Category: Associations & Nonprofits

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Manager training. Bad bosses are a leading contributor to the Great Resignation (or Transition). Because managers are facing a host of new issues and challenges in the post-pandemic workplace, WBT Systems says associations can help industry employers and employees by offering manager training programs. Their post also provides advice on essential topics and marketing for these programs.

Sponsorship strategy. In this comprehensive guide to tiered and à la carte sponsorship models for in-person, virtual and hybrid events, EventMobi describes how to price, sell and deliver sponsorships, measure ROI, and craft a post-event report for corporate partners.

Virtual networking discussions. At Associations Now, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Jack Coursen tells Rasheeda Childress how staff-guided conversations engage virtual coffee session attendees by giving them a chance to connect with peers and earn CE credits.

Email open rates. Andy Crestodina at Orbit Media Studios shares 13 excellent tips for increasing your email open rates along with examples showing you how it’s done. Sure, clicks matter most but first you’ve got to get them to open your email.

Online learning tips. In honor of the back-to-school season, WBT Systems offers advice for anyone taking an online course—tips you can share with your members. They cover everything from time management, procrastination, distraction and motivation to accountability and learning habits.

Membership value of an AMS. Nimble AMS describes how an AMS helps membership directors better understand members, anticipate their needs, and deliver an optimal online experience and personalized communications and content. If your AMS doesn’t help you recruit, engage and retain members, you better start shopping for a new one.

Quick hits

Why thinking hard wears you out. (Diana Kwon, Scientific American)

Four clues to help you identify a prospective employee with real emotional intelligence. (Marcel Schwantes, Inc.)

Why virtue signaling isn’t the same as virtue—and actually furthers the partisan divide. (Christopher Beem, The Conversation)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

If you want to treat yourself, try this Mexican shrimp cocktail. It’s like a cross between regular shrimp cocktail and gazpacho but more satisfying. On the side, we had quesadillas filled with mushroom, onion, red bell pepper, poblano, jalapeño, smoked paprika, cilantro and ‘quesadilla’ cheese. I also made calabacitas—a southwestern vegetable sauté of zucchini, yellow squash, corn, tomatoes, poblano, jalapeño, garlic and fresh oregano.

We had one of our favorites a few other nights: southern pan-friend catfish and speckled trout. You’ve seen this one here before: dredge the fillets in flour, then in egg mixed with a lot of hot sauce, and then cornmeal and panko with ancho chile powder. On the side, creamed collards with mushrooms, so good.

I tried a new sauce for Spanish mackerel: hot sauce vinaigrette—3 tablespoons hot sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil mixed with cilantro and chives. The next night, an old regular—blackened black drum fillets.

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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.

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Fri 9/2 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

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 9/6 at 12 p.m. – Data Analytics Network: Middleware/iPaaS Use in Associations

Learn about the many uses of an iPaaS, their benefits, and their challenges. ASHA and ASAE will explain how they’re leveraging iPaaS-driven solutions to streamline their data ecosystems, and Association Analytics will lay out their views on iPaaS landscape.1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Analytics

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Tue 9/6 at 12 p.m. – Picket Fences or Brick Walls? | Discovering Different Types of Boundaries

Hear about the picket fence or brick wall boundaries model, and learn about the different types of boundaries, where they work best, how to maintain them, and more. Why? Because holding space for yourself and enhancing the way you live and work helps to make you a fuller, more robust person and professional. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenter: Nancy Snowden, M.A., Manager of Educational Experiences, MPI

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Tue 9/6 at 1 p.m. – The Future of SEO: Planning for 2023 and Beyond

Hear how to plan for a sustainable inbound marketing strategy beyond blue titles and black site descriptions. Learn how to worry less about algorithm updates, predict and measure change, and adapt to ever-changing search engine results. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Steve Wiideman, Writer, Scientist, Professor, and Practitioner of Search Optimization

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Tue 9/6 at 2 p.m. – Independent Planner Emergency Kit

The role of independent planners has evolved as lean planning teams call on experts for everything from finding venue availability to understanding local protocols and strategy. Explore new ways to work together so everyone can contribute at the highest level and deliver fabulous meetings and events. Hear tips for sourcing in a tight market, strategies for managing changing requirements, and ideas for inspiring attendees today. More info/register.

Host: Smart Meetings

Presenters:

• Patricia F. Zollman, Pandemic Compliance Advisor, and senior director of global accounts, HelmsBriscoe
• Tracy Judge, founder & CEO, Soundings
• Mahoganey Jones, founder and CEO, Event Specialists Inc.

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Wed 9/7 at 11 a.m. – How to Write an RFP (Request for Proposal) for Merchant Services

When releasing an RFP to evaluate new merchant service providers, knowing how the credit card industry works is crucial. Your fiduciary obligation and reputation are on the line. We will demystify the credit card processing flow, players, terminology, and musts to consider so you feel prepared to write your RFP and evaluate your perspective merchant service providers based on the criteria most important for your organization. Learn how to identify the gaps in your current payments ecosystem and the questions to ask to reduce these issues in your future state. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp. (UST)

Presenters: Julie Duncan, VP Sales, Association Practice Leader, and Wade Tetsuka, CPA, President, UST

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Wed 9/7 at 11 a.m. – Event Design Summit

The way we’ve always done things may not be the best way of doing things. There’s no time like now to stop and reimagine what is possible. Participant expectations have changed and technology has opened new possibilities. Now it’s up to event designers to break the molds and create dazzling event experiences. Hear from a formidable lineup of event design experts who will expand your event design thinking and share their insight on what participants really want from events today. 3 CMP credits. More info/register.

Host: Skift Meetings

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Wed 9/7 at 11 a.m. – Data Trends: The Alchemy of Turning Your Disparate Data into Gold

As scholarly publishing organizations unite their content, editorial, member, platform, and web analytics data they’re facing a wealth of ways to deliver truly actionable insights, such as: using zero- and first-party data to provide higher-quality engagement and future-proof against the decline of the third-party cookie, analyzing data to inform platform development and user journeys, employing machine learning and natural language processing to aid in content/data tagging, generating revenue through new content and collection development, and supporting OA models. Hear from a group of industry data experts and publishers currently on this journey to data unification and what they’ve learned along the way. More info/register.

Host: Silverchair

Presenters:

• Melanie Dolechek, Executive Director, Society for Scholarly Publishing
• Joe Haddock, Chief Digital Officer, CyberRisk Alliance
• Michael Hardesty, Digital Product Manager, National Academy of Sciences
• Margarita Lygizou, Head of Sales & Marketing, IWA Publishing
• Dustin Smith, President & Co-Founder, Hum

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Wed 9/7 at 11 a.m. – Leadership for Exponential Impact in the Digital Age

We are in the early stages of a Big Shift in the global economy that is creating both exponentially expanding opportunity and mounting performance pressures. Our institutions and leadership models were designed for a previous era. Leaders will have to become the catalyst for profound institutional change. Take the opportunity to create growth in the shifting environments of change while other hesitate in fear. More info/register.

Host: Rendanheyi Silicon Valley Center

Presenters:

• John Hagel, Founder, Deloitte’s Center for the Edge, and Researcher, Author, & Director, Rendanheyi Silicon Valley Center
• Annika Steiber, Director, Rendanheyi Silicon Valley Center

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Wed 9/7 at 12 p.m. – Increase Conference Attendance: Co-Locating, Co-Hosting and Partnerships

Learn how you can engage organizations within your community to increase conference attendance and enhance the attendee experience for all stakeholders. Hear how the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) increased their conference attendance. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Insights in Old Town

Presenter: Joanna Fetherolf, CMP, Managing Director, Conferences & Education, IECA

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Thu 9/8 at 12 p.m. – Member Scoring: The Compass to Your Association’s Member Engagement

The 2022 Association Trends Study by Community Brands shows that the top two priorities for associations are: developing or improving member engagement opportunities and providing a seamless member experience. Learn how to determine your association’s goals for member engagement scoring, identify which member actions are most important for scoring engagement, determine value for member (and non-member) actions, and increase retention by becoming data-driven. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Community Brands

Presenters: Michelle Schweitz, Marketing Director, and Tirrah Switzer, Director, Product Marketing, Community Brands

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Thu 9/8 at 2 p.m. – Anatomy of a Breach

Hear how an association COO and CIO navigated the rough waters of a security breach. Find out the first critical steps you need to take to protect your organization. Discover why it’s important to have a cybersecurity insurance and what types of insurance are necessary to protect you and your association. Learn how to create an effective breach communication plan to address your staff, board, and members. Hear tips and tactics to fortifying your current systems. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: 501Works

Presenters:

• Villy Savino, VP Technology Transformation, CoreNet Global
• Larry Bazrod, COO, CoreNet Global
• James Marquis, CIO, 501Works

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Fri 9/9 at 12 p.m. – AWTC 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. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Guest: Lisa Lockman, Assistant Director, Data Analysis and AMS Administration, Association for Psychological Science

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Fri 9/9 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

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Mon 9/12 at 12 p.m. – Membership Mondays: Communicating Your Value Proposition

A discussion on ASAE Collaborate grew into a productive Zoom call for dozens of ASAE members months ago so the group decided to keep the conversations going. We meet on the second Monday of every month to discuss membership topics based on the group’s current needs. More info/register (members only).

Host: ASAE

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Tue 9/13 at 11 a.m. – Your Members Are Individuals, Not Just a Demographic

Often, associations are quick to attribute changing membership numbers, participation levels, and overall engagement to generational and cultural characteristics. Have we missed the mark? Studies show that—more than generational and cultural differences—the beliefs, values, and behaviors of individuals are better indicators of association participation than the typical generational explanations. Explore how the unique characteristics of individual members factor into association membership, find out what associations should be looking at to understand their members and prospects, and how to incorporate the voices of all members to create a more representative organization. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Brianne Wheeler, Director, Marketing, PropFuel

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Tue 9/13 at 12 p.m. – Get Recognized: Applying for AWTC Awards and More

You get notified about an industry award. You think about applying, but then those internal roadblocks show up. You second guess your qualifications. You aren’t sure who to ask for references. You worry about the time it will take to complete the application or where to start. We are here to demystify industry awards in the association community and give you a roadmap for receiving recognition. More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

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Wed 9/14 at 12 p.m. – 20 Things You Can Do for Chapters in 2023

2022 was a big year for moving forward with “the new normal,” but are you ready to take your chapters to the next level in 2023? How will you make your volunteers’ lives easier? What tools can you use to better support chapter leaders? Hear about our top 20 resources, tools, and tips for CRPs, how to support your chapters now so they can plan for the future, and bring your questions for an “Ask Me Anything” chat with Mariner Management’s Peggy Hoffman. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management

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Thu 9/15 at 11 a.m. – Website Redesign and Project Management: Straight Talk to Get You on the Right Path for Your Next Project

Join us for an interactive “ask the vendor” session to get straight talk, best practices and things to know or avoid before taking on your next website redesign project (or if you’re in the middle of one). Hear an overview of the redesign process and insight into key areas to make sure you get the advice you need to develop a project timeline, manage expectations for your new site, work effectively with your vendor, project manage your website redesign, launch your site on time and on budget, and plan for ongoing management and optimization. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Ray Van Hilst, Director of Client Results, Yoko Consulting

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Thu 9/15 at 11 a.m. – Looking Forward DEI 2022: Insights Into the Association Sector’s Approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Association Laboratory’s Looking Forward® DEI study is the association sector’s most current, comprehensive and relevant study of DEI issues in associations. This webinar is the first opportunity to review the data from more than 300 association leaders across 20 industry and professional sectors and gain insight into how other associations are dealing with this complicated and often controversial topic. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: Association Laboratory

Presenters: Dean West, FASAE, president, Nikki Golden, CAE, strategist, Nikki Haton Shanks, MBA, CAE, strategist, and Meg Whedbee, MPP, senior analyst, Association Laboratory

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Thu 9/15 at 12 p.m. – Members: How to Get ‘Em How to Keep ‘Em

Hear about key concepts in member recruitment and retention, like lead generation, the welcome series, the member value proposition, ladders of engagement, the difference between features and benefits, collection and use of data, and best practices in renewal cycles. Learn how to create an effective membership campaign, efficiently welcome new members and renew members. More info/register.

Host: GrowthZone

Presenter: Elizabeth Engel, chief strategist, Spark Consulting

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Thu 9/15 at 1 p.m. – 3 Paths to Tapping the Full Potential of Your Learning Business

Get a closer look at three specific areas of opportunity for your learning business: business-to-business (B2B) selling (e.g., to corporations, chapters); globalization of content; and mobile delivery. Learn how you can assess each opportunity and put the right resources in place to pursue them. Get actionable insights into how you might capitalize on B2B selling, globalization, and mobile delivery to dramatically expand the reach—and, by extension, the revenue and impact—of your learning business. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Leading Learning

Presenters:

• Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele, co-founders, Tagoras and Leading Learning
• Matt Peterson, relationship director, MapleLMS

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Thu 9/15 at 2 p.m. – Measure and Improve Your Marketing Effectiveness in 2023

Learn how to measure marketing effectiveness across six key categories—research and analytics, branding and strategy, marketing and SEO, UX design and content, technology, and team dynamics—and hear recommendations for each to improve your marketing effectiveness. Find out how one organization on how they’ve used the marketing maturity assessment, The Mighty GPS, to adjust, budget, and improve their marketing efforts. More info/register.

Host: Mighty Citizen

Presenter: Rachel Clemens, Chief Marketing Officer, Mighty Citizen

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Lenstravelier via Unsplash

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Membership model. It’s the right time to reevaluate your association’s membership model, says MemberSuite, because members (and their employers) most likely have different expectations, preferences and needs after two years of economic and pandemic-induced change.

Flipped learning at Annual. WBT Systems suggests an unofficial (not ASAE-endorsed) flipped learning experience for ASAE Annual attendees. After explaining the benefits of flipped learning, they offer a list of blog posts to read for background or perspective before attending four Annual sessions.

AMS (r)evolution. Empowered Margins sat down with 70 developers to get their thoughts on all things AMS, such as integration, APIs, security, eCommerce, data visualization, and more. They explain how these factors affect the member experience, how the AMS market is changing and what you should look for in a new AMS.

Future-proofing. Chris Vaughan at Sequence Consulting shares ten strategies for preparing your association for the future. Some of my favorites: cranking up content, reinventing events, enhancing networking, evaluating capabilities and scenario planning.

Association journals. Open access is disrupting the traditional journal business, which is why Gregory Bologna, CAE, writes at Association Ventures Playbook about climbing down from the ivory tower and rethinking digital publication opportunities.

Member/customer engagement. Many associations are using conversational engagement to draw people into relevant conversations, identify their goals or needs, and respond appropriately—at scale, not individually. PropFuel describes why and how this innovative approach to communicating and engaging with members and customers is so successful.

Board director traits. Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta shares a recap of a webinar he attended on the seven surprising traits of future board directors. These traits would be useful when screening prospective hires too.

Consulting. Adrian Segar at Conferences That Work shares advice for attracting great consulting clients—advice that applies to other professional services too. This article would be useful for those starting out and perhaps even those who are already some years in.

Opportunity-spotting. Amy Wilkinson at Entrepreneur describes three ways entrepreneurs came up with new ideas during the pandemic. All of them are ripe for stealing by your association.

Quick hits

Create a Project Management Lite survival guide for your association. (Nia Delmast, Cimatri)

Why a time zone recruiting strategy has become the latest hiring trend. (Lindsey Galloway, Chief)

Navigating rising AV costs for events. (Casey Gale, PCMA)

Four helpful iPhone and Android tricks you may not know about. (J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

We loved these taco zucchini boats, although my zucchini weren’t that enormous, so, after stuffing the squash, half the filling remained. I added red bell pepper, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper and corn to the filling, and served the ‘boats’ with a sprinkling of cilantro and hot sauce. Before storing the leftover filling in the freezer, I enjoyed it on tomato slices, topped with avocado and hot sauce, a fantastic lunch.

On the side, one of my inventions: southwest succotash with zucchini, onion, poblano, red bell, green bell, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, grape tomatoes, corn, black beans, oregano and cilantro. Pretty darn good!

Another night, we had the old striped mullet standard: dredge the fillets in flour with garlic powder and salt, then in a buttermilk/hot sauce combo, and finally in a mix of cornmeal, panko and ancho chile powder before pan-frying. Squeeze lemon juice all over as you drain the fillets on paper towels.

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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.

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Fri 8/12 at 12 p.m.* – AWTC 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. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Guest: Megan Cottrell, director of digital strategy, CREW Network

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Fri 8/12 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

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Fri 8/12 at 4 p.m. – Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Book Club Discussion)

Join us for the next installment of the three-part summer book club series. We will discuss the book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

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Mon 8/15 at 12:30 p.m. – Planning for New Tech & Tools

Learn about the best ways to plan for tech and tools, including revisiting your bylaws and other due diligence, deciding on your budget, aligning your board and staff, and building a timeline that works for your goals & resources. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Personify

Presenters:

• Rebecca Achurch, CEO, Achurch Consulting
• Janna Knapp, Senior Director of Professional Services at Personify

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Mon 8/15 at 1 p.m. – 30-Minute Monday | Exploring Your Own Shift

As a follow up to our conversation two weeks ago, now that we’ve had time to think about and put into practice what Stacey shared, we want you to ask your questions. What is next, where are you stuck in your path to owning your own shift? We will be exploring the next step because community is important and key to your success. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenter: Stacey Ruth, author of Own Your Own Shift

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Mon 8/15 at 1 p.m. – Emerging Tech & Innovation in a Nonprofit Environment (Nonprofit Conversations with Cecilia Sepp, CAE)

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.

Guests: Mike Jacka and Bryant Richards

Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC

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Tue 8/16 at 12 p.m. – How YOU Wow

When it comes to WOWing your next event, it’s not just gags, tips, and tricks. You need to make sure all your tools are sharpened and ready to go. Come gain a new perspective and a fresh look at how you better assess, engage, and execute your next event, your next project, within your company, or perhaps yourself. And there might even be a tip or two in there for good measure. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenter: Rob Barber, Vice President, Modular Systems + R&D, ATOMIC

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Tue 8/16 at 12:30 p.m. – Secrets of an Undercover Attendee

As we go back in person, it’s critical to understand how our attendees shop for events and what’s often missing from your marketing efforts. It’s time to think like an undercover attendee. Hear about the impact of COVID on the association world and how we got distracted from the mission of our associations. Learn about the sense of ownership across your organization, the tattoo exercise and how to apply it to your association, what makes your audiences passionate about your event, whether your history is holding you back, how to think about your event’s mission, how to create a secret attendee, common mistakes seen on event or show sites, what it means to show up alone at your event, how to maximize volunteers, and how to leverage your location to improve your event. More info/register.

Host: Personify

Presenter: Jay S. Daughtry, M.Ed., Owner, CQbd

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Tue 8/16 at 12:30 p.m. – Meetings of Membership Minds

These impromptu, casual discussions about membership concepts, issues, and challenges are conducted live online and open to membership professionals to comment and offer insights. More info/register.

Hosts: Dan Ratner, The Business of Membership, and Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates

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Tue 8/16 at 2 p.m. – Mobilize Explores How Associations Are Upgrading to a Modern Community Platform

Learn how to replace outdated technology and smoothly transition to a modern community software platform, and how to create best practices when implementing community software for your association. Find out how both TCEA and NACTO boosted engagement and loyalty by 3x-5x when compared to traditional communities. More info/register.

Host: Mobilize

Presenters:

• Lori Gracey, Executive Director, TCEA
• Claudia Preciado, Director of Engagement, NACTO

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Wed 8/17 at 1 p.m. – Activity Integrations: Different Approaches to Syncing Activities Between Your System of Record and Other Systems

Every association today is leveraging more than one system to engage with members. Yet when selecting those systems there is often little planning with regards to integration. In reality, integrations should be defined by the business requirements, and associations should know that not all integrations are equal. Learn about different approaches to integrations along with business implications for each and reasons when each may be the best approach. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Justin Burniske, Principal Consultant, Co-Owner, Meta-Dao

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Thu 8/18 at 11 a.m. – The Journey to Earning your CMP

Whether you are just beginning your path to the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Certification or you are ready to sit for your exam, attend the CMP candidate webinar to make sure you are prepared. More info/register.

Host: Events Industry Council

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Thu 8/18 at 2 p.m. – The Key Advocacy Trends, Metrics, & Insights You Need for 2023

Having a savvy advocacy strategy is critical to ensure your organization stays competitive and finds fresh, compelling ways to engage advocates. Get the key takeaways from our 2022 Advocacy Benchmark Report, which analyzed tens of thousands of advocacy campaigns and millions of messages sent using VoterVoice. Learn about actionable findings, advocacy trends, and best practices to bring with you into 2023. More info/register.

Host: VoterVoice

Presenters:

• Tyler Craddock, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Association of Residential Property Managers
• Lee Dobson, Area Director of Government Affairs, BAYADA Home Health Care
• Sherry Whitworth (moderator), Managing Director, Public Affairs and Advocacy, FiscalNote

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Fri 8/19 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

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Fri 8/19 at 4 p.m. – So You Made a Connection. Now What?

We hear a lot about networking, but not about valuable relationships. Hear how to view the practice of networking in a different light, expand your frame of reference about what a network can be, and develop ideas for the ‘now what’ phase so a connection can be more effective and mutually beneficial. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Presenter: Laurie Cooke, CAE, CEO emerita of the Healthcare Businesswomen Association

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Wed 8/24 at 1 p.m. – Busting The Myths About Hybrid Work ​

Explore the myths about remote/hybrid work and dive into the data and stats that debunk what many of us used to think was fact, including: organizational culture—can it exist without a physical gathering space; brainstorming—can it be meaningful and effective without being face-to-face; and flexibility—does giving staff the chance to work from home 2-3 days a week really provide the flexibility they want. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Achurch Consulting

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Henry Perks via Unsplash

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Event data ROI. EventMobi shares the stories of six professional society and trade association staff—CEO, membership, corporate partnerships, professional development, conference programming, and event planner—who leveraged event data to achieve their goals. You’ll get lots of ideas from these stories about innovative practices at six types of conferences/expos and learn what’s possible with the intel you get from event data.

Youthful insight. If your association is having trouble attracting and retaining young members, maybe you’re not listening to the right people. WBT Systems describes how a shadow board or advisory council of young professionals can tell you what you need to know about designing and marketing programs and content for the younger generations.

Websites. GrowthZone explains how non-techie staff can regularly (and quickly) assess an association website. They highlight areas that merit special attention, including website navigation, footers, SEO, and URLs. Their easy-to-understand instructions should dispel any uneasiness you have about getting a handle on your site’s strengths and weaknesses.

Event marketing. I hope your association isn’t relying on the same event marketing strategies and tactics you used before the pandemic because, says Meena Dayak at McKinley Advisors, your competitors are probably marketing more aggressively and effectively than you. Her post is a must-read wake-up call for event marketers—correction, all marketers—and covers data-driven marketing, expanding your target audience, omni-channel digital marketing, and leveraging social media ambassadors and influencers.

Age-related bias. Although it’s a job-seeker’s market, if you’re over 50, you may not agree. Amber Keister at The Diversity Movement shares infuriating data from AARP: two out of three workers between ages 45 and 74 have seen or experienced age-related bias. She also shares advice from career consultants and tips for a strategic post-50 job search.

Association podcasts. Launching a podcast isn’t as intimidating as it used to be, thanks to all the resources and people who can help you get started. Association Briefings explains how podcasts can benefit associations and their members and provides tips for starting an association podcast, including the steps in the planning process and issues to consider before you dive in.

Professional development and membership. WBT Systems dives into the latest Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report from MGI and shares what they’ve learned about the impact of professional development on membership recruitment, engagement and retention.

Quick hits

Improve virtual conferences and other educational events by designating chat moderators. (Amanda Kaiser)

Rebuild your data strategy without third-party cookies, whose death is on the horizon. (Jake Zarnegar, Hum)

Executives share the top seven leadership books that changed their careers—some usual suspects, some surprises. (Courtney Connley, Chief)

I never want to see jellyfish in the water. But in a video? So zen. (Moon Jelly live cam, Monterey Bay Aquarium)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

If you’re heading to Nashville for ASAE Annual, I highly suggest getting your hands on some hot chicken. In anticipation of that moment, I made hot catfish last week and served it over cheesy grits. This one is a keeper. Honestly, I no longer have a craving for hot chicken.

I halved Hank Shaw’s yellowfin tuna with roasted red bell pepper recipe—an excellent sauce for fish, chicken, pork, etc.

On the side for both fish nights, southern summer succotash—a recipe I adapted from this one and this one. Some notes: For meat, only add bacon. No sugar or cream. Add zucchini and jalapeño.

We’re harvesting eggplant, so I added some to a sausage ratatouille recipe and served it over polenta (Italian grits). I changed the recipe, of course: hot Italian pork sausage instead of turkey, and the addition of mushrooms and green bell pepper.

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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.

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Fri 8/5 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

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Fri 8/5 at 4 p.m. – Influencing Up: Leading When You’re Not in Charge

Leadership requires influence, otherwise, you’re not leading, you’re managing. How do you make the shift from managing to influencing, especially those in more senior positions? Learn how to become a leader of influence, and strategies and techniques that will affect the behavior of those around you regardless of their position in the organization. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Presenter: Pamela J. Green

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Mon 8/8 at 1 p.m. – Should You Say “I’m Too Busy!” (Nonprofit Conversations with Cecilia Sepp, CAE)

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: Cynthia Lockrey, Lockrey Communications

Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC

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Tue 8/9 at 11 a.m. – Are You Safeguarding Your Organization? Guide To Fraud Prevention

Learn how to identify sources of fraud, limit your exposure to fraud, reduce the likelihood of internal fraud, implement best practices for fraud prevention, and probe weaknesses that leave you vulnerable to bad actors. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Julie Broadway, President & CEO, American Horse Council & American Horse Council Foundation

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Tue 8/9 at 11 a.m. – Learn to Create and Use PivotTables

PivotTables are an interactive way of taking a large amount of data and summarizing it in a user-friendly way. This tool can be used to quickly answer many important organizational questions. When you use a PivotTable you will calculate, summarize and analyze data that will then let you see patterns, comparisons and trends. Learn how to easily create PivotTables and use them to analyze and unveil critical data points for your organization. More info/register.

Host: Sidecar

Presenter: Clear Path Founder Dave O’Connell

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Wed 8/10 at 11 a.m. – PCI Compliance Workshop 101 for Associations

Learn best practices for implementing PCI Compliance. Get a basic overview of what PCI Compliance is and what it’s designed to achieve. Hear nine practical tips you can implement immediately to ensure a more secure payment environment. Learn what you should know about the Self-Assessment-Questionnaire (SAQ). 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp. (UST)

Presenters: Julie Duncan, VP Sales, Association Practice Leader, and Wade Tetsuka, CPA, President, UST

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Wed 8/10 at 11 a.m. – DES Expert Series: Digital Event Marketing + Communities

After months of preparations and investments in your event’s content and experience, don’t let your ROI be ruined by sub-standard marketing. Get a sneak peek into a new DES module on “Marketing + Communities” for your hybrid and virtual events. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: PCMA

Presenter: Rachel Stephan, Founder, snöball Event Marketing

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Wed 8/10 at 11 a.m. – 2022 Appropriations Preview: What You Need to Know & Top Issues to Watch

As we race toward a fall deadline, key decisions approach on the size of the military budget vs. nondefense agencies, earmark requests, and a multitude of controversial policy riders. Hear about potential appropriations decisions, what they could mean for your organization, and how to stay on top of the appropriations cycle. More info/register.

Host: CQ

Presenters: Paul Krawzak and David Lerman, Senior Writers, CQ and Roll Call

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Wed 8/10 at 12 p.m. – Mitigating Microaggressions in the Workplace

Have you faced microaggressions before? Are you able to recognize and mitigate microaggressions? In this workshop, expert speakers will help you understand microaggressions and provide insight on how to respond to microaggressions in the workplace. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Presenters:

• Mariama Boney, LMSW, CAE, President & CEO, Achieve More LLC
• Alexis Redmond, JD, MA, CAE, Managing Director, Legal, Risk & Compliance Community, Manufacturers Alliance
• Rhoni Rakos (moderator), Director of Digital Strategy, fusionSpan

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Wed 8/10 at 2 p.m. – Competing for Non-Dues Revenue: How to Increase and Keep Corporate Sponsor Investment in Your Association

Association executives often believe their organization is the leading source of information and expertise for their members. However, companies and members have a wide range of choices when they’re seeking information and affinity. Learn who is competing with associations for exhibit and sponsor spend, the value a wide range of competitors is delivering to your association’s members and other stakeholders, and how to “flip” competition to create opportunities for association sponsors and members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Professionals for Association Revenue

Presenter: Bruce Rosenthal, Corporate Sponsorship Consultant and Co-Convener of the Partnership Professionals Network (PPN)

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Wed 8/10 at 2 p.m. – Redefining Wellness for Meetings and Events

Participants have come out of the pandemic more discerning about which events they will attend. Host organizations that build wellness into the agenda can get attendees off the fence and into seats. Learn how to keep people happy and energized at your meetings. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Northstar Meetings Group

Presenters:

• Laura Putnam, CEO of Motion Infusion and author of Workplace Wellness That Works
• Tracy Stuckrath, President and Chief Connecting Officer, Thrive! Meetings and Events

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Wed 8/10 at 2 p.m. – How to Design Ads for Nonprofits

Learn about the different types of online advertising and how to improve or design ads for nonprofits. We’ll share plenty of examples and cover common sizes and specs, design dos and don’ts, tips for ad copy and CTAs, and tools and templates to save you time. More info/register.

Host: Feathr

Presenter: Aidan Augustin, President & Co-founder, Feathr

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Thu 8/11 at 11 a.m. – The 3 R’s of Membership | The Second R: Retain | Mastering Engagement Scoring & Personas

Scoring member engagement is critical in any plans to measure and increase engagement for a modern association. Learn how to define an engagement scoring strategy for your association that supports your organizational goals, including how to identify and nurture future committee volunteers and leaders, encourage more activity in programs, and enhance loyalty, including fostering competition. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: iMIS by ASI

Presenters: Nathan Slovin, Director of Client Excellence Programs, and Paul Ramsbottom, Managing Director Asia-Pacific, iMIS by ASI

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Thu 8/11 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Email Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, Julie talks about email copy and design and the latest technologies and techniques she’s using to improve deliverability and click-through performance. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: Julia Fitzgerald, Chief Marketing Officer, American Lung Association

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Thu 8/11 at 1 p.m. – Easy Steps for a DIY Tech Assessment

An organizational assessment focuses on the alignment of operations and strategy. While associations can certainly benefit from a professional, outside perspective, do-it-yourself (DIY) steps can generate immediate insights and lead to long-term effectiveness. Gain insights on aligning your strategic plan with your people, processes, and technology. Learn how to identify operational areas for inefficiencies and ways to improve, evaluate program offerings for potential changes and new opportunities, and motivate organizational change through staff buy-in. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Vanessa Dennison, Principal/Owner, Dennison & Associates

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Thu 8/11 at 2 p.m. – Chaotic Success: The Over-Thinker’s Path to Peaceful Career Transitions

Curb indecision, redirect rumination and move yourself forward with confidence and clarity. Stop overthinking your resume, the interview, and the negotiation. Learn how to simplify your career path in this straight-forward discussion about how the mind is designed to work, how we’re at odds with our understanding of it, and how we can move beyond perceived personal limitations. More info/register.

Host: Web Scribble

Presenter: Gary Stine, Principal Consultant at Inner Resources Development

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Thu 8/11 at 3 p.m. – How to Budget & Price Your Hybrid Event

Learn about the key elements to consider when budgeting for a hybrid event and how to maximize the revenue while limiting expenses. Hear about the key hybrid expenses that need to be considered and allocated, creating a registration pricing strategy and an exhibits and sponsorship prospectus that maximizes revenue for a hybrid event, and minimizing expenses. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: PCMA

Presenter: Jennifer Kerhin, MBA, CEM, CMP, CEO, SB Events & Expo

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Thu 8/11 at 7 p.m. – Interviews with Innovators #2

The world is changing more rapidly than ever, and innovators are leading the way. Join us for a special conversation with three key innovators in the association space to learn what innovation means to them, and what changes they see on the horizon for associations. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Higher Logic

Presenters:

• Toni Brearley CAE, CEO of Australasian Society of Association Executives
• Michelle Lelempsis, Managing Director of Causeis
• Danielle Edwards, Membership & Professional Services Manager at Australian Dental Association

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Fri 8/12 at 12 p.m. – AWTC 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. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Guest: Megan Cottrell, director of digital strategy, CREW Network

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Fri 8/12 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

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Fri 8/12 at 4 p.m. – Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Book Club Discussion)

Join us for the next installment of the three-part summer book club series. We will discuss the book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

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Tue 8/16 at 12:30 p.m. – Secrets of an Undercover Attendee

As we go back in person, it’s critical to understand how our attendees shop for events and what’s often missing from your marketing efforts. It’s time to think like an undercover attendee. Hear about the impact of COVID on the association world and how we got distracted from the mission of our associations. Learn about the sense of ownership across your organization, the tattoo exercise and how to apply it to your association, what makes your audiences passionate about your event, whether your history is holding you back, how to think about your event’s mission, how to create a secret attendee, common mistakes seen on event or show sites, what it means to show up alone at your event, how to maximize volunteers, and how to leverage your location to improve your event. More info/register.

Host: Personify

Presenter: Jay S. Daughtry, M.Ed., Owner, CQbd

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Tue 8/16 at 12:30 p.m. – Meetings of Membership Minds

These impromptu, casual discussions about membership concepts, issues, and challenges are conducted live online and open to membership professionals to comment and offer insights. More info/register.

Hosts: Dan Ratner, The Business of Membership, and Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Caleb George via Unsplash

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Because I’m away next week, I’m not publishing Association Brain Food on Friday, July 29. This edition includes all the free events I could find for the next two weeks. I’ll be back on Friday, August 5.

Membership benchmarking. Marketing General Inc. (MGI) released the 14^th edition of their Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. As usual, it’s full of interesting findings—I’ve already referenced it in a client blog post. MGI added some new questions, share correlations and end with participant comments.

Skills training. The skills gap is a serious concern for employers in many industries. WBT Systems describes how you can help member companies train, upskill and reskill their employees. They also share skills training trends they see in research reports, such as soft skills training, microlearning, learning pathways, microcredentials and impact on job performance.

AMS myths. Selecting and implementing an AMS is not for the faint of heart. It’s a time-consuming project that often creates even more change as it goes. In case you get push-back from colleagues or higher-ups, Impexium offers responses for common objections to starting the search. These arguments will help people think differently and understand that no change may be the most frightening option of all.

Workplace wellbeing. Achurch Consulting shares three recommendations for improving wellbeing in a hybrid/remote workplace. You won’t see any self-care advice in this post—the onus is on the employer, not the employee. See if your association’s culture, people, and practices are up to snuff.

Trade shows. John Crosby, of the American Institute of Architects, tells Kent Panther at Wray Ward how they redesigned their trade show. I know many associations have enhanced the trade show experience for attendees and exhibitors, but I think we’ll see even more redesigns in the future since the trade show floor hasn’t changed in decades, if not longer.

Online community. I’ve got to think there are thousands and thousands of association members like me who value the online community more than any other benefit. Nimble AMS describes how an online community can help your association attract, engage and retain members, and lays out a useful plan for launching and managing a community.

Business travel. If you’ve flown recently, you’ve probably experienced higher prices, fewer choices, and, for the unluckiest, delays and cancelations. A few Korn Ferry leaders describe what they’re seeing in business travel, which has implications for conference attendance.

Quick hits

20 volunteer stats for your summer reading. (Carol Blattau, Mariner Management)

How to engage the younger generation: the case of AIPC. (Remi Deve, Boardroom)

How one organization shook up their DEI program. (Roxanne Bellamy, The Diversity Movement)

Your self-care prescription: news positivity. (Elizabeth Merritt, American Alliance of Museums)

Underwater beluga whale cam in Manitoba’s Churchill River Estuary—listen to them! (Explore.org)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

I love making this maple barbecue glaze recipe for mackerel, although it was created for salmon, which is easier to find. On the side, veggie pesto, a summer regular.

Amberjack is a fantastic fish we get regularly here in NC. I adapted this braised monkfish with tomatoes and basil recipe by using ouzo instead of water and bacon instead of pancetta—fish and bacon go really well together. Next time, I’ll add Kalamata olives too.

For a cookout at our house, I made guacamole—this recipe is always a hit.

I have a recipe for a green chili pork stew that I had for lunch at the Mile High Grill & Inn in Jerome AZ, but the recipe is no longer on their site. However, it’s like this one, except I don’t use flour and I add roasted tomatillos and jalapenos, poblano pepper, garlic, corn and sweet potatoes. On the side: broccoli roasted with red onion, garlic power and ancho powder.

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Since I’m away next week, here are the educational events scheduled for next two weeks. 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.

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Fri 7/22 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

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Fri 7/22 at 3 p.m. – ERC Qualifications for Associations

The IRS estimates that 70-80% of U.S. companies qualify for ERC, and no doubt this includes associations. In fact, the nature of associations likely increases that percentage. Learn about the various qualifications for ERC, an easy solution to apply, and how your organization can likely get hundreds or thousands, if not millions, back from the IRS through a payroll tax credit. More info/register.

Host: Lateral Solutions

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Fri 7/22 at 4 p.m. – Mitigating Bias in Hiring

Learn about the six types of unconscious bias that underlie the mental shortcuts and assumptions which lead to inequitable hiring outcomes: confirmation bias, availability bias, affinity bias, implicit stereotyping, the halo effect, and the horn effect. These biases fundamentally disadvantage candidates from historically marginalized groups, while advantaging privileged candidates that will keep your workforce and culture homogeneous. Gain greater awareness of how to catch yourself engaging in these biases and how to reduce their impact in both yourself and others involved in the hiring process. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Presenter: Isis Fabian, DEI leader at Carta

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Mon 7/25 at 12 p.m. – ERC Qualifications for Associations

The IRS estimates that 70-80% of U.S. companies qualify for ERC, and no doubt this includes associations. In fact, the nature of associations likely increases that percentage. Learn about the various qualifications for ERC, an easy solution to apply, and how your organization can likely get hundreds or thousands, if not millions, back from the IRS through a payroll tax credit. More info/register.

Host: Lateral Solutions

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Mon 7/25 at 1 p.m. – 30-Minute Monday: 50 Pieces of Flair

Marketing oneself is important. Resumes need to be more than a list, but multi-dimensional. You need to stand out and showcase all your potential—soft skills, transferable skills, credentials, etc. Many of you are verified in specific areas, join us to learn how you are using your strengths to stand out from the rest. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenters: Leanne Calderwood, CMP; Nancy Snowden, M.A.; Danielle Kloap

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Mon 7/25 at 1 p.m. – The Financially Astute Association (Nonprofit Conversations with Cecilia Sepp, CAE)

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: Kevin Mayeux

Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC

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Tue 7/26 at 1 p.m. – Efficiency Hacks Every Event Planner Needs

Learn how to streamline back-end event tech processes to efficiently manage speakers, staff, sponsors, and exhibitors; strengthen event collaboration and eliminate attachment overload; and stay in control at all points of the experience. More info/register.

Host: Notified

Presenters:

• Emily Longvall, Manager, Industry Research and Education, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
• Allie Magyar, Chief Product Officer, Notified

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Tue 7/26 at 2 p.m. – #RealTalk Dialogue Series: American Disability Act in the Meetings & Events Industry

1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenters: Zoe Moore, CDP; Marques Davison; Pawntra Shadab, CIS, CTA

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Tue 7/26 at 2 p.m. – Insider Secrets for Planning Events at an All-Inclusive Resort

All-inclusive resorts offer all the perks of paradise bundled together in one convenient price tag, perfect for incentive trips, company retreats, and more. Learn about star ratings in the world of All-Inclusive, new ideas for exciting networking with no concerns on who’s picking up the tab, and what questions to ask before you sign the contract to alleviate grey areas on additional fees. More info/register.

Host: Smart Meetings

Presenter: Colette Baruth, Vice President and Commercial Director of All-Inclusive, Hilton

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Wed 7/27 at 12 p.m. – Can You Hear Me? Effective Practices in Communicating with Chapter Leaders

Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of transparency between you and your chapters? Or felt like your communication revolved around administrative asks instead of resources and advice? Some super communicator CRPs share advice and examples on creating effective chapter communication practices. Learn how to change the conversation with your leaders. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway & Mariner Management

Presenters:

• Peggy Hoffman, Mariner Management
• Michele Champion, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
• Jennifer Steffan, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing
• Wesley Carr, American Inns of Court

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Wed 7/27 at 12 p.m. – Associations Trends Talk: Growth-Focused Pricing Strategy

Association membership models and pricing strategies have shifted with changes to the value of participating in-person, remotely, or both. Hear insights from a pricing expert’s research and work with associations on how to navigate this changing landscape and evolve your organization to meet new demands. Learn about aligning membership dues, conference registration rates, credentialing programs, sponsorships, and more to match the value these offerings provide. More info/register.

Host: Ewald Consulting

Presenter: Ben Malakoff, Director and Head of Sales Operations, Expel

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Wed 7/27 at 12 p.m. – Digital Conversation Starter: Changing Habits to Positively Impact Your Wellbeing

The recent Mental Health edition of Convene‘s COVID 19 Dashboard surveyed the industry’s state of mind and the results are not surprising. Burnout and anxiety about the future are some key emotional states being experienced by planners and suppliers alike. Join this conversation to hear some emerging trends and share habits to positively impact your mental health. More info/register (members only).

Host: PCMA

Presenter: wellness champion Janice Cardinale

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Wed 7/27 at 1 p.m. – Strategic Negotiating Fundamentals 

Learn about the current marketplace and how it affects planner strategy during negotiations, key contract clauses and how to defend them to benefit your organization’s bottom line, and variables that hotels consider when reviewing your overall business value. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Presenter: Robyn Mietkiewicz, strategic partner for INNOV8 Meetings + Events

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Wed 7/27 at 2 p.m. – Association Viewpoint: An Age of Acceleration

McKinley Advisors’ 2022 Association Viewpoint study, An Age of Acceleration, outlines the key priorities, challenges and opportunities associations face today. Join three of the leaders who contributed to this year’s study and hear how their organizations are capitalizing on An Age of Acceleration. Hear about workforce issues, digital transformation, expansion of programs and impact investing; associations’ outlook for the year, including drivers of optimism and concern; and where associations plan to invest and what priorities have shifted. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: McKinley Advisors

Presenters:

• Ann Jordan, Chief Executive Officer, American Society for Quality
• Brad Rathgeber, Head of School & CEO, One Schoolhouse
• Jacob Barker, Marketing Communications and Outreach Strategist, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
• George Miller, M.S., CAE, Practice Director, McKinley Advisors

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Wed 7/27 at 3 p.m. – Analytics in Action: Expanding the Value of Your AMS with Analytics 

Learn how to unlock the potential of the data you already have by aggregating it in a data warehouse for analysis. Find out how to move beyond reporting and embrace the age of analytics, extend the value of the data already living in your AMS, and use analytics for strategic purposes like growing revenue, increasing member retention and improving engagement. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Analytics

Presenters: Bill Conforti, SVP of Strategy & Solutions, and Greg Pollack, VP of Sales, Association Analytics

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Thu 7/28 at 11 a.m. – What You Are Not Being Told About Credit Card Processing and How It Impacts Your Bottom Line

Learn about four important payment trends which emerged from the pandemic, two key changes you should make in 2022 with your payment and credit card collection practices, what you are not being told about credit card fees and why that is costing your organization money, alternatives to credit card collections—the ecosystem that supports Visa/MasterCard and AMEX definitely don’t want you to know this, PCI compliance and security issues for 2022 and why are you not aware of this, and how to do an RFP for Merchant Services—an outline that you can use today. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp. (UST)

Presenters: Jen Glaze, COO, and Wade Tetsuka, CPA, President, UST

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Thu 7/28 at 12 p.m. – The Long Game: How Executives Can Plan Their Association’s Future

Hear about strategies for bringing your association into the future. Find out what’s happened in the past year that can help associations plan for the future, how technology can help, how to convey to members the future you see for the association, how to incorporate members into decision making on your association’s future, best practices to start the preparation for the future, how not to lose sight of today when future prepping, and how to make a plan that is flexible when unforeseen circumstances occur. More info/register.

Host: NXUnite by Nexus Marketing

Presenters:

• Damian Hutt,Executive Director, Association of Association Executives
• Mark Patterson, CEO, Fionta
• Nicholas Strozza,VP of Marketing and Sales, Interpro
• Colleen Carroll (moderator),Content Publishing Coordinator, Nexus Marketing

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Thu 7/28 at 12 p.m. – To Future Proof Your Association, Become a Digital Leader

Organizations are pushed to embrace the latest technological advances to remain competitive as members demand better digital experiences. Emerging technologies make greater innovation possible, but also present real challenges, like building your team’s digital fluency and prioritizing the implementation of various emerging technologies to meet future needs. Learn how future-thinking organizations are promoting a customer-centric mindset and hear advice about recruiting the right talent and growing teams to drive your digital agendas. 0.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: .orgCommunity

Presenters:

• Sherry Budziak, CEO, .orgSource
• Patrick Dorsey, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Impexium
• Wendy Sahli, Director, Technology, at Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society

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Thu 7/28 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Banner Ad Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, Todd discusses banner creative elements that drive clicks and identifies the irrelevant components that don’t affect performance. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: Todd Unger, Chief Experience Officer, SVP Marketing & Member Experience, American Medical Association

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Thu 7/28 at 1 p.m. – Event Summer Camp Series: Part 3: Event Production

With many groups returning to in-person events, it’s time to uplevel your production skills. From live streaming vs. prerecorded video to content delivery and speaker options, learn about the latest trends in event production to wow your attendees. More info/register.

Host: Webex Events

Presenters: Yvonne deFuria, Event Production Manager, and Sheehan Ramey, Team Lead, Professional Services, Webex Events (formerly Socio)

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Thu 7/28 at 2 p.m. – Career Security: How to Move Your Mission into the Workplace

Learn how to position career security as a timely and powerful member benefit by delivering personalized, professional opportunity and access across your digital ecoscape. Find out how to activate your shared mission in the workplace, create demand for members’ talents, foster industry and organizational retention, properly value impactful partnerships, amplify and leverage member successes, and, of course, expand non-dues revenue. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Non-Dues-a-Palooza

Presenter: Joshua Slyman, Product Strategist, Web Scribble

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Thu 7/28 at 2 p.m. – Obtaining Your CAE (ASAE Member Learning Session)

More info/register.

Host: ASAE

Presenters: ASAE CAE team

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Thu 7/28 at 2 p.m. – Lessons Learned: Real-Life Local Government Affairs Success Strategies & How to Copy Them

With hugely impactful regulatory decisions made at municipal and county levels across the U.S. every day and new issues constantly bubbling up, streamlining your local strategy is crucial for your organization’s survival—and your sanity. Hear about strategies that contributed to wins at the local level, tips and tricks for refining your local strategy—plus what not to do, and how to develop relationships at the local level and open doors for your organization. More info/register.

Host: FiscalNote

Presenters:

• Tammie Hetrick, President & CEO, Washington Food Industry Association
• Danielle Powell (Moderator), Managing Director of Municipal Strategy & Operations, Curate

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Fri 7/29 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

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Fri 7/29 at 1 p.m. –Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: How to Repurpose Your Learning Content

It takes a lot of time, energy, and resources to create learning content for your organization. Once it’s created, how do you make sure you get the most mileage out of your efforts? Learn what to do with your old content (and how to define “old”), how to get multiple uses out of new content, and how your content creation process can bolster your marketing efforts and increase engagement on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: BlueSky eLearn

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Fri 7/29 at 3 p.m. – National Leadership Development Day

Now in its fourth year, our 2022 expert speakers will highlight recent research, discuss the post-pandemic trends in leadership that will impact organizations for the foreseeable future, and provide tips and techniques you can put into practice today—either to develop your own leadership skills or the skills of those you lead. More info/register.

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Tue 8/2 at 12 p.m. – Data Analytics Network: Monetizing Data

1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Analytics

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Tue 8/2 at 12 p.m. – ERC Qualifications for Associations

The IRS estimates that 70-80% of U.S. companies qualify for ERC, and no doubt this includes associations. In fact, the nature of associations likely increases that percentage. Learn about the various qualifications for ERC, an easy solution to apply, and how your organization can likely get hundreds or thousands, if not millions, back from the IRS through a payroll tax credit. More info/register.

Host: Lateral Solutions

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Wed 8/3 at 12 p.m. – Learning How to Look Ahead & New Approaches to Board Orientation

Our organizations and leadership have been challenged by one crisis response and sudden opportunity after another. Intuitive foresight—translating trends into possibilities of tomorrow—isn’t learned by accident. Learn and practice a framework of past, present, and future trend identification and discover what questions can connect trend fluency to better mission-focused decisions. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Insights in Old Town

Presenter: Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CPF, CEO of Vista Cova

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Wed 8/3 at 2 p.m. – 5 Tips to Deliver a Better Member Experience: How to Present Your Member Benefits for Max Engagement

Learn the biggest mistakes associations make with their membership site, the member engagement challenges that almost every association has and how to overcome them, the single design mistake that is driving away your members, why your membership site is going to fail without these five features, and how to drive member engagement and member retention. More info/register.

Host: Grype

Presenter: Lydia Israel, Membership Specialist, Grype

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Thu 8/4 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Landing Page Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, David explains landing page and microsite strategies and discusses the top reasons for failure. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: David Alexander, General Manager and Chief Communications Officer, Rotary International

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Thu 8/4 at 1 p.m. – Today’s Duty of Care

With the rise of new COVID variants and grappling with ever-changing state mandates and entry requirements internationally, how can meeting and incentive planners ensure safe in-person events? Get advice from an expert in on-site safety management and contact tracing. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Prevue Meetings

Presenter: Amanda Schleede, Chief Executive Officer, Attend Safe

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Thu 8/4 at 2 p.m. – The CIO Hour: Who Let the Devs Out?

Learn about the role of developers in the software development process and on association IT projects; what bugs are and how you can help developers fix them; how you can work with them to improve the success of your future IT projects; and why some developers may seem scary but really aren’t. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: 501Works

Presenters:

• Josh Carlson, Founder & Chief Innovator, PerByte
• Andrew Warth, Senior Software Engineer, 501Works

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Fri 8/5 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

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Fri 8/5 at 4 p.m. – Influencing Up: Leading When You’re Not in Charge

Leadership requires influence, otherwise, you’re not leading, you’re managing. How do you make the shift from managing to influencing, especially those in more senior positions? Learn how to become a leader of influence, and strategies and techniques that will affect the behavior of those around you regardless of their position in the organization. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Presenter: Pamela J. Green

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Wed 8/10 at 12 p.m. – Mitigating Microaggressions in the Workplace

Have you faced microaggressions before? Are you able to recognize and mitigate microaggressions? In this workshop, expert speakers will help you understand microaggressions and provide insight on how to respond to microaggressions in the workplace. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Presenters:

• Mariama Boney, LMSW, CAE, President & CEO, Achieve More LLC
• Alexis Redmond, JD, MA, CAE, Managing Director, Legal, Risk & Compliance Community, Manufacturers Alliance
• Rhoni Rakos (Moderator), Director of Digital Strategy, fusionSpan

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Wed 8/10 at 2 p.m. – Competing for Non-Dues Revenue: How to Increase and Keep Corporate Sponsor Investment in Your Association

Association executives often believe their organization is the leading source of information and expertise for their members. However, companies and members have a wide range of choices when they’re seeking information and affinity. Learn who is competing with associations for exhibit and sponsor spend, the value a wide range of competitors is delivering to your association’s members and other stakeholders, and how to “flip” competition to create opportunities for association sponsors and members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Professionals for Association Revenue

Presenter: Bruce Rosenthal, Corporate Sponsorship Consultant and Co-Convener of the Partnership Professionals Network (PPN)

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Thu 8/11 at 11 a.m. – The 3 R’s of Membership | The Second R: Retain | Mastering Engagement Scoring & Personas

Scoring member engagement is critical in any plans to measure and increase engagement for a modern association. Learn how to define an engagement scoring strategy for your association that supports your organizational goals, including how to identify and nurture future committee volunteers and leaders, encourage more activity in programs, and enhance loyalty, including fostering competition. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: iMIS by ASI

Presenters: Nathan Slovin, Director of Client Excellence Programs, and Paul Ramsbottom, Managing Director Asia-Pacific, iMIS by ASI

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Thu 8/11 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Email Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, Julie talks about email copy and design and the latest technologies and techniques she’s using to improve deliverability and click-through performance. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: Julia Fitzgerald, Chief Marketing Officer, American Lung Association

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Fri 8/12 at 12 p.m. – AWTC 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. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Guest: Megan Cottrell, director of digital strategy, CREW Network

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Steve Adams via Unsplash

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Speaker/instructor training. Here’s what you’ve been looking for! Tagoras/Leading Learning worked with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to develop “Presenting for Impact,” a brief course designed to help subject matter experts create more educationally effective content for online courses, webinars, conference sessions, and other types of educational programming. Just because they’ve taught or presented many times before, don’t assume they know how to do it effectively.

Learning subscriptions. Lately, I’ve been hearing more and more about associations offering learning subscriptions. WBT Systems explains why subscriptions or learning passes are a hit with members, employers and associations. They describe the possibilities by sharing four association learning subscription success stories.

Year-round event community. Associations put a ton of effort into planning, promoting and hosting conferences, then do little to keep attendees connected as a community and to the association after the event is over. What a missed opportunity! Event Mobi explains how to build a year-round community and content hub for attendees.

Choosing an AMS. MemberSuite walks you through the ten steps to choosing your association’s next AMS, especially helpful if, like me on the second day of my last job, the CEO asks you to add that project to your responsibilities. What the what?!? Apparently, it’s not such an uncommon occurrence. This post will prevent you from making the same mistakes or overlooking the same essential tasks I did.

MarTech Maturity Model. The ASAE Technology Council and Marketing Council joined forces two years ago to create a model for assessing an association’s marketing technology maturity, which the pilot group found helpful. Wanting to refresh the data before their ASAE Annual session, they invite you (or the appropriate person at your association) to take the assessment. The deadline is Friday, July 22.

Member/customer engagement. PropFuel describes a practice and mindset growing in popularity at many associations, including ASAE: conversational engagement—a fresh approach to communicating and engaging with members and customers. With this strategy, you draw people into a relevant conversation, identify their goals or needs, and respond appropriately—at scale, not individually. So smart.

Non-renewing members. What if the problem with non-renewals isn’t that they don’t value what you offer, but they don’t know what you offer? Sure, many associations have a value proposition problem, but Chris Vaughan at Sequence Consulting says some might have a benefits portfolio resembling a greasy spoon’s huge, laminated menu of 500+ items—too many choices for a member to weed through.

Board management. Jeff De Cagna, FASAE, writes at ASAE: “The uncertainty, volatility, and risk that associations have experienced over the past two-plus years make clear that boards must elevate their performance. Here’s how to create a board capable of setting a higher standard of stewardship, governing, and foresight.” Every association needs to make these changes.

Leadership echo chambers. Ryan MacTaggart at EDUCAUSE describes how leadership echo chambers manifest and how they imperil smart decision-making. He also explains how to recognize and dismantle them.

Quick hits

Prepare your association for these ten marketing automation implementation challenges. (Chris Gloede, Ricochet Advice)

UBIT: a comprehensive overview for nonprofits. (Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum, Esq.)

Advice on baseline energy levels, work prioritization, social media, weekly reviews, reading, problem mapping and more. (Nabeel Qureshi)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

Sometimes, when I’m tired of leftovers, I’ll turn them into a pasta dish. I did that with leftover corn salad by adding Portuguese chouriço, black drum, spinach, red onion and broccoli stems. A tasty combo.

Decades ago, I satisfied my late-night munchies at the gyro place near Wisconsin and M in Georgetown. Later, I graduated to Au Pied de Cochon with the late-night restaurant crowd for omelets, frites and ratatouille, and then to the next level: Bistro Français for serious late-night dining. Ah, those were the days. I still love gyros and this recipe is the bomb. Easy too. I sauté the bacon, onion and garlic before adding them with the lamb to the food processor.

Here’s a great potluck dish: Italian broccoli salad. I added salami and used this dressing recipe instead of the one in the NYT recipe—it’s a keeper.

Guess what, more corn salad leftovers! I hate waste. This time it starred in savory corn fritters. I meant to add jalapeño to the recipe but forgot, maybe next time. I don’t know how the fritters would be just using corn, but I tell ya, they were fantastic with corn salad.

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Here are the educational events scheduled for next week. Heads up: Since I’m taking time off in the future, the next edition of Association Brain Food will include the weeks of July 25 and August 1. If you have a free webinar or event during those weeks, please send me the link by the morning of Wednesday, July 20. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product centric.

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Fri 7/15 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

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Fri 7/15 at 4 p.m. – Leading Teams in a Flexible Location Work Environment

Associations and non-profits are increasingly instituting policies that allow employees to work from the location of their choice, and even hiring staff working in all regions of the country. That change also is driving a change in how managers lead their teams and train new employees. Join a discussion on how to lead a dispersed workforce and hear tips from the facilitator’s previous career in the foreign service and recent experience being hired while the office was fully remote. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Facilitator: K. Malaika Walton, CAE, Senior Associate at Association Management Services

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Mon 7/18 at 1 p.m. – 30-Minute Monday | Supply & Demand: Dissecting the Gig Economy & ISBO’s

Over the last couple of years, we have seen #ShopSmall get the attention it deserves. As planners are you “shopping small”? Do you use local and independent small business suppliers? Are you a small independent supplier trying to be noticed? Creating relationships and partnerships between planners and suppliers is important. Learn how our speaker started her own company and how she markets herself to land the gigs over the bigger companies. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenter: Vivian Knox, an independent business owner and your DFW Balloon lady

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Mon 7/18 at 1 p.m. – Strategies for Creating Nonprofit Engagement (Nonprofit Conversations with Cecilia Sepp, CAE)

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: Renata Pozza, MCI Brazil

Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC

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Tue 7/19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Mobile Platforms Demo Day

Watch presentations from a limited number of industry partners who offer mobile platforms. Mobile experts will be showcasing apps and sharing their knowledge with the association market. More info/register.

Host: ASAE

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Tue 7/19 at 11 a.m. – 5 Easy Ways to Improve Strategic Planning Meetings and Retreats

Hear about five real ways to improve your planning meetings. Learn practical ways to turbocharge how participants look ahead, generate ideas, choose the best ones, and come to agreement. Discover how to easily sift through products and services that are winners and losers. Take home techniques to run meetings that will make you and your organization more confident and capable. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Lee Gimpel, Founder, Better Meetings

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Tue 7/19 at 11:30 a.m. – Technology Assessment Checklist for Today’s Association Professional

According to the Community Brands’ 2022 Association Trends Study, 63% of members and 65% of association professionals agree that organizations that don’t transform technologically within the next few years won’t survive. Learn what an effective tech assessment should cover and how to use that information to create value for your association with technology. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Nimble AMS

Presenters:

• Liane Radford, PMP, Operations Manager, Dennison & Associates
• Jeff Golembiewski, VP of Sales Engineering, Nimble AMS

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Tue 7/19 at 12:30 p.m. – Meetings of Membership Minds

These impromptu, casual discussions about membership concepts, issues, and challenges are conducted live online and open to membership professionals to comment and offer insights. More info/register.

Hosts: Dan Ratner, The Business of Membership, and Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates

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Tue 7/19 at 1 p.m. – 5 Vital Digital Marketing Tips for Associations

Does your association need to exert more effort attracting new members and increase engagement with existing ones? If the answer is yes, you need new and creative marketing ideas to get in front of the right audience at the right time. Learn how to effectively mix up your marketing by setting up cart abandonment ad campaigns to increase conversion rates, leveraging marketing automation to trigger personalized emails, and using geofencing ad campaigns to target prospective new members. More info/register.

Host: Feathr

Presenter: Aidan Augustin, President & Co-founder, Feathr

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Tue 7/19 at 2 p.m. – Where to Invest to Optimize Your Hybrid Workforce

In today’s challenging marketplace, leaders are competing for various resources, and number one on that list is people. Employing and retaining quality staff is paramount for organizations facing some of the lowest unemployment rates in decades. Yet as unemployment rates go down, operating and other expenses continue to go up, which begs the question: Where should you invest your limited resources and dollars to optimize your workforce? Hear about strategies and tactics addressing the need for purposeful interactions and how to plan for them, top retention methods, and communication and time-saving tools. 1 CAE credit. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Achurch Consulting

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Wed 7/20 at 11 a.m. – Let’s Solve It: How Can an Online Community Support My Overall Strategy?

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the ISCB team conceived and developed Nucleus to serve its community between events. More info/register.

Host: Juno

Presenter: Diane Kovats, CEO, International Society for Computational Biology

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Wed 7/20 at 12 p.m. – Key Takeaways and Insights from MGI’s 2022 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report

This year’s report shares encouraging news for associations. Membership is rebounding and there are multiple signs of continuing recovery from the pandemic’s harsh impacts. During this membership rebound, what should you do to recruit more members, increase your renewal rates, and grow your membership? How can you improve your association’s membership results now and into the future? Dive into the findings from MGI’s report and how to apply these results to drive membership growth for your association. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: MGI

Presenters: MGI senior staff Tony Rossell, Jana Darling, and Elisa Joseph Anders

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Wed 7/20 at 12 p.m. – Cybersecurity for Association Leaders

Learn why people and their security knowledge are your most important defense and your biggest risk, why to focus as much on discovery and recovery as preventative defense, and the top six things to ensure you’re doing well. More info/register.

Host: ClearTone Consulting

Presenters:

• Ron Moen, CIO, ASCP
• Thad Lurie, CIO, ISPOR
• Brian Scott, president and CIO, ClearTone Consulting

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Wed 7/20 at 12 p.m. – 5 Ways to Maximize Your Tradeshow ROI

Learn five ways to maximize tradeshow ROI at the events you attend. Hear strategies for pre-show (attracting qualified booth visitors), at the show (capturing and managing leads right from the show floor), and post-show (data integration and reporting). More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenters: Robin Clark, Senior Manager, Tradeshows and Event Marketing; Barbara Pavesi, Team Lead, Trade Show Planning; and Erica Edney, Solutions Consultant, Event Solutions, Cvent

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Wed 7/20 at 12:30 p.m. – Maximize Your Nonprofit’s Profile and Fundraising Efficiency: Making the Most of Cause-Related Marketing Collaborations with Donor Brands

Learn about the legal boundaries and practical considerations related to charitable sweepstakes, customer donation programs, CCV campaigns, online giving platforms, raffles, auctions, and more charitable fundraising efforts so your nonprofit can maximize the benefit of corporate giving while protecting its reputation, tax-exempt status, and legally compliant standing. More info/register.

Host: Venable LLP

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Wed 7/20 at 2 p.m. – New Site-Selection Priorities for Meetings and Events

Hear from site-selection experts about the latest trends affecting planners’ choices of destinations and venues. Learn how social and environment concerns play a role in site-selection and what DMO representatives can do to support planners during the selection process. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Northstar Meetings Group

Presenters:

• Robyn Domber, Vice President, Research, Development Counsellors International
• Michael Hudson, CEO, Site Search & Select
• Kim Paine, Vice President and Co-Owner, Site Selection Services
• Michael J. Shapiro (moderator), Executive Editor, Northstar Meetings Group

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Wed 7/20 at 2 p.m. – The New Policymakers: SCOTUS & its Growing Influence on Policy and Elections

In maybe its most consequential term in decades, the Supreme Court had an arguably more impactful policy session than Congress. The ramifications for government relations and advocacy professionals who traditionally looked to influence policy through educating legislators are vast and far-reaching. Hear about the recent SCOTUS decisions, a preview of the upcoming term and how the Supreme Court will likely determine public policy, the potential impacts for industry professionals, and what it all means for the midterm elections. More info/register.

Host: FiscalNote

Presenters: Todd Ruger, Editor of Immigration and Legal Affairs, and Mike Macagnone, Policy Reporter, CQ and Roll Call

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Wed 7/20 at 3 p.m. – What’s Trending In Medical Meetings?

Learn how to get HCPs excited about in-person events again. Hear about doctors’ expectations of medical meetings post-pandemic, the role of hyper-local marketing strategies—with creative examples of how it’s working in healthcare, networking and educational opportunities, more meaningful engagement metrics, and new budget tactics and forms of technology to identify value for key stakeholders and attendees. More info/register.

Host: Event Leadership Institute

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Thu 7/21 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Reviewing Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, Chris explains how to conduct a creative review of marketing collateral, sharing time-tested best practices he learned while working for global ad advertising agencies and consumer marketing companies. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: Chris Gloede, Lead Instructor, Association Academy

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Thu 7/21 at 1 p.m. – 7 Community-Driven Video Tactics To Engage Attendees Before, During, And After Your Live Event

Here’s a hard truth: attendees don’t want to engage with your brand. People attend your events because they want to connect with other real people. When you make attendees the hero of your event’s story, your organization earns authentic engagement that extends far beyond the day of the event. Learn about 7 proven community-driven video tactics for events. Walk away with real-world examples executed by industry experts and practical how-to’s to get started. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.

Presenter: Michael Hoffman, CEO of Gather Voices

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Fri 7/22 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

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Fri 7/22 at 4 p.m. – Mitigating Bias in Hiring

Learn about the six types of unconscious bias that underlie the mental shortcuts and assumptions which lead to inequitable hiring outcomes: confirmation bias, availability bias, affinity bias, implicit stereotyping, the halo effect, and the horn effect. These biases fundamentally disadvantage candidates from historically marginalized groups, while advantaging privileged candidates that will keep your workforce and culture homogeneous. Gain greater awareness of how to catch yourself engaging in these biases and how to reduce their impact in both yourself and others involved in the hiring process. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Presenter: Isis Fabian, DEI leader at Carta

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Wed 7/27 at 12 p.m. – Can You Hear Me? Effective Practices in Communicating with Chapter Leaders

Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of transparency between you and your chapters? Or felt like your communication revolved around administrative asks instead of resources and advice? Some super communicator CRPs share advice and examples on creating effective chapter communication practices. Learn how to change the conversation with your leaders. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway & Mariner Management

Presenters:

• Peggy Hoffman, Mariner Management
• Michele Champion, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
• Jennifer Steffan, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP)
• Wesley Carr, American Inns of Court

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Wed 7/27 at 2 p.m. – Association Viewpoint: An Age of Acceleration

McKinley Advisors’ 2022 Association Viewpoint study, An Age of Acceleration, outlines the key priorities, challenges and opportunities associations face today. Join three of the leaders who contributed to this year’s study and hear how their organizations are capitalizing on An Age of Acceleration. Hear about workforce issues, digital transformation, expansion of programs and impact investing; associations’ outlook for the year, including drivers of optimism and concern; and where associations plan to invest and what priorities have shifted. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: McKinley Advisors

Presenters:

• Ann Jordan, Chief Executive Officer, American Society for Quality
• Brad Rathgeber, Head of School & CEO, One Schoolhouse
• Jacob Barker, Marketing Communications and Outreach Strategist, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
• George Miller, M.S., CAE, Practice Director, McKinley Advisors

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Thu 7/28 at 12 p.m. – To Future Proof Your Association, Become a Digital Leader

Organizations are pushed to embrace the latest technological advances to remain competitive as members demand better digital experiences. Emerging technologies make greater innovation possible, but also present real challenges, like building your team’s digital fluency and prioritizing the implementation of various emerging technologies to meet future needs. Learn how future-thinking organizations are promoting a customer-centric mindset and hear advice about recruiting the right talent and growing teams to drive your digital agendas. 0.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: .orgCommunity

Presenters:

• Sherry Budziak, CEO, .orgSource
• Patrick Dorsey, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Impexium
• Wendy Sahli, Director, Technology, at Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society

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Thu 7/28 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Banner Ad Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, Todd discusses banner creative elements that drive clicks and identifies the irrelevant components that don’t affect performance. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: Todd Unger, Chief Experience Officer, SVP Marketing & Member Experience, American Medical Association

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Thu 7/28 at 2 p.m. – Career Security: How to Move Your Mission into the Workplace

Learn how to position career security as a timely and powerful member benefit by delivering personalized, professional opportunity and access across your digital ecoscape. Find out how to activate your shared mission in the workplace, create demand for members’ talents, foster industry and organizational retention, properly value impactful partnerships, amplify and leverage member successes, and, of course, expand non-dues revenue. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Non-Dues-a-Palooza

Presenter: Joshua Slyman, Product Strategist, Web Scribble

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Thu 7/28 at 2 p.m. – Obtaining Your CAE (ASAE Member Learning Session)

More info/register.

Host: ASAE

Presenters: ASAE’s CAE team

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Harry Dona via Unsplash

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Paper ceiling. WBT Systems writes about a new ad campaign coming in September from Opportunity@Work, a coalition asking employers to get rid of unnecessary bachelor’s degree requirements for hiring. This ‘paper ceiling’ holds back half the U.S. workforce. WBT describes why and how associations, where appropriate, can join this movement.

Belonging. In an article for MIT Sloan Management Review, Susie Lee from Degreed suggests four things leaders can do to foster a sense of belonging at their organizations. Her team focuses on belonging as an essential element of their DEI initiative because it’s what employees want to feel and it increases employee retention and performance.

APIs. These days, anyone who’s leading a technology project, like an AMS or other system implementation, needs to understand APIs. If you don’t, you can cost your association a lot of time and money. Empowered Margins not only describes what APIs are but also explains their potential. They believe an API strategy is crucial to defining your association’s value proposition and taking the “rightful leadership position to steer your industry.”

Required knowledge for leaders. Amith Nagarajan of Blue Cypress says C-suite leaders “can’t afford to pass off tech to your CIO anymore. It is your job… to have a basic level of competence in tech. More importantly, you need to stay curious and learn what is happening and what is coming next.” That’s why the main themes for this year’s digitalNow conference are Web3 and AI.

Member engagement. Beth Arritt from Higher Logic reports from the unconference sessions at the Mid-Atlantic Society for Association Executives Mid-Year Conference. Unconference sessions give any event more relevance and buzz since they reflect what people want in the moment. At MASAE, the discussion focused on the association predilection to return to ‘normal’ and in-person events, changing member preferences, and using technology more effectively to communicate with members.

AMS basics. If you’re new to association technology and haven’t quite wrapped your head around the association management system (AMS) concept, Personify shares a guide on AMS basics. There’s an AMS for every type of association, even tiny ones, so find out what should be in yours when you go shopping for one.

Quick hits

3 ways to capture conference takeaways and make conference conversations less ephemeral. (Amanda Kaiser, Smooth The Path)

5 things employees do that put your organization at cybersecurity risk. (Ernie Smith, Associations Now)

To PEO or not to PEO—that is the question. (Brian Haney, Association Advisor)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

When in a rush to make dinner, blackened fish fillets (black drum, in this case) are always a rewarding solution. And if you need to clear out the produce drawer, opt for veggie pesto.

On Sunday, I made a southwest skillet with ground turkey, Portuguese chouriço, sweet potatoes, onion, poblano, red bell, jalapeño, garlic, chipotle, spices, chicken broth, black beans, spinach, corn, cheese, green onions and cilantro. We never tire of this dish because we love those southwest flavors.

For my sister-in-law’s birthday on July 4^th, I made a corn salad. I have no idea what recipe inspired me decades ago, but this is what I normally put in mine: bacon, corn, roasted red bell pepper, sweet onion, garlic, grape tomatoes, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and fresh basil. Cook the bacon first and remove it. Add the corn through the grape tomatoes and cook just until the rawness is gone. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients.

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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.

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Fri 7/8 at 12 p.m.* – AWTC 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. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Guest: Anne Ornelas, DES, Senior Manager, Business Systems and Strategic Initiatives at CASS

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Fri 7/8 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

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Fri 7/8 at 4 p.m. – Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen

Join us for our Book Club series! We will discuss Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen by Rita McGrath, a guide to spotting inflection points early and harnessing these disruptive influences for a strategic advantage. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

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Mon 7/11 at 1 p.m. – 30-Minute Monday | WEC: What We Did & Learned

We saw nearly 2,000 registrants for WEC 2022 in San Francisco in-person and online. We planned, we adapted and we learned. Join our amazing events team, Melinda and Tanya, as they share with us what they did to prepare for WEC and what we learned now that we are post event. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

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Mon 7/11 at 1 p.m. – Zoom Makeover (Nonprofit Conversations with Cecilia Sepp, CAE)

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: Shelley Golden

Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC

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Mon 7/11 at 2 p.m. – Summer Series: Interviews with Innovators #1

Join us for a special conversation with three key innovators in the association space to learn what innovation means to them, and what changes they see on the horizon for associations. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Higher Logic

Presenters:

• KiKi L’Italien, Chief Executive Officer & Online Blog, Community & Podcast Host at Association Chat
• Reggie Henry, Chief Information and Engagement Officer at ASAE
• Kevin Boyce, Chief Executive Officer at Higher Logic

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Tue 7/12 at 9 a.m. – International Association Policy and Legal Update: What Associations Need to Know

From the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia to new policies impacting everything from transatlantic travel to sustainability, governments and multilateral institutions have been active in shaping the operating environment for our associations, especially those with global operations. Hear from public affairs experts and association leaders from across the globe as they share their insights and expertise on the ever-changing policy and legal landscape. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Government Relations and Advocacy Professionals Community

Presenters:

• Jeff Evans, Director, Public Policy, ASAE
• Alfons Westgeest, Managing Partner, Kellen
• Steven Basart, Vice President, Asia, Kellen
• Tommy Goodwin, Vice President, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
• Danielle Baron (Moderator), Staff Vice President, School Nutrition Association

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Tue 7/12 at 11 a.m. – EdTech Trends: Un-Siloing & Digitizing Professional Education

Journals and ebooks have long since made the shift to digital, and the technologies that support them have become table stakes for publishers. Learn how societies and publishers are taking professional education online, whether continuing education, maintenance of certification training, or offerings to help clinicians or practitioners keep current with the latest advances in their field. More info/register.

Host: Silverchair

Presenters:

• Amanda Fielding, Director of Product Management, McGraw Hill
• Amit R.T. Joshi, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at Cooper Medical School, and Editor-in-Chief of the American Board of Surgery’s Surgical Council on Resident Education
• Laura Ricci, Senior Consultant, Clarke & Esposito
• Anna Salt, Chief Commercial Officer, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Jake Zarnegar (moderator), Chief Business Development Officer, Silverchair

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Tue 7/12 at 12 p.m. – What Fuels Us All: Technology Innovation in Associations and Why IT Matters

Most all of us are members of associations or at the very least represented by an association based on our industry or interests. With thousands of members, the amount of tech, apps and integration supporting associations and members is increasingly complex. Plus, associations conduct more conferences and trade shows than any individual industry. This means the demand for evolving tech such as VR and metaverse is increasing. Learn about the range of associations and their technology needs. More info/register.

Host: Tech Up for Women

Presenters:

• Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO of ASAE
• Loretta DeLuca, Founder and CEO of DelCor Technology Solutions, Inc.

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Tue 7/12 at 12 p.m. – Back to the Ballroom: Changes, Expectations and Innovations

Get ready to hear from industry experts who have already dove back into the in-person event waters. We’ll cover: big changes—what you need to know for your next expo or user conference; tips to make the most of your trade shows and expos, from sponsor options, booth design, floor plans and logistics; creating meaningful engagement at in-person events through experiential sessions, activations and collaboration; best practices for engaging attendees with the right event format from sessions, content delivery and networking; and choosing the right vendor partners to help you source venues, locations, AV and more. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenters:

• Nancy Snowden, Manager of Educational Experiences, MPI
• Lisa Vogel, Leader, Field & Event Marketing, Webex Events (formerly Socio)

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Thu 7/12 at 2 p.m. – From a Logo to a Look with Fair Labor Association

If you’re thinking about updating your organization’s brand, there’s something important you need to know: a new logo doesn’t automatically equal a new look. (And a new look doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a new logo!) Learn what you can expect your next year to look like if you decide to change your logo and your look, how to prioritize what pieces to transition first, how a communication audit streamlines the process, and what it’s like keeping the rollout of your look a priority after your logo is complete. More info/register.

Host: Iris Creative Group

Presenters:

• Bill Furmanski, senior director of communications at Fair Labor Association
• Beth Brodovsky, president, Iris Creative Group

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Wed 7/13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. – How Being Intentional with Your SME Program Affects Your Exam

The foundational building block of any exam maintenance program is the individual SMEs that write and review items, analyze JTAs, and ultimately make your exam defensible. When it comes to SMEs, every program faces the same four critical challenges: understanding the best way to attract them, assembling efficient teams for your workshops, motivating them to accomplish organizational goals, and finally, evaluating individual performance. Learn how focusing on individual skill sets and diversities at the workshop level creates better outcomes and more valid exams. More info/register.

Host: Certification Network Group

Presenters:

• Annette M. Parry Bush, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN®, ICE-CCP, Director of Credentialing at the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center
• Eric Nepomuceno, Examinations Manager, CFP Board
• Heidi Schreifels, Certification Program Manager, F5 Networks
• Isabelle Gonthier, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Assessment Services, PSI Services
• Guillermo Ortiz de Zarate (moderator), CIIO, NCARB, and President, Lineup Management Services

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Wed 7/13 at 12 p.m. – MPI Association Professionals Hot Topic Chat: Lessons Learned from Spring Events

Join MPI’s Association Professionals Community Council as we discuss lessons learned from spring events. This informal discussion will look at what went well, areas to consider spending more time & resources on, and ideas to take with you as you plan your future association events. Bring your stories to share with the group. More info/register.

Host: MPI

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Wed 7/13 at 1 p.m. – Does My AMS Have to Have a Bridge to My LMS?

Learn why a seamless integration between your AMS and your LMS is crucial, the secret to simplifying complex association tech stack decisions, and the importance of having a system where strong integrations are foundational. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Hosts: Fonteva & Protech

Presenters:

• Andy Hicken, Ph.D., VP, Technolgy Solutions, Web Courseworks
• Erin Lemons, Senior Director of Marketing, Fonteva & Protech

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Wed 7/13 at 2 p.m. – Creating Lifelong Super Members For Your Association

You’ve set up all your campaigns, created that sweet follow-up email with all the right content for your members but what do you do to create a Super Member? Learn how to create champion members by listening, align your content to your member’s needs as your member grows professionally, tap into your member’s emotion to create value, and leverage the exclusivity of your association insights and stories. More info/register.

Host: Association TV

Presenters: Brianne from PropFuel and Doug from WorkerBee.TV

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Wed 7/13 at 2 p.m. – Fun Ways for Groups to Experience a Destination

Today’s attendees want more than a superficial introduction to a destination. They want to connect with the host city or region on a deeper level: meet residents, try new activities, sample local cuisine and enjoy unique cultural experiences. Learn about new and unique ideas that allow groups to experience local color, how attendees can make deeper connections with local communities, and suggestions for meaningful budget-friendly experiences. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Northstar Meetings Group

Presenters:

• Thuy Diep, CGSP, DMCP, CSEP, Senior Experience Designer, Haute
• Joe Fijol, DMCP, Principal, ETHOS Event Collective
• Kate Patay, CPCE, Director of Engagement, Terramar, a DMC Company
• Lisa Grimaldi (moderator), Editor, Incentives and Destinations, Northstar Meetings Group

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Thu 7/14 at 11 a.m. – The 3 R’s of Membership | The First R: Recruit | Ensuring Your Member Onboarding Journey Gets Results

A clear and engaging member onboarding strategy is your best member retention tool and fundamental to your association’s continued success. Learn how to create a defined onboarding journey, aligned to your strategy, that delivers a personalized and frictionless experience for the new member journey. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: iMIS by ASI

Presenters: Nathan Slovin, Director of Client Excellence Programs, and Paul Ramsbottom, Managing Director Asia-Pacific, iMIS by ASI

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Thu 7/14 at 12 p.m. – LinkedIn: Maximize Member Engagement and Strategic Recruitment

You’ve joined LinkedIn, but how are you using it to leverage member and business relationships? Learn how to stay front of mind with your members and business relationships; increase member engagement, warm referrals, and prospecting success; and stay abreast of trends that impact business and industry. More info/register.

Host: GrowthZone

Presenter: Shari Pash, founder of Strategic Solutions for Growth

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Thu 7/14 at 12 p.m. – Unlock the Power of TikTok for Your Social Strategy

With 800 million active users worldwide, TikTok is influencing a whole new generation of social media users and consumers. Learn how TikTok content and influencers drive engagement and influence consumer behavior, and how to measure your competitive share of voice, engage consumers, and drive revenue growth for your business. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Mike Baglietto, Global Head of Market Insights, NetBase Quid

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Thu 7/14 at 1 p.m. – Event Summer Camp Series: Engagement & Collaboration

Whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, attendee engagement is always top-of-mind. Learn how to enhance your attendees’ experience using native integrations, 3rd party tools, and vendors by adding unique experiences into your event mix. More info/register.

Host: Webex Events

Presenters: Yvonne deFuria, Event Production Manager and Alyssa Rudner, Customer Success Manager, Webex Events

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Thu 7/14 at 3 p.m. – Do You Know the Dirty Little Secret About Chapters?

There’s an odd pattern in chapters. It ran in the background for many associations—and got institutionalized in some interesting ways. Then came Covid—and the dirty little secret got bigger. Do you know what the secret is? Hint: It’s doing a lot of damage to chapter leaders and fueling burnout within them. Are you aware of how it impacts your association’s chapters? More info/register.

Host: Cynthia D’Amour, People Power Unlimited

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Fri 7/15 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

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Fri 7/15 at 4 p.m. – Leading Teams in a Flexible Location Work Environment

Associations and non-profits are increasingly instituting policies that allow employees to work from the location of their choice, and even hiring staff working in all regions of the country. That change also is driving a change in how managers lead their teams and train new employees. Join a discussion on how to lead a dispersed workforce and hear tips from the facilitator’s previous career in the foreign service and recent experience being hired while the office was fully remote. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Facilitator: K. Malaika Walton, CAE, Senior Associate at Association Management Services

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Tue 7/19 at 12:30 p.m. – Meetings of Membership Minds

These impromptu, casual discussions about membership concepts, issues, and challenges are conducted live online and open to membership professionals to comment and offer insights. More info/register.

Hosts: Dan Ratner, The Business of Membership, and Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates

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Tue 7/19 at 2 p.m. – Where to Invest to Optimize Your Hybrid Workforce

In today’s challenging marketplace, leaders are competing for various resources, and number one on that list is people. Employing and retaining quality staff is paramount for organizations facing some of the lowest unemployment rates in decades. Yet as unemployment rates go down, operating and other expenses continue to go up, which begs the question: Where should you invest your limited resources and dollars to optimize your workforce? Hear about strategies and tactics addressing the need for purposeful interactions and how to plan for them, top retention methods, and communication and time-saving tools. 1 CAE credit. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Achurch Consulting

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Wed 7/20 at 12 p.m. – Cybersecurity for Association Leaders

Learn why people and their security knowledge are your most important defense and your biggest risk, why to focus as much on discovery and recovery as preventative defense, and the top six things to ensure you’re doing well. More info/register.

Host: ClearTone Consulting

Presenters:

• Ron Moen, CIO, ASCP
• Thad Lurie, CIO, ISPOR
• Brian Scott, president and CIO, ClearTone Consulting

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Thu 7/21 at 1 p.m. – Association Creative Marketing Masterclass: Reviewing Creative

A course to help develop practical creative and copywriting skills, professional critique techniques, and balanced brand stewardship. Each instructor will share learnings from their career and evaluate real-life association marketing collateral, providing their recommendations, ideas, and concerns. In this session, Chris explains how to conduct a creative review of marketing collateral, sharing time-tested best practices he learned while working for global ad advertising agencies and consumer marketing companies. 1 CAE credit per session. Thursdays through August 11. More info/register.

Host: Chris Gloede, Association Academy

Session instructor: Chris Gloede, Lead Instructor, Association Academy

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Chris Abney via Unsplash

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Metaverse. Is the metaverse a sci-fi fantasy or a realistic opportunity for associations? WBT Systems takes a look at the hype, metaverses in action right now, and ways your association could experiment with the metaverse.

Multi-generational teams. Achurch Consulting identifies five essential elements for managing a multi-generational remote or hybrid team. They describe challenges related to manager development, communication, employee engagement, operations, and culture, and suggest short- and long-term solutions.

Professional development. You will find lots of inspiration in these 15 lessons from Big Learning by Jeff Cobb at Leading Learning. He pulls out association-relevant findings from the successes of MOOCs, LinkedIn Learning, Khan Academy, The Great Courses, Udemy, and Degreed.

Quick hits

Without measures in place to actively celebrate risk-taking and failure, innovation will always be crushed. (Annabel Acton, Inc. Magazine)

Data is for action, not for collecting. (Wes Trochlil, Effective Database Management)

Good eats

Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.

Wasn’t home much in the past week—more on that next time. I made another Greek ouzo dish, this time with catfish, and it’s a keeper. Plus, we enjoyed an old favorite, black sea bass with spiced breadcrumbs.

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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.

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Fri 7/1 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

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 7/5 at 2 p.m. – How To Craft User Journeys To Keep Your Members Engaged

Learn how users experience your website and membership site. Looking at your user experience helps to predict what they are looking for and anticipate what they will find relevant and helpful. More info/register.

Host: Grype

Presenter: Ronja Francoeur, UX Specialist

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Wed 7/6 at 11 a.m. – Understanding the Payments Ecosystem in Your Organization

Learn who the players are, how integrations work with your software platforms, the elements of your credit card statement, and how to reduce your cost/fees and minimize your risk and PCI compliance. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: U.S. Transactions Corp. (UST)

Presenter: Julie Duncan, VP Sales, Association Practice Leader, UST

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Wed 7/6 at 12 p.m. – Building a Fit-for-Purpose Association Board in The Turbulent Twenties

This crucial moment in the historical trajectory of associations demands a clear-eyed assessment of the magnitude of the challenges before us. Among these myriad challenges, it is complacency that may well be the most acute short-term threat. To overcome this complacency, we must dare to imagine that every aspect of what boards are and what they do can be different from what we have been told over many decades. In short, starting today, association boards must become more. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Insights in Old Town

Presenter: Jeff De Cagna FRSA FASAE, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC

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Wed 7/6 at 3 p.m. – Analytics in Action: Level Up Your Association’s Marketing with Analytics

Learn how to use your behavioral and demographic data to make content and outreach decisions, while continuously analyzing your efforts so you can adjust when things aren’t going as expected. Find out how to analyze your data to build personas that better segment your audiences, target relevant content to current and prospective members, and measure what is working best and what should be eliminated. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Analytics

Presenters: Bill Conforti, SVP of Strategy & Solutions, and Greg Pollack, VP of Sales, Association Analytics

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Thu 7/7 at 2 p.m. – Managed Service Providers 101

MSPs are a great way to leverage more sophisticated technical help especially for smaller staff with limited tech resources. Learn how to engage an MSP and maximize the benefits for your association. We’ll cover why and how to use an MSP, how to use your current company better, and how to assess an MSP. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: 501Works

Presenters:

• Marco Maggio, VP Sales & Strategic Practices, All Covered
• Dave Sobel, Owner, MSP Radio and Business of Tech Podcasts
• James Marquis, CIO, 501 Works

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Fri 7/8 at 12 p.m. – AWTC 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. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

Guest: Anne Ornelas, DES, Senior Manager, Business Systems and Strategic Initiatives at CASS

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Fri 7/8 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

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Fri 7/8 at 4 p.m. – Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen

Join us for our Book Club series! We will discuss Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen by Rita McGrath, a guide to spotting inflection points early and harnessing these disruptive influences for a strategic advantage. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

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Tue 7/12 at 9 a.m. – International Association Policy and Legal Update: What Associations Need to Know

From the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia to new policies impacting everything from transatlantic travel to sustainability, governments and multilateral institutions have been active in shaping the operating environment for our associations, especially those with global operations. Hear from public affairs experts and association leaders from across the globe as they share their insights and expertise on the ever-changing policy and legal landscape. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Government Relations and Advocacy Professionals Community

Presenters:

• Jeff Evans, Director, Public Policy, ASAE
• Alfons Westgeest, Managing Partner, Kellen
• Steven Basart, Vice President, Asia, Kellen
• Tommy Goodwin, Vice President, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
• Danielle Baron (Moderator), Staff Vice President, School Nutrition Association

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Wed 7/13 at 12 p.m. – MPI Association Professionals Hot Topic Chat: Lessons Learned from Spring Events

Join MPI’s Association Professionals Community Council as we discuss lessons learned from spring events. This informal discussion will look at what went well, areas to consider spending more time & resources on, and ideas to take with you as you plan your future association events. Bring your stories to share with the group. More info/register.

Host: MPI

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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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Clark Wilson via Unsplash