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 1 p.m. – Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment
Host: VLC
Presenter: Carmen Sweetman
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
Tue 9/15 at 2 p.m. – Lessons Learned in Planning a Memorable Virtual Experience
Taking the well-oiled machine that was Cvent CONNECT and transforming it into an entirely new type of experience wasn’t easy. Hear about the lessons we learned from taking Cvent CONNECT virtual—from the initial pivot to getting buy-in, strategically designing the event to new technology considerations, and planning for every situation. More info/register.
Host: Cvent
Presenters:
- Rachel Andrews, Director of Meetings and Events at Cvent
- Paulina Curto, Senior Marketing Manager at Cvent
Tue 9/15 at 2 p.m. – What Not To Do When Planning Your Next Virtual Event
Find out what planners are getting wrong—and right—about shifting to digital gatherings. Why are you planning a meeting? What is the right number of meetings? How long should they be? Who should attend? How do you create emotional impact that drives action? What parts of an in-person event translate to virtual—and what doesn’t? How do you map the experience for your personas? Is now the right time to experiment and try the unexpected? More info/register.
Host: Smart Meetings
Presenters:
- Sarah Reed, Director of Global Strategic Events for Zendesk
- Brandt Krueger, Owner, Event Technology Consulting
- Timothy Simpson, Brand and Engagement Chief Strategist for Maritz Global Events
Tue 9/15 at 3 p.m. – Ready, Set, Meet: Coronavirus Event Safety Strategies
The Events Industry Council recently released new guidelines to help organizations make decisions on when and how to begin hosting gatherings—and strategies and tactics for safe meetings have been released from any number of organizations, hotel brands and industry associations. Discover highlights from these reports that can help guide your guidance with clients and your conversation with potential meeting partners and facilities. 1 CMP credit. More info/register (fee for non-MPI members).
Host: MPI
Presenter: Jessie States, CMP, CMM, MPI Academy Director, MPI
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 11 a.m. – Executing Virtual Events: Part 1 – Planning the Day-Of Event
Virtual events require a comprehensive plan for executing the day-of event just like traditional, in-person events. They also present some unique requirements for planners and marketing teams that should be factored into day-of plan. Learn about a winning plan to ensure that the attendee experience is on target and that overall event objectives are met. More info/register.
Host: Cvent
Presenters:
- Brad Gillespie, VP of Enterprise Solutions at Cvent
- Emily Rothen, Team Lead, Integrated Events at Cvent
- Lauren Stalnaker, Senior Business Analyst at Cvent
Wed 9/16 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 9/16 at 12 p.m. – How to Address Gender Inequity in Your Organization
The lack of women in leadership is not a representation issue. The issue is that leaders aren’t creating environments where everyone is valued and has an opportunity to advance. Learn about the gender inequity issues that persist in organizations, root causes of these issues, and practices and behaviors to address gender inequity. More info/register.
Host: Harvard Business Review
Presenter: Michelle King, director of inclusion at Netflix
Wed 9/16 at 1 p.m. – #ExpoChat on Twitter
ExpoChat is a Twitter-based conversation on topics related to the trade show industry. More info.
Wed 9/16 at 1:30 p.m. – Staying Relevant During Difficult Times: Engaging At-Risk Members
Learn how to use a membership lifecycle—with various stages—to segment your members based on their tenure with your organization, leverage engagement scores plus lifecycle stage to determine who’s at risk, automatically assign tasks to staff members for high-touch engagement, and create an automated marketing campaign to holistically target at-risk members. More info/register.
Host: Cobalt CRM Solutions
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
Wed 9/16 at 2 p.m. – Prioritizing Inclusion at Your Events
Every event is planned with the utmost attention to detail and with the intention of making all feel welcome. PCMA has compiled of team of experts from the industry to discuss how to ensure that your attendees feel safe and welcome at all times, no matter the venue. In light of our current climate, the panel will also discuss how to facilitate that effort for virtual experiences. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenters:
- Derrick M. Johnson, II, CMP DES (moderator), Director of Event Strategy & Chief Diversity Officer, Talley Management Group, Inc.
- Ann Garvey, National Sales Manager, VisitNorfolk
- Richard Gray, Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB
- Gary Murakami, CMP, DES, Director, Global Sales, MGM Resorts International
Wed 9/16 at 2 p.m. – The Pulse of the Meetings Industry
Hear the latest responses from meeting professionals to the latest NMG Pulse survey. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Northstar Meetings Group has conducted regular Pulse surveys to assess meeting planners’ perspectives on their current circumstances and their outlook for their future meetings and events. More info/register.
Host: Northstar Meetings Group
Presenters:
- David Blansfield, Executive VP/Group Publisher @Northstar Meetings Group
- Loren Edelstein, Vice President, Content Director @Northstar Meetings Group
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 2 p.m. – The Playbook to Planning Your Virtual Event
Earlier this year, MemberClicks hosted MC Thrive, a one-day virtual educational experience, attracting nearly 400 attendees. Needless to say, we learned a LOT throughout that process, and now, we’d like to share those insights and takeaways with you. Find out how to select an event platform, how to build valuable sponsorship packages, what to do leading up to the event to ensure you and your team are thoroughly prepared…and more
1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: MemberClicks
Thu 9/17 at 2 p.m. – Proving the Value of Virtual to Attendees and Your Stakeholders
Our team generated 40,000+ registrants for Cvent CONNECT Virtual. How did they do it? From the initial decision to transform our in-person event to a virtual event to the key considerations made along the way, we’ll walk you through the event marketing strategy we used to get attendees amped up for Cvent CONNECT Virtual. More info/register.
Host: Cvent
Presenter: Alyssa Peltier, Senior Manager of Event Marketing at Cvent
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
Fri 9/18 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 9/18 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 9/18 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. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Jeff De Cagna, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC
Fri 9/18 at 2 p.m. – Virtual Event Reporting: Everything You Need to Know
Find out how to get strategic about collecting and analyzing the “right” virtual event data to understand what is working and what needs to be tweaked. Learn methods to easily analyze your virtual event and share your findings with key stakeholders. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Hubb
Presenter: Allie Magyar, Founder and CEO, Hubb
Tue 9/22 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 9/22 at 2 p.m. – The New Identity of Event F&B
With smaller meetings, limited dine-in, hybrid options, and modified service styles, how can associations design F&B experiences that generate crave-ability for both in-person and online participants? More info/register.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth, and senior consultant, Tecker International, LLC
Guest: Tracy Stuckrath, founder, thrive! meetings & events
Tue 9/22 at 3 p.m. – Leading with Focus: How to be More Productive Without More Meetings
Never-ending videoconferences haven’t helped you and your colleagues be more efficient… they’re just wasting your time. Learn ways to cut down on time-wasting meetings and increase productive hours. Discover easy-to-implement, proven techniques for focus and time management. See collaboration tools that will help you lead your colleagues into more productivity in less time. Turn ideas into action with a productivity technique to help you cross something off your list while you’re in this session. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Presenter: Beth Ziesenis, Author, Speaker, Your Nerdy Best Friend
Wed 9/23 at 1 p.m. – CRP Virtual Swap: Prepping for 2021
2021 is just over the horizon and we can expect challenges and new opportunities galore. COVID will still be “a thing” and, for some, budgets will still be in flux. So let’s put our collective heads together to think positively and proactively about 2021. We’ll offer some tips based on 2020 and use Zoom rooms to collaborate on options. More info/register.
Hosts: Mariner Management and Billhighway
Thu 9/24 at 12 p.m. – Planning in the Midst of Continual Change: A CEO Dialogue
We all strive to be proactive rather than reactive. We put detailed plans in place, set metrics for success, and evaluate benchmarks. We believe our plans enable us to be nimble and to pivot, but there are limits to this flexibility—and they have certainly been tested over the past six-plus months. Hear from colleagues about the planning processes that they have adapted (and re-adapted) to be responsive and forward-thinking during this unprecedented disruption. 1 CAE credit. More info/register (fee for ASAE non-members).
Host: ASAE
Presenters:
- Sharon H. Kneebone (moderator), IOM, CAE, executive director, National Society for Histotechnology
- Carla Balakgie, FASAE, CAE, president and CEO, National Automatic Merchandising Association
- Dresden McIntosh Farrand, MPA, MPP, CAE, chief executive officer, American Water Resources Association
- Trevor Mitchell, CAE, CEO and executive director, American Mensa LTD
- Scott Wiley, FASAE, CAE, president and CEO, The Ohio Society of CPAs
Thu 9/24 at 12 p.m. – Getting Ready for Your 2021 (Virtual?) Fly-In
Planning for 2021 is going to be completely different. Will your fly-in take place in person or virtually? Should you start planning for both options? How can you prepare your advocates to be successful no matter the format? Are there key takeaways and lessons learned from organizations that pivoted to virtual earlier this year? Hear from a panel of fly-in experts about their experiences and thoughts on preparing for 2021. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics and the ASAE Government Relations and Advocacy Professionals Advisory Council
Presenters:
- Amy Showalter (moderator), Principal, The Showalter Group, Inc.
- Kevin Cain, Director for Governmental Affairs, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
- Jewelyn Cosgrove, Director of Federal Government Affairs, Healthcare Distribution Alliance
- Davon Gray, Senior Director of Political Affairs, The American Institute of Architects
- Kevin Schultze, Senior Vice President, Soapbox Consulting
- Jennifer Varhalla, Manager of Professional Development, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
Thu 9/24 at 2 p.m. – Setting Your Virtual Speakers Up for Success
The difference between a mediocre educational conference and a wildly successful conference: the quality of content, energy, and engagement provided by your speakers. In the virtual environment, your speakers are more influential to the success of your conference than ever before. Learn how to provide your speakers with the tools, resources, training, and support they need to perform at their best, delivering sessions that are full of energy, and guaranteed to educate and impress. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Matrix Group
Presenters:
- Joanna Pineda, CEO of Matrix Group
- KiKi L’Italien, KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth, and senior consultant, Tecker International, LLC
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.
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