The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Brain Food resources. Check out the new page on my site, Association Brain Food Resources, dedicated to feeding your brain with information from our industry partners about association technology, membership, data management, cybersecurity, non-dues revenue, and more.
Professional development market potential. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report has good news for associations: the corporate C-suite finally understands the value of professional development. The number of training professionals who said their CEOs were active champions of learning jumped from 27% in 2020 to 62% in 2021. WBT Systems highlights other professional development opportunities revealed by the LinkedIn research.
Member profile data. First, the pandemic, and now, the Great Resignation and Reshuffle. MemberSuite describes how a proactive data strategy can keep you in touch with members and customers no matter where they move. They suggest eight ways to keep your database records accurate, complete and up to date.
Generation N. If you were at ASAE TEC, you heard Brain Solis talk about the emergence of Generation N. I’m Gen N. You’re Gen N. Probably every reader of this blog is Gen N, a cross-generational consumer segment. Fionta explains why Gen N matters and how your association can meet their expectations—because you will have to meet those expectations.
Quick hits
Ooh, these are good: 100 questions to spark conversation and connection. (Alexandra Franzen)
I open this daily email from a woman in Kyiv with a sense of dread and compulsive curiosity—the war diary of Yevgenia Belorusets.
Beware of QR code scams. (Heidi Mitchell, Wall Street Journal—supposedly this sharable link is viewable to all. I apologize for the tease if it’s not.)
Good eats
Skip down to the list of free webinars if you prefer takeout.
Our recent seafood share included a bunch of Pirate Pearls oysters. After shucking a few for myself, I steamed the rest and served them with hot brown butter—a recipe from NC’s Vivian Howard, fitting for NC oysters. I served the butter hot from the stove, not chilled, eyeballed the ingredients and omitted the zest.
For Sunday dinner, I pulled out the Instant Pot for char siu pork roast. Because I used 3 pounds of boneless pork shoulder (aka Boston butt), I doubled the marinade/sauce ingredients—and added a hefty amount of spicy sambal oelek to the mix.
On the side, cauliflower faux fried rice with carrot, onion, scallions, celery, shiitake mushrooms, poblano, red bell, jalapeño, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sambal oelek—yup, emptied the refrigerator produce drawer for that one. I also roasted broccoli with red onion, garlic powder and salt.
The fish dish of the week was flounder with creamy (but no cream) jalapeño sauce—same sauce as last week, the advantage of making a big batch. On the side, cabbage sautéed with bacon, mushrooms, red onion, poblano, jalapeno, red bell and chicken broth.
Here are the educational events scheduled for next week. 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’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Fri 3/25 at 11 a.m.* – The Association Show: Content
Learn how you can crowd source content from your community for your events. Plus, we’re bringing back the very popular debate from season one. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: EventMobi
Presenters:
- Smriti Bansal, Head of Content, Braindate by e180
- Jillian Cardinal, DES, Partnership Manager, Braindate by e180
- Thorben Grosser, VP of Product Marketing & Events, EventMobi
*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Fri 3/25 at 12 p.m. – EventTech Chat
A weekly conversation about meeting and event technology, including software, hardware, and audiovisual for in-person and online events. More info/register.
Host: Brandt Krueger, founder Event Technology Consulting
Fri 3/25 at 4 p.m. – Tap Into the Intelligence of Your Heart
Accumulated stress is often the underlying cause of anxiety, anger, depression, sleeplessness, illness, and more. Cultivating your well-being and resilience is essential in a world of elevated stress and rapid change. Learn how the heart influences your perceptions, emotions, intuition, and health. Find out how to approach situations with more emotional balance, compassion, clarity, and confidence; activate better health, more energy in your body, and maintain it throughout the day; reduce your levels of stress, worry, and fatigue; and increase your ability to focus, process information, and solve problems. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Presenter: Melissa Curtin, MSW, Certified Coach, HeartMath® Certified Trainer
Mon 3/28 at 1 p.m. – Public Speaking in a Video World (Chatting with Agnes & Cecilia)
This series of 15- to 20-minute videos covers hot topics and issues related to 501c organization management. New episodes are posted around 1 p.m. every Monday. Check out Cecilia’s Nonprofit Executive Spotlight series too.
Guest: Ed Barks
Hosts:
- Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
- Agnes Amos-Coleman, MBA, CMP, education, conference, event, certification consultant, Amos-Coleman
Tue 3/29 at 12:30 p.m. – Book Club: The Art of Gathering
According to Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, “A memorable gathering is more than the proper table setting, menu and décor.” The true magic lies in the connection created between people. Discuss how Parker’s book helps us rethink parties, events, and even workplace meetings. More info/register.
Host: Abby Mund, AM Planning
Tue 3/29 at 2 p.m. – What to Expect from Event Contracts in 2022
If you are starting to plan your association’s next event or already have events on the books for 2022, you will need to consider how to navigate contract negotiations that take into account all we learned—and still have to learn—in a post-COVID environment. Learn helpful strategies to effectively develop, negotiate and manage contracts and contracting relationships; contracting clause considerations for your next event; and ordinary vs extraordinary contract clauses geared towards the type of event you are planning. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Sidecar
Presenter: Jennifer Haisten, CMP, Vice President, GlobauxSource
Wed 3/30 at 11 a.m. – How are Societies Managing their DEI Initiatives? (Fireside Chat)
Many societies are currently focusing on DEI initiatives with their membership, leadership, and their staff. What does good practice look like within our space and what should leaders be thinking about? We have brought together society leaders who have engaged in this topic to discuss their organizations’ approach and share details of initiatives and collaborations that the whole community could learn from. More info/register.
Host: Society Street
Presenters:
- Dana Compton (moderator), Managing Director and Publisher at the American Society of Civil Engineers
- Rajendrani (Raj) Mukhopadhyay, Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect, American Chemical Society
- Nicola Nugent, Publishing Manager, Quality and Ethics at the Royal Society of Chemistry
- Susan Spilka, Strategic Communications Consultant and Co-founder of the Workplace Equity Project
Wed 3/30 at 11 a.m. – Live Q&A: Successful Hybrid Events Depend on These Key Roles
Successful hybrid events prioritize both the virtual and in-person attendee experience, rather than favoring one over another. This requires a unique set of skills that your in-person events team may not possess. Plus, your team can’t be in two places at the same time to manage live speakers, Q&A, sponsors, etc. Learn which roles are needed on your team, from your vendors, and from your platform partner, to successfully execute hybrid events. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Emma King, DES, Partner, beedance
Wed 3/30 at 12 p.m. – Power Up with Google Search, Display, & Retargeting Campaigns
Online ads can increase brand awareness up to 80%. As digitization continues to reshape advertising and marketing, it’s time for associations to embrace content innovations and consumer retargeting marketing campaigns. Learn how VSCPA experienced 1400% return on investment using a Google retargeting campaign. Hear how to implement retargeting to achieve your organization’s strategic communication goals. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Xchange
Presenters:
- Julia Henderson, CPA, membership & marketing director, Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA)
- Tim Prestianni, senior digital marketing manager, Unleashed Technologies
Wed 3/30 at 12 p.m. – AWTC Lunch Meet-Up
Have lunch with AWTC and Cynthia De Jesus, Solutions Advisor, Association Analytics. Come connect with us in 4D for an informal, networking lunch. Location: Virginia. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Wed 3/30 at 1 p.m. – Five Traits of Strategic Thinkers
Leaders face many challenges that must be addressed, but none are more important than planning the organization’s future. Disruption, turbulence, and risk are here to stay. Every leader must be able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances or performance will suffer. This sobering reality requires leaders to make agile strategic decisions and remain focused on what matters most. Learn the key questions asked by strategic thinkers to navigate through changing times to achieve superior organizational performance. More info/register.
Host: .orgCommunity
Presenter: Doug Maris, Vice President of Operations, Senior Consultant & Senior Trainer, LBL Strategies
Wed 3/30 at 1 p.m. – How to Repurpose Event Content to Build Communities, Generate Leads and Enhance Revenue
Building a content engine to support your event’s community growth requires a multi-pronged, online and onsite strategy that integrates with other technology platforms. Learn how to repurpose conference content into video snippets for event communities and audiences on the Web; post video snippets via social media, especially LinkedIn and Newswires; and leverage content to build stronger and more loyal communities, generate leads and enhance revenue. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Mary Ann Pierce, founder and CEO, MAP Digital
Wed 3/30 at 2 p.m. – Opening (or Re-Opening) Your Hybrid Office
Like many other organizations over the last year, you probably changed your plans multiple times regarding how your staff will return to the office. But have you ever asked the question, why? As you start to put policies and procedures in place around your model, understanding the “purpose” for gathering is more critical than alternating certain days of the week in the office. Hear the critical questions surrounding this topic and the best practices for strategically bringing your staff back to the office in a way that better reflects the way work actually gets done. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Achurch Consulting
Presenters: John Clese, Director, Remote Workforce Consulting Services, and Maria A. Negron Kneib, Remote Workforce Consultant, Achurch Consulting
Wed 3/30 at 2 p.m. – A One-Two Punch: Innovative Member Benefits that Drive Revenue (NDaP Expert Series)
Many of your association peers are developing innovative digital products and services that not only better serve their members and strengthen membership, but also bring in some serious cash for their organizations. Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of some recent association projects that are better meeting members needs online, while providing enhanced or new revenue sources. More info/register.
Host: Non-Dues-a-Palooza
Presenter: Joanna Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group
Wed 3/30 from 2 to 6 p.m. – Mastering Immersive Experiences (MIX) 2022
Get the scoop on what’s propelling the event industry into the future. Learn from experts about event trends, community building, and more. Discuss new engagement strategies that push boundaries. Experience lounges for networking, peer-to-peer 1:1 meetings, and intimate interactions with speakers—this won’t be your typical Zoom webinar. More info/register.
Host: Hubilo
Thu 3/31 at 12 p.m. – AWTC Salon: Recruiting and Retaining Tech Talent
Associations and industry partners are seeing a deficit in technical talent. Skilled technical staff are harder to retain and vacancies are sitting open for much longer. What can we do? Join an interactive conversation on recruiting and retaining tech talent. We’ll discuss both challenges and opportunities during the Great Resignation and this new era of hybrid work. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC) and ASAE Technology Professionals Advisory Council
Presenters:
- Dorothy Deng, Partner, Whiteford Taylor Preston
- Stephen Gabriel, Director of Technology, American Health Law Association
- Elizabeth George, Chief Membership Officer, American Guild of Organists
- Tori Miller Liu, Chief Information Officer, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- David Stephenson, Vice President, Knowledge and Technology, American Physical Therapy Association
Thu 3/31 at 1 p.m. – Making Sense of Google Analytics
Google Analytics offers a wealth of data to help you improve your website, drive more revenue, target your marketing efforts, and better serve your members—if you know how to leverage it. Learn about the ins-and-outs of Google Analytics to improve your website results; increase online purchases and event registrations; inform content strategy, marketing and resource allocation; and make better, data-driven decisions. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Results Direct
Presenter: Dan Scheeler, CAE, EVP, Client Engagement, Results Direct
Thu 3/31 at 2 p.m. – The Great Hybrid Debate
Before embarking on your hybrid event planning journey, you need to ask yourself a few key questions: What is the goal of your event? Why are you considering a hybrid format? What does hybrid mean to you? Join this webinar as we discuss these questions and lay out the keys to a successful hybrid event, including A/V and venue need, content development and delivery, engagement and community building, and timelines, resources, and support services. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Presenters: Julie Haddix, Senior Director, Solutions Marketing, and Shaun Simon, Director of Professional Services, Cvent
Fri 4/1 at 9:30 a.m. – Make Your Surveys Less Annoying
Surveys are often underused. They remain the best way to understand the needs and perceptions driving your numbers, if you can make them compelling and engaging by asking the right questions and following up on their responses properly within the survey tool. People are much more willing to tell you what they really think, as long as you “can handle the truth” and be transparent in your intent and your language. Hear about proven techniques that aim to drill down quickly and efficiently into what you really need to know from your members, attendees, and prospects. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: New York Society of Association Executives
Presenter: Kevin Whorton, president, Whorton Marketing & Research
Fri 4/1 at 12 p.m. – EventTech Chat
A weekly conversation about meeting and event technology, including software, hardware, and audiovisual for in-person and online events. More info/register.
Host: Brandt Krueger, founder Event Technology Consulting
Tue 4/5 at 11 a.m. – Intro to Web3: What Association Pros Need to Know
While there’s still a lot to learn about the capabilities of Web3, it’s time for associations to begin to understand what it is and what changes it can bring for both the association industry and the industries these member organizations support. Learn what Web3 is, why it’s important and how it may impact your association and your members. More info/register.
Host: Sidecar
Presenter: Gil Hildebrand, CEO, Gilded
Tue 4/5 at 12 p.m. – Solutions in Action
If you’re searching for a technology partner, join us for live, 10-minute presentations from top industry solutions providers, followed by 5-minute Q&A. Learn how to be an online magnet to engage stakeholders, attract prospects, and enhance your members’ experiences. More info/register.
Host: .orgCommunity
Tue 4/5 at 12 p.m. – Getting an Analyst Position: There’s Not One Path (Data Analytics Network)
Engage in peer-led discussions on topics related to data and analytics. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Thu 4/7 at 1 p.m. – The Key to Unlocking the Gold: Getting Buy-In on New Non-Dues Revenue Ideas
In this ideation session, we will take several education-related non-dues revenue ideas, flesh them out, and co-create plans to help put these real ideas into action and, most importantly, get support from your colleagues and approval from your board. Get all the tools you need to put your new education and certification ideas to work to create an incredible impact this year. More info/register.
Hosts: WBT Systems and Non-Dues-A-Palooza
Presenters:
- Michelle Brien, vice president, marketing and product strategy, TopClass LMS by WBT Systems
- Teri Carden, founder, 100Reviews and Non-Dues-a-Palooza
Thu 4/7 at 2 p.m. – Spring Tapas Talks: Leading AMCs Share Knowledge That Satisfies
Join a fun and interactive knowledge sharing session, featuring some of the industry’s leading association management companies (AMCs) and these questions: What’s the benefit to staff, members, and board of using an AMC? When and why is it the right option? Who defines the roles when going from inhouse to AMC and/or from AMC to another AMC? How and why do AMCs offer some specialized services and options in addition to full-service management? 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: Barbara J. Armentrout, CAE on behalf of QiqoChat and the Tapas Team
Thu 4/7 at 2 p.m. – Masters of Content: Going Beyond HTML & PDF to Deliver the Best Web Experience
We all want to deliver first-rate content using video, audio and imagery but doing this wrong can lead to frustrated users, bad Web performance or losing your audience all together. Learn what tools the pros use to incorporate and tune these content types to keep audiences engaged, how to use the latest web design trends for 2022, and the key factors for delivering engaging digital experiences beyond web pages and PDFs. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: 501 Works
Presenters: James Marquis, Chief Innovation Officer and The CIO, and Jim Faris, Creative Director, 501 Works
Thu 4/7 at 3 p.m. – Measuring Your Marketing Effectiveness: How Mature is Your Marketing?
Regardless of your organization’s size, your marketing ecosystem lives on a maturity spectrum—and where you stand today tells a story of where you’ll end up tomorrow. Learn what marketing maturity is and how it relates to marketing effectiveness across six key categories; the four stages of marketing maturity, including where each attendee’s organization lives on the spectrum; and next steps to achieve greater marketing effectiveness. Find out about The Mighty GPS™, a new self-assessment to measure your marketing maturity. More info/register.
Host: Mighty Citizen
Presenters: Rachel Clemens, Chief Marketing Officer, and Jarrett Way, Content & Digital Marketing Manager, Mighty Citizen
Fri 4/8 at 12 p.m. – Mindful Networking
Held the second Friday of each month, these intimate, virtual conversations are a chance to form meaningful connections with other women and allies in the association technology community. In 2022, we are trying something new! Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC)
Guest: Melanie Starkey, 2021 AWTC Technology Leadership Award Recipient and Senior Vice President for Digital Marketing at the Urban Land Institute
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.
Creative Commons licensed photo by Ann Fossa via Unsplash
Association Brain Food 