The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Volunteers. As we come to the end of National Volunteer Week, take a few moments to explore ways volunteers can enhance your association’s online education programs. TopClass LMS also discusses factors that limit participation and strategies to improve your volunteer recruitment and retention efforts.
Association trends. The outlook for associations, as described in Marketing General Inc.’s 2024 Association Economic Outlook Report, is optimistic. But a few data points trouble me. Two-thirds of associations plan to develop new products/services, yet only one-third plan to hire more staff. Hmm, hopefully they’re good at sunsetting. Also, virtual events are off the agenda. I can’t help thinking associations are missing the online opportunity to extend their reach and be more inclusive.
Gen Z. This one’s a gut punch. Freya India explains how her generation is nostalgic for “a time we never knew.” She shares comments from a video of ‘90s high school kids hanging out. The video is captioned, “Phones? No. We had each other.” I feel bad for kids and young adults who never played outside unsupervised, socialized without distraction, entertained themselves or, as one commenter says, been “completely present.”
Belonging. Mark Athitakis at Associations Now dug into new research about membership organizations from iSeatz, a loyalty technology company. They learned a sense of belonging is essential for retaining members. Members want to interact with people with shared interests and would engage more frequently if offered options tailored to their interests.
AI and events. eShow describes AI’s impact on events and the challenges for AI adoption. They explain how AI enhances marketing campaigns, personalizes the attendee experience, improves event security, and assists sustainability initiatives.
SEO. Google’s been at it again. Forget what you’ve learned about SEO. Bernard Huang at Clearscope explains why ranch-style SEO—publishing granular, targeted pieces of content—is a better strategy than the old skyscraper SEO that focused on all-encompassing content pillar pages.
Engagement scoring. Rachel Mace at Association Analytics explains how to set up and use an engagement scoring model. She offers advice on getting a team together to develop and regularly review the model, and what to cover during team meetings.
Content marketing. Mariana Fernandes at Animalz shares her team’s favorite content marketing blogs, newsletters and podcasts. Many of these are on my regular reading/listening list too.
You never grow old at the table
I found another quick and easy recipe for fish: Jamaican jerk striped bass. For a side, I took the blog’s recommendation and made their Jamaican slaw. I added red bell pepper, jalapeño and mandarin orange to the slaw for more oomph. Because Jim’s not a fan, I only used a teaspoon of mustard for the dressing and supplemented it with pineapple and lime juice.
An old standby for a quick dinner is my fish with spiced breadcrumbs recipe. The trinity of sweet bell pepper, onion and garlic makes the crumbs sing. This time, for striped mullet, I used orange bell pepper, poblano and jalapeño alongside onion and garlic.
If you’d like to subscribe, please complete the form at the bottom of this post. I won’t share or sell your email address.
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 4/26 at 4 p.m.* – Financial Policies and Governance
1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Speaker: Jon Bassford, MBA, CAE, Founder and CEO of Lateral Solutions
*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Mon 4/29 at 8 a.m. – The Art of Saying Yes (Radio Free 501c, the podcast of Rogue Tulips Consulting)
Every week Rogue Tulips brings the nonprofit community intriguing guests discussing vital topics affecting nonprofit organizations around the world—and we have fun doing it! Episodes are published Monday mornings in both audio and video format, available on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast (to name a few!).
Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips Consulting
Guest: Kristen Truong, Vice President, Public Affairs, of Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions
Mon 4/29 at 1 p.m. – The Future of (C)TV is Now
In the past year, premium CTV platforms have seen a staggering number of new developments and tools that evolved the channel into the performance marketing powerhouse it always promised to be—while still making it easier than ever for brands of all sizes to get in on the action. Hear about the latest advances in CTV and the possibilities they open. From CTV’s positive halo effect on other ad channels in your marketing mix, to how brands can easily and affordably launch campaigns and produce creative at scale, find out everything you need to know to supercharge your performance marketing strategies and improve your outcomes. More info/register.
Host: American Marketing Association
Speaker: Tori Cipollone, Senior Platform Experience Manager, MNTN
Tue 4/30 at 11 a.m. – 3 Types of Content Every Association Needs to Grow Membership
Learn how to take your existing content and use it to generate new membership leads. Find out what conversion content is and how you can use it to address objections to joining. Hear about the key criteria for creating content that retains members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Leona Dalavai Scott, President, JEP Marketing Communications LLC
Tue 4/30 at 11 a.m. – Crisis Management: Transform Threats into Triumphs with AI (Social Media & AI Bootcamp Series 2024)
Learn how to detect potential crises early across 30+ social and digital channels with AI-powered alerts; respond up to 3x faster by discovering the source, scope, severity, and sentiment of the crisis; and boost productivity and improve operational efficiency with AI-powered setup, OOTB dashboards and up to 80% faster report creation. More info/register.
Host: American Marketing Association
Speaker: Kunwar Singh, Product Marketing Manager, Sprinklr
Tue 4/30 at 2 p.m. – Benchmarks for Success
Dive into Higher Logic’s most recent association email, community, and member experience survey data benchmarks. Hear about ideas for improving email deliverability, open, click, and unsubscribe rates; ways to engage your community, consumers, contributors, and creators; and insights from our annual member experience survey, which asks association members what they value most from their associations—and what makes them consider leaving. See how your association’s performance compares to your peers, and get ideas for measuring your own data and improving your email, community, and member engagement strategies. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Higher Logic
Speakers: Kelly Whelan, Content Marketing Manager, and Sarah Spinosa, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Higher Logic
Wed 5/1 at 12 p.m. – Leveraging Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility Funds for Sponsorships
Learn how associations can leverage companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds and resources. Discover effective strategies for accessing and maximizing these resources to drive meaningful social impact within your association’s community. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Insights in Old Town (AIOT)
Speakers: Lori Zoss Kraska of Growth Owl, LLC and Bruce Rosenthal of Bruce Rosenthal Associates, LLC
Wed 5/1 at 2 p.m. – Freeman 2024 Exhibitor Trends Report: Event Excellence by Design
Learn what attendees and exhibitors really want from events, what activities and activations really motivate them, and explore new ways to refresh and deliver on your event’s core value proposition. Look at key data insights, discuss what they mean, and explore what to do about them. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Speaker: Ken Holsinger, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Freeman
Thu 5/2 at 12 p.m. – Member ROI Group
The live discussions will be predominately in CAE education domains related to member ROI on the first and third Thursdays of the month with some exceptions. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Ed Rigsbee
Thu 5/2 at 2 p.m. – The CIO Hour’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration: A Look Back and Forward
For the past three years, we’ve enjoyed exploring a variety of tech topics with our incredible panelists and participants to help boost your IT-IQ. Join us for this celebratory edition to revisit key discussions, hear predictions for 2027’s technological landscape, gain insightful perspectives from industry veterans about the evolving role of tech in associations, and ask your questions. More info/register.
Host: 501Works
Speakers:
- Barbara J. Armentrout, CAE, Founder & Key Principal, BJA Solutions for Associations
- Villy Savino, CSM, CSPO, Vice President, Technology Transformation, CoreNet Global
Thu 5/2 at 2 p.m. – What AI Means for Meeting Planners
AI is a game-changing technology—but how can it change your game in particular? Hear forward-thinking event professionals share their experiences with AI, how it’s helping them now and what their hopes are for the future. Learn how to incorporate AI into your workflow, which tools planners are using, and how planners are getting viable, time-saving results from these tools. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Northstar Meetings Group
Speakers:
- Brandt Krueger, senior production manager, EideCom
- Sarah Merrick, event technology strategist, consultant
- Adam Parry, cofounder, Event Tech Live and Event Industry News
- Michael J. Shapiro (moderator), executive editor, Northstar Meetings Group
Fri 5/3 at 10 a.m. – Association Revenue Generation (Coffee with Innovators: Association Design Circle)
We are association people who welcome diverse perspectives and all experience levels. We meet on the first Friday of each month. Each session will have a featured facilitator and new theme. We share ideas through connection. The vibe of the circle is thoughtful, casual, and kind. More info/register.
Host: Product Community
Guest facilitator: Sean Soth, Chair of the Professionals for Association Revenue and Executive Vice President Strategy and Partnerships, Society for Clinical Research Sites
Fri 5/3 at 1 p.m. – Talk with CAEs
An online space for CAE candidates to ask questions about the CAE (e.g., exam preparations, eligibility, exam content outline, study strategies, practice questions, tips and advice, etc.) and current CAEs to share their knowledge and experience with the exam. More info/register.
Facilitators:
- Aaron Grau, CAE, President, Global Association Partners
- DeeJay Hastings, CAE, Executive Consultant, LEWIS, LLC
Fri 5/3 at 1 p.m. – Co-Creating Community Agreements: Fostering Collaborative Accountability
Top-down approaches, like ground rules, often lead to disengagement and hinder innovation by overlooking valuable group insights. Learn actionable skills to develop dynamic community agreements. Through collectively establishing norms and values, community agreements promote equity, address power dynamics, foster inclusivity, and harness collective wisdom. More info/register.
Host: Event Garde
Fri 5/3 at 4 p.m. – Conscious Leadership
The people in our organization can be the hardest part or the best part of our jobs, depending on the leadership and communication style we bring into our organizations. Our chosen leadership and communication style can also have a direct correlation to our health and personal well-being. Conscious leaders are shifting from unconscious attitudes, behaviors and reactions to conscious attitudes, behaviors and reactions. We can break old patterns and build new ones. Learn techniques and practices that will support you in making the shift to a new way of leading and living. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Speaker: Tara E. Bishop, CAE, Deputy Chief Executive for the National Council of University Research Administrators
Tue 5/7 at 12 p.m. – PowerBI: Basics to Advanced (Data Analytics Network)
Participate in peer-led discussions on topics related to data and analytics. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Tue 5/7 at 1 p.m. – Bust Those Silos! How Your Digital Storytelling Can Foster Internal Cooperation
One of the major challenges for communicators and marketers in organizations is internal silos. Learn how to position digital communications as a means to address organizational frustrations, use the lens of digital storytelling to address and correct internal challenges, and leverage digital storytelling for operational success. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Michael Hoffman, Co-Founder and CEO, Gather Voices
Wed 5/8 at 11 a.m. – Real + Artificial Intelligence = Success: How to Collaborate Effectively in an Increasingly Automated World
Description coming soon. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Tobin Conley, CAE, CIP, Director, Research and Learning/Senior Strategic Consultant, DelCor Technology Solutions
Wed 5/8 at 12 p.m. – Beyond the Focus Group: Research Tools From Old School to New Tech
Learn how to measure what’s working, what isn’t, and tailor your internal communications (IC) activities accordingly. Hear how to connect IC to the practice of audience research. Find out about significant shifts and changes in research over the past 20 years; contemporary research tools, including their use for PR & IC; how different platforms can be used to convey findings effectively; and how to adapt internal communications to your workforce. More info/register.
Host: L-12 Services Corp.
Speakers:
- Jessica Broome, Founder, Southpaw Insights
- Lizabeth Wesely-Casella, Founder & CEO, L-12 Services Corp.
Thu 5/9 at 11 a.m. – Masterclass in Event Marketing: Transform Your Strategy with the 9-Point AI System for Content and Lead Generation
Delve into the power of AI-driven strategies to attract and engage your target audience effectively and learn to craft compelling content that enhances attendee and exhibitor acquisition. Get hands-on with tools that automate and optimize marketing efforts, from dynamic email campaigns to sophisticated retargeting strategies. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Bill McGlade, President, Community Leaders Institute & epIQ Creative Group
Thu 5/9 at 12 p.m. – Tips to Prepare for ‘Out Of Office’
Are you thinking, “It’s too much work to take a vacation!” The relaxation and memories a vacation brings can be overshadowed by your workload today and when you return. Learn how to prepare yourself and your team for your time away and ensure an easy transition when you return. More info/register.
Host: Achurch Consulting
Speaker: Maria A. Negron Kneib, Esq., legal advisor, Achurch Consulting
Thu 5/9 at 1 p.m. – How to Guide Your Association Through Major IT Change
Whether you’re migrating to a new AMS, switching MSPs, or rolling out a new fleet of laptops, major IT changes require more than a methodical technical implementation to be successful. Learn the human side of implementing new technology. Find out how to create IT champions within your organization, minimize disruption and maximize adoption. Hear about real examples of successful project plans for associations. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Heinan Landa, Founder & CEO, Optimal Networks
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 by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled.
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Association Brain Food 
Hi,
Please update my email address to: ife@presentationguild.org
I tried using the “manage tour preferences” link, but it took me to a WordPress login page.
Thank you for your help.
Ife Jacobs (she/her)
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Thanks for the update. I removed your existing email address and added your new email address to the subscriber list. Hopefully it worked since I’m using a very basic version of WordPress.
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