Since presidents are on everyone’s mind this week…I recently discovered the Washington Post’s podcast, Presidential. Each episode is dedicated to a president starting with George Washington and ending with Donald Trump. I’m listening to them all in order, of course, and have made it up to the Warren Harding episode. If you’re a fan of American history, you’ll love this podcast.
I subscribe to dozens of podcasts and normally don’t listen to every single episode, like I do with Presidential. Since I love to cook, America’s Test Kitchen Radio is another favorite.
If you love good interviews, check out The James Altucher Show. This guy must read a book a day. He’s quite an enthusiastic and curious character as well as a self-described “interrupter.”
That’s it for my recommendations. I haven’t been reading as much this week, but even so, nothing stood out as exceptional. I’m sure I missed a dozen great reads but that’s life.
Now on to the list of this week’s free webinars and learning events. But first: if your company has a webinar scheduled in the next few weeks, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Tue 11/15 at 12 p.m.* – Meetings Outlook: A Deep Dive into the Latest Business Trends
Get a preview of the future per MPI’s most recent Meetings Outlook research and discuss the trends most affecting you and your peers. Brainstorm ways to start planning for the uncertain future with case studies and best practices from around the globe. More info/register.
Hosts: MPI, IMEX Group and MGM Resorts International
Presenter: Jessie States, CMM, manager of professional development, MPI
*All times are Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 11/15 at 12 p.m. – Ask the Insurance Nerds: Cyber Security
Get answers to your cyber security insurance and risk management-related questions about website publishing liability, security breach liability, replacement or restoration of data, and regulatory proceedings, public relations, or security expenses. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Business Services
Presenters:
- Michelle Evans, assistant vice president, Aon Affinity and Aon Association Services
- Eric Johnson, vice president, Aon Affinity and Aon Association Services
- Pam Townley, vice president/cyber – tech product manager, ASAE Business Services, Inc.
Tue 11/15 at 12 p.m. – The Event Planner’s Guide to SEO
Considering that 93% of all online experiences begin with organic search, organizers should learn the basics of SEO in order to drive more qualified visitors to event websites and to ultimately increase event registrations. Understand the critical components of high-ranking websites, how to conduct organic search keyword research, and how to build a portfolio of back links that can improve search rankings. More info/register.
Host: Bizzabo
Tue 11/15 at 1 p.m. – Insights from the Global Engagement Index 2016: Strengthening Member & Customer Relations Globally
The Global Engagement Index (GEI) measures the performance, relationship strength and outcome of engagement tactics as seen through the eyes of associations’ customers and members. Join a discussion on the results of the GEI and insights gained by two associations from analysis of their own member and customer data against the global benchmark. More info/register.
Host: MCI Group
Presenters:
- Renata Lerch, deputy managing director, American Society for Quality
- Elisa Pratt, chief global member engagement officer, ASIS International
Tue 11/15 at 2 p.m. – 4 Hot Technology Trends Driving Change in Events Today
Keep up with the exciting tech disrupters that planners are adopting to bring engagement and productivity to their meetings and conferences: beacon technology, drones, Snapchat, and augmented/virtual reality. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Presenters:
- Christine Hilgert, CMP, senior vice president of meetings, Meeting Expectations
- Brandt Krueger, educator, speaker and consultant specializing in the field of event technology
- Kelly Treadway, marketing and social media strategist, EventCurious
- Sue Pelletier (moderator), editor, MeetingsNet
Tue 11/15 at 2 p.m. – 10 Secrets for Creating Great Webinar Content
Webinars have become the most important tool marketers have for generating leads and driving sales. But many companies struggle with creating enough high-quality content to produce a steady pulse of webinars to drive demand generation programs. Learn tips for creating great webinars for each stage of the buying cycle from existing and outside content, and developing themes from scratch. More info/register.
Host: ON24
Presenter: Mark Bornstein, vice president of content marketing, ON24
Tue 11/15 at 2 p.m. – Walking the Walk: Engage Volunteers in your Volunteer Engagement Program
Learn how to evaluate your program for volunteer engagement, determine how best to deploy volunteers, create a communication plan, and screen and train volunteers to be an important part of your volunteer recruiting, retention and recognition plans. More info/register.
Host: VolunteerMatch
Presenter: Jennifer Bennett, senior manager of education & training, VolunteerMatch
Tue 11/15 at 3 p.m. – DC Small Association Forum for Executives (Washington, DC and conference call)
This roundtable is a free-flowing discussion around the most pressing issues facing executives with 9 or fewer employees. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Small Staff Association Committee
Facilitator: Shira Harrington, chief engagement officer, Purposeful Hire, Inc.
Wed 11/16 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Dashboards, Part 3, Data Utilization: How to Share & Leverage Your Data
Understand and reflect on how data is shared in your organization, how data is used to make decisions, and how the data you already have can be valuable to yourself or other decision makers. More info/register.
Host: BillHighway
Presenter: Kyle Bazzy, director of growth, BillHighway
Wed 11/16 at 12 p.m. – Monthly Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Information Session
Learn what the CMP Program is, how to apply for the CMP exam, what the exam tests, and how earning the CMP designation will help advance your career and leverage your knowledge. More info/register.
Host: Convention Industry Council
Wed 11/16 at 1 p.m. – Ultimate Member Engagement: The Power of Data-Driven Decision Making
The historical, financial, social and demographic data in your AMS is useless unless it tells a story and enhances your ability to drive desired results. Learn how to leverage visualizations and analytics to better understand your data; identify which data to mine to improve your member’s experience; and determine a successful ROI on your collection and analysis of member data. More info/register.
Host: Impexium
Wed 11/16 at 1:30 – Associations Tableau User Group (Washington, DC)
Connect with other association professionals using Tableau and learn about the latest best practices and tips in Tableau. More info/register (before 11/14).
Organizer: Tori Liu, vice president, Association Analytics
Presenters:
- Julie Boles, business strategist / data bard, icimo
- Tamsen Haught, business intelligence analyst, Association Analytics
- Katherine Matthews, database manager, Entomological Society of America
- Guillermo Ortiz de Zárate, director, information systems, NCARB
- Chris Thompson, director of research and evaluation, BoardSource
Wed 11/16 at 2 p.m. – Lean Six Sigma for Event Planners – Part II
Lean Six Sigma is a combination of identifying waste and reducing variation in a process to deliver a product or service to a customer consistently. This webinar will give you a better understanding of Lean Six Sigma and how to use it in event planning. More info/register.
Host: Pathable
Presenter: Rob Wilson, president, Meeting Evolution
Wed 11/16 at 2 p.m. – Playing by the Rules: Creating an Effective Volunteer Handbook
Learn how to evaluate your existing handbook, create a living document that helps both paid and volunteer staff be better informed and know what’s expected of them, deal with challenging volunteers, and create a stronger framework for your volunteer engagement program. More info/register.
Host: VolunteerMatch
Presenter: Jennifer Bennett, senior manager of education & training, VolunteerMatch
Thu 11/17 at 11 a.m. – Research Findings on the State of Sustainability in the Meetings Industry
Hear the results of a study on the state of sustainability in the meetings industry and learn how to use benchmarks for comparison with your sustainable practices. Understand how organizations that are focused on sustainability can strengthen their positions. Learn how to use the research findings to demonstrate the business value of sustainable events. More info/register.
Host: Green Meetings Industry Council
Thu 11/17 at 12 p.m. – An Industry in Flux: Meetings after the U.S. Presidential Election
How does the outcome of the U.S. presidential election affect our meetings and our industry moving forward? Join this town hall discussion to talk through what the future of U.S. meetings may look like given the result of the election. More info/register.
Host: MPI
Presenter: Jessie States, CMM, manager of professional development, MPI
Thu 11/17 at 12 p.m. – Digital Planning Priorities
Digital transformation is rarely front and center. Learn how to manage the conflict between operational priorities and digital implementation so you can figure out what gets updated (and funded) next; where mobile apps, marketing automation, and CRM fit in, and how all of these can be used to build competitive advantage. More info/register.
Host: 108|ideaspace
Thu 11/17 at 1 p.m. – Learning Management System (LMS) Selection: Mastering the Process, Avoiding the Pitfalls
Great content is only part of the equation for successful online education—organizations also need a way to effectively deliver the content, track participation, and manage credit and certificates. Learn Tagoras’ time-tested process for selecting an LMS and the pitfalls to avoid. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: Tagoras and Avilar
Presenters:
- Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele, founders, Tagoras
- Thomas Grobicki, CEO, Avilar
Thu 11/17 at 2 p.m. – Personalization: The Ultimate Tool for Creating a Competitive Advantage
Customers and website visitors are continuing to demand relevant customer experiences in every part of the buyer’s journey…and beyond. Find out why personalization is important, how personalization works, what it can do for your organization, and see examples of how it can be used, including the types of technologies that enable it to work. More info/register.
Host: BlueBolt
Presenter: Christopher Risner, chief strategy officer, BlueBolt
Thu 11/17 at 2 p.m. – Let’s Get Together: Leveraging Online Communities to Drive Member Engagement
Associations have a unique opportunity to benefit from the social media and digital movement by driving member engagement through robust online communities. Explore emerging perspectives from Abila’s membership study, including the top ways to attract Millennials, keep Gen Xers, and engage Matures. Learn how to optimize your communities, measure your success, and fine-tune for even better engagement. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Abila
Presenter: Andy Steggles, president and chief customer officer, Higher Logic
Thu 11/17 at 2 p.m. – Emerging Global Threats to Have on Your Radar
Event organizers need new competencies and strategies to keep their participants safe from risks such as terrorism, extremism, espionage, organized crime and cyber security. Walk away with a new awareness around global threats and tips on how to help mitigate them. CE credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA and Dallas CVB
Presenter: Jakob Scharf, former director general, Danish Security and Intelligence Service
Thu 11/17 at 2 p.m. – Writing Accurate and Useful Volunteer Position Descriptions
Learn the basics of what should be included in a position description and how accurate and up-to-date position descriptions can help you recruit, train and retain volunteers. More info/register.
Host: VolunteerMatch
Presenter: Jennifer Bennett, senior manager of education & training, VolunteerMatch
Thu 11/17 at 2 p.m. – Getting Full Value from Media Data
Re-think your data strategy to improve strategic operations, attract advertisers and unlock new revenue streams. Explore the stages of this progression and the ways that thinking differently about data can impact not only business lines, but also the balance sheet itself. More info/register.
Host: Folio and GoodData
Presenters:
- Marcin Grobelny, senior manager, strategy and analytics, GoodData
- Tony Silber, vice president, Folio
Thu 11/17 at 4 p.m. – Is Dropbox Your Next File Server?
Take an in-depth and hands-on look at the pros and cons of using Dropbox as a cloud-based replacement for your file server. Hear the many caveats and lessons learned from helping dozens of nonprofits implement Dropbox as a primary file sharing solution, and comparisons with SharePoint and other cloud file servers. More info/register.
Host: Community IT Innovators
Presenter: Steve Longenecker, director of IT consulting, Community IT Innovators
Fri 11/18 at 12 p.m. – Inbound LunchBunch: Gaining New Leads through eBooks
Learn the fundamentals of inbound marketing and dive deeper into using eBooks to generate new leads. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: HighRoad Solution
Fri 11/18 at 1 p.m. – Are You Designing Webinars Worth Watching?
“Worthy-of-your-time” webinars are purposefully designed using research on how the brain acquires knowledge and specifically what motivates adult learners. Begin your journey into the world of instructional design to learn why you want to: make your audience feel uncomfortable, NOT tell attendees everything, give your SME a different role, and make more problems than offer solutions. More info/register.
Host: Blue Sky eLearn
Presenter: Julie Stelter, chief creative officer, Walden Group
If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.
Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.
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