Your weekly list of free webinars and events for the association community…
The next time you find yourself procrastinating, take a moment to think about the task you’re avoiding. What’s its purpose?
I read recently that “energy and inspiration come from a clarity of purpose”—a clear understanding of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
When Resistance (yes, it deserves a capital R) rises up between me and my next writing task, I go back to the purpose of the piece. Who’s it for? What do we want them to learn? What problem does it solve? Why is it so important we put this out there? Once I return to its purpose, the resistance usually breaks down and I can plow ahead feeling better about where I’m going and why.
And, if for some reason, I’m not sure about the purpose, well, that’s a big warning sign. Before I go any further, I need to get that straight.
If you’re feeling less than inspired about writing or any other part of your day, give this approach a try and let me know if it helps.
What else did I read this week?
The subscription economy is booming—along with the technology needed to support it. I wonder how this consumer trend—described in this CIO article—will affect association membership.
If you’re in the middle of the org chart with a crazy urge to become a change agent, and bless you for that, Bill Rowan at DelCor shares a plan you can follow to make your dreams of change come true.
The Wise Content Marketer’s Guide to Sensible SEO—this one was right up my alley. I’d like to think I’m a wise content marketer (but always learning) and I do have a sensible approach to SEO, much like Sonia Simone from Copyblogger who wrote this article. Sonia was the one who really hooked me on marketing, way back in my CBIA days. She made me realize how little I knew! A good teacher.
Another wise marketer—oh, how we flatter ourselves today—who is a true SEO expert is KiKi L’Italien. You may know her as the host of the weekly Association Chat (see below). Did you know she also has a podcast? And, episode 3 of Getting Social is all about SEO and how it’s sexier than social media.
Now, onto the star of the show—this coming week’s free (yippee!) webinars and other learning events. If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the next few weeks, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Mon 3/27 at 2 p.m.* – Discover Super Members: Predictive Analytics for Proactive Engagement and Retention
When the data in your AMS is combined with data from all your systems, it can help you predict the future, uncover your Super Members and next big wins, and answer the questions your association needs to know. Learn about best practices in advanced data analytics, predictive forecasting of member engagement and retention trends, and how to put to work the cognitive intelligence living in your AMS. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Abila
Presenters:
- Debbie King, CEO of Association Analytics
- Carlos Restrepo, senior director of customer accounts,
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 3/28 at 12:30 p.m. – Mobile Learning: A Practical Strategy
Learners expect to take their learning on-the-go. They want to be able to complete full courses, prep for board exams, and earn their certificate – all on their mobile devices. Associations must provide content that’s not only accessible on mobile devices, but is optimized for learning on a mobile platform. Learn how to develop your education strategy to optimize mobile learning in your organization. More info/register.
Host: WebCourseworks
Presenter: Brenda Enders, president and chief learning strategist, Enders Consulting
Tue 3/28 at 1 p.m. – Best Practices for Engaging Newcomers to Advocacy
Learn how to harness and leverage the energy that exists in this current political environment, and how to engage those advocates who are new to contacting their officials and supporting your organization. Hear about best practices for reaching and engaging new advocate voices so they are able to cut through the noise and make the strongest policy impact possible. More info/register.
Host: Phone2Action
Tue 3/28 at 2 p.m. – Associations and the Power of Online Communities (Association Chat)
Watch/participate live or view the recording.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth
Tue 3/28 at 2 p.m. – Inside the Mind of the Event Attendee
Take a look at ground-breaking research from MeetingsNet and Edelman Berland on what attendees need and expect from events (and their mobile app). Learn why professional development is the top reason attendees attend events, what you can do immediately with these research results when planning events, and how different generations think and interact differently at events and how you can include them all. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Presenters:
- Myllisa Patterson, director of marketing, CrowdCompass by Cvent
- Sue Pelletier (moderator), editor, MeetingsNet
Tue 3/28 at 2 p.m. – Leading Great Virtual Meetings That Actually Get Work Done
Learn how to avoid the lack of focus, poor engagement, and indecision that plague most virtual meetings. Discover the five key structural elements you need for a successful virtual meeting, how to dramatically increase participant engagement, and essential tools, tips, and techniques that can improve the outcome and experience of your virtual meetings. CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Wild Apricot
Presenters:
- Richard Lent, author, Leading Great Meetings: How to Structure Yours for Success
- Nancy Settle-Murphy, author, Leading Effective Virtual Teams
Tue 3/28 at 2:30 p.m. – How to “Crush” Your Sponsorship Season
Find out how to unleash sponsorship sales. Learn about the prospectus your sponsors want to see, launching a sponsorship program with more sizzle, going after the “big game,” and reasons why your program is not growing. More info/register.
Host: The Moery Company
Presenter: J.P. Moery, founder, The Moery Company
Wed 3/29 at 12 p.m. – How to Effectively Measure the ROI of Event Marketing
As ROI has become an essential everyday calculation for other marketing channels, measurement of the immense value provided by events has lagged. However, new tools and approaches make an accurate ROI calculation attainable for any event professional. Learn about the different ways of calculating event ROI, which tools make these calculations easier and more effective, and how you can calculate the ROI of your events. More info/register.
Host: Event Tech Tribe
Presenter: Mike Piddock, founder and CEO, audience engagement platform, Glisser
Wed 3/29 at 1 p.m. – Negotiation: Getting to Yes
Hear about the latest industry issues and trends that impact planner/hotelier negotiations, as the seller’s market shifts in some regions to a buyer’s market, including specific methods to validate and report contract risk mitigation. Learn which key hotel contract performance clauses are often overlooked, and methods to calculate damages and verify amounts due via an audit. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Robyn Mietkiewicz, senior director of global meeting management, Meeting Sites Resource
Wed 3/29 at 2 p.m. – Driving Member Engagement by Showing #VolunteerLove
ASAE Foundation research highlighted how volunteering has a strong effect on members over time—think renewal, involvement, and evangelism. Your association’s challenge is creating a strategy that shows #VolunteerLove through engaging volunteer opportunities, recognition, and communications. Learn how several association pros show #VolunteerLove and get tips and strategies for crafting an engagement continuum with new and busy members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenters:
- Jamie Gray, volunteer services specialist, Project Management Institute
- Peggy Hoffman, CAE, cofounder, president, and association manager, Mariner Management
- Jennifer Rowell, director of member engagement, North Carolina Association of CPAs
Wed 3/29 at 2 p.m. – Bridging the Gap: How to Use Data and Analytics to Improve Your Events
Technology has revolutionized data, making it possible to measure every detail of your event—pre-event engagement, onsite attendee reactions, audience interests and insights into your offerings, and everything in between. Learn about the data points all event and meeting organizers should focus on, tactics to help attain the data you need, and how to interpret your findings in a meaningful way. More info/register.
Host: BizBash
Presenters:
- John Santaferraro, chief analytics officer, Educational Measures
- Mitra Sorrells, technology editor and Orlando bureau chief, BizBash
Wed 3/29 at 2 p.m. – Meetings 2050: How to Stay Ahead of Change in Events and Tradeshows
From artificial intelligence to virtual reality, hybrid meetings to chatbots, how will you prepare for the groundswell of change event planners are facing? Learn how to best prepare for the ongoing massive changes in the events industry. Hear about actionable how-tos on how to disrupt the disrupters in event technology and meetings management, and why you should persist despite ongoing societal changes. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Pathable
Presenters:
- Jim Spellos, Meeting U
- Jordan Schwartz, CEO, Pathable
Thu 3/30 at 10 a.m. – Marketers in Hyperdrive: The Dawn of a New Age
Recent research found that B2B marketing directors were losing sleep over their jobs. Are marketers running at a hundred miles an hour and, as a result, too focused on box-ticking and just ‘getting things done’, rather than being mindful of having a real impact on the business? Learn how to spot the signs of being a breathless marketer and how to create an action plan for change based on your situation and organization. Find out how the Smart, Strong and Slick levers work and when to pull them. More info/register.
Host: The Drum
Presenter: Billy Hamilton-Stent, client strategy director and co-founder, Octopus Group
Thu 3/30 at 2 p.m. – Associations Tableau User Group (Washington DC)
Connect with other association professionals using Tableau and learn about the latest best practices and tips in Tableau. More info/register.
Presenters:
- Bryce Gartner, Icimo
- Tamsen Haught, Association Analytics
- Katherine Matthews, Entomological Society of America
- And, several other association professionals
Thu 3/30 at 2 p.m. – This Is How Our Most Successful Clients Fill Their Events
Learn about three trends preventing people from registering for your events, one simple way to avoid event-related cash flow problems, and a proven three-step process to fill events fast and cut your workload in half. More info/register.
Host: Wild Apricot
Presenter: Terry Ibele, growth specialist, Wild Apricot
Thu 3/30 at 2 p.m. – Increasing Engagement through Event Technology
This session will challenge what you think you know about the impact of technology on meetings and show how you can better leverage it to create more strategic programming. Hear about the growth of technology over the last 10 years and how that will influence future trends. Learn how to integrate technology into all stages of the meeting planning lifecycle and prepare for the technological trends that will impact the meetings industry. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Dan Berger, founder and CEO, event planning software company, Social Tables
Fri 3/31 at 11 a.m. – How to Create a Culture of Superior Customer Service
Learn how to cultivate a world-renown culture like Zingerman’s within your association and imagine what that would do for member and staff retention. Find out how Ari developed a culture of superior customer service, the role of beliefs in business and how they shape the organizational culture, and how to become conscious of these beliefs and positively construct them. More info/register.
Host: AssociationSuccess.org
Presenter: Ari Weinzweig, co-founder, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, will be interviewed by Association Success’ Arianna Rehak
Fri 3/31 at 11:30 a.m. – Marketing Automation (Tyson’s Corner VA)
Join the first session of #CAEvolve with a Lunch & Learn about membership development, use of technology, and marketing automation. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Tyson’s Corner, VA. More info/register.
Host: Benel Solutions
Presenter: David Jovel, director of integrations, Real Magnet
Fri 3/31 at 1 p.m. – Using Digital Credentials to Close the Skills Gap
Employers are desperate to find qualified talent among candidates who lack sufficient technical know-how and business competence to drive organizations forward. How can associations help turn the tide? The most effective solutions may emerge from lifelong learning initiatives based on micro-credentials. But first, you must know how to translate the promise of digital badges into practical strategies that engage members in relevant and meaningful ways. More info/register.
Host: WBT Systems
Presenters:
- John Leh, CEO and lead analyst, Talented Learning
- Linda Bowers, CTO, WBT Systems
That’s it for this week. 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 professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.
Creative Commons licensed image by Bob Wick for the Bureau of Land Management
Association Brain Food 