The weekly list of free educational events for the association community…
It’s that time of year again. Marketing General Inc. is inviting associations to participate in their 10th annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Survey. Of all the benchmark reports released in the association community each year, this is one of my favorites. The deadline is February 2. Please make sure someone in your association is participating. Your community thanks you.
We can’t predict the future but we can imagine different futures and prepare ourselves and our organizations for those scenarios. WBT Systems shares advice this week on how to think like a futurist.
One thing we can predict about the future: implementing new technology will never stop. A key ingredient for successful technology projects is collaboration. Mike Guerrieri at DelCor Technology Solutions explains how technology and collaboration can be a virtuous cycle.
Warren Buffett invests 80% of his time in reading and thinking. Bill Gates read a book a week. Professionals who don’t keep learning are the new “at-risk” group. Do yourself a favor and read this article by Michael Simmons at Quartz about the necessity for lifelong learning.
If you wish, you can find a lot to complain about in the world. But Nicholas Kristof at The New York Times explains why 2017 was the best year in human history.
Some quick hits:
- Learning to code will eventually be as useful as learning Ancient Greek. (Robert C. Wolcott, Quartz)
- Have a subscription strategy: why a monthly service could be a savvy play for associations. (Ernie Smith, Associations Now)
- Buh bye landlines. More than 50% of homes in the US are now mobile-only. (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Australian raptors deliberately spread brush fires to flush out their prey. (New Scientist)
Check out my Grabbing the Gusto blog if you’d like to see my list of ebook sales and recipes I’ve made this week or plan to make in the coming weeks.
Here’s the list of free professional development events for the association community scheduled for next week. If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Tue 1/23 at 8:30 a.m. – New Year, New Business Trends Your Association Should Watch (Association Coffee Talk – Alexandria VA)
Join a discussion of emerging technology trends and the promise they hold for associations and non-profits, for-profit business practices that can grow revenue for your association, and how to better communicate and connect with your audiences in the new year (and beyond). 1 CAE credit. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Host: Results Direct
*All times are Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 1/23 at 2 p.m. – Future Proofing Your Career: How to Stay Relevant in the Age of Automation
Hear about the unexpected ways technology has impacted the career trajectories of event professionals worldwide. Discover innovative methods to advance professionally, despite these new challenges. Learn four simple strategies that will help you manage these changes, and succeed as an event strategist. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Dan Berger, Founder and CEO, Social Tables
Tue 1/23 at 2:30 p.m. – Wow Your Members with a New eLearning Program in 2018
Learn how to build a content library, get started with an LMS, and motivate your members to join in the program. More info/register.
Host: UpAbility
Wed 1/24 at 8:30 a.m. – Partnership Professionals Network Idea Exchange
Staff who manage corporate partnership and sponsorship programs often struggle with tracking. Two former association executives who have developed and managed corporate partnership programs will answer question such as: What should I track? Why should I track? How should I track? For whom should I track? What do I do with the results of tracking? More info/register.
Presenters:
- Bruce Rosenthal, consultant in strategy and implementation of corporate partnership programs
- Barbara Armentrout, provider of personalized services for nonprofits
Wed 1/24 at 1 p.m. – You Won’t Believe What 1,000+ Association Execs Told Us
Hear the results of a survey of more than 1,000 association professionals across the U.S. and Canada—the results aren’t what you think. Discussion topics include health insurance coverage, member renewal, member benefits, top challenges, plus our personal favorite: what association executives wish their board realized. More info/register.
Hosts: ReviewMyAMS and GrowthZone
Wed 1/24 at 1 p.m. – 3 Strategies to Future-Proof Your Association
Join association executives and technologists to discuss technological breakthroughs in mobile, eMarketing, data analytics and membership management that help associations transform their business and serve members more intelligently and profitably. Hear experiences and best practices designed to create unlimited event value, be where your members are, measure and optimize, analyze and visualize, make it personal, and identify and drive new revenue opportunities. Bring your ideas and experiences and be ready to contribute to this engaging discussion on how to future-proof your association. More info/register.
Host: Impexium
Wed 1/24 at 1 p.m. – 10 Event Trends for 2018
Get an overview of the mega trends affecting the industry and an overview of over 70 trends defining event technology, event marketing and social media, venues and destinations, event experience, event decor and styling, and destination management companies. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Event Manager Blog
Presenter: Julius Solaris, editor, Event Manager Blog
Wed 1/24 at 4 p.m. – Technology Trends Round Table
Hear what New Year’s resolutions the experts have regarding nonprofit technology trends in security, technology management, the cloud, infrastructure, and more. Find out what you can expect in 2018, including how Microsoft Office 365 updates may change your work flow, what’s next after Single Sign On for security, how to upgrade your data management mindset and what new platforms are on the horizon to enable team work. More info/register.
Host: Community IT
Presenters: President and CEO Johan Hammerstrom, Vice President of Operations Johanny Torrico, Chief Technology Officer Matthew Eshleman, and Director of IT Consulting Steve Longenecker, Community IT
Thu 1/25 at 8:30 a.m. – New Year, New Business Trends Your Association Should Watch (Association Coffee Talk – Reston VA)
Join a discussion of emerging technology trends and the promise they hold for associations and non-profits, for-profit business practices that can grow revenue for your association, and how to better communicate and connect with your audiences in the new year (and beyond). 1 CAE credit. Location: Reston, VA. More info/register.
Host: Results Direct
Thu 1/25 at 1 p.m. – Creating Competency-Based Microlearning, Following an Agile Development Process
Learn how to design and deliver just-in-time, competency-based learning, leveraging a microlearning approach. Using a specific case study, we will follow the prerequisite steps to determine the skills and competencies needed (needs analysis), explain how to use a roles matrix, identify the outcomes, and select the appropriate instructional delivery modality (competency based). More info/register.
Host: Digitec Interactive
Presenter: Jack McGrath, President and Creative Director, Digitec Interactive
Thu 1/25 at 2 p.m. – Don’t Make a $23 Million Mistake: What You Need to Know About GDPR
Learn what GDPR is, why it’s happening, and why it matters to meeting planners throughout the world; what planners will need to be able to demonstrate to stay in compliance; and what the impact of GDPR will be on events. Get access to resources for checklists, questions to ask tech vendors, and more. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Presenter: Kevin Iwamoto, Senior Consultant, Goldspring Consulting
Thu 1/25 at 2 p.m. – Using Lean Start Up at Your Association
Lean startup methodology has taken the business world by storm in the last several years, with businesses of all sizes and life stages experiencing success following its principles. By building a minimum viable product (MVP), designing experiments to test your MVP with end users, measuring what happens, you are positioned to learn whether to proceed, stop, or pivot. Learn the basics of the lean start up methodology. Discover how this process helps save money. Review methods for co-creation that work for association programs and services. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: iCohere
Presenter: Carol Hamilton, Principal, Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLC
Thu 1/25 at 5:30 p.m. – Scotch Tasting Happy Hour (Washington DC)
The BeeKeeper Group have graciously offered to host a new year happy hour for ASAE communication section members. More info/register.
Organizer: ASAE Communications Section
Fri 1/26 at 1 p.m. – How to Go from Zero to eLearning Hero in 2018
Hear about Kara’s eLearning journey, starting with the time she googled “What’s a webcast?” to launching a Learning Management System (LMS) in three months with seven existing online courses and 40 webcasts. Find out where Kara netted out after 12 months, how her organization’s LMS grew revenue by over 130% and what to expect when launching your own LMS. More info/register.
Host: Blue Sky eLearn
Presenter: Blue Sky’s Client Success Manager, Kara Adams
Save the date: Tue 1/30 at 1 p.m. – How Much Does an AMS Really Cost?
Learn about pricing confusion, what you can expect to pay for an AMS, and how you can keep costs down. Find out what goes into pricing, how to control the costs of a new AMS, and what questions you should be asking technology vendors to ensure the right fit. More info/register.
Host: Community Brands
Presenters:
- Sig VanDamme, Brand Ambassador, Community Brands
- Eric McDonald, sales executive and pricing expert
That’s it for now. 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 photo by Clever Visuals on Unsplash
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Association Brain Food 
Great collection of resources this week – thanks so much!
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You’re welcome. I appreciate you taking the time to say that!
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