Tag: Association Brain Food

The weekly list of free professional development events for the association community…

More M&A news this week: Personify bought Wild Apricot. DelCor’s Loretta DeLuca, Gretchen Steenstra, and Kathleen McQuilkin had a chat with Personify CEO Eric Thurston to get the deets.

HubSpot explains how online search habits are changing and how topic clusters and pillar pages can improve your website’s SEO performance.

As a content marketing writer, I love it when the sales and marketing teams collaborate on content ideas. The content marketing agency Imagination shares how you can (and why you should) get the sales team involved in the content development process.

Marketing automation software is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ technology. It’s a ‘must-have’ if you want to provide a meaningful, relevant membership experience. The Content Marketing Institute provides ten questions you should answer before evaluating marketing automation vendors.

Many of your webinar registrants are probably like me. They had good intentions when signing up, but then life got in the way. WorkCast suggests how you should connect with those no-shows.

If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 10/3 at 12 p.m.* – Association Analytics® Network Meeting (Washington DC)

Each quarter, Association Analytics® clients and invited guests meet to discuss new ideas and best practices in data analytics. This time you are encouraged to bring one of your association’s key marketing staff to the table to contribute as we talk about customer journey analytics and data augmentation – let’s cross-pollinate! Location: Washington DC. More info/registration.

Host: Association Analytics

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 10/3 at 2 p.m. – Adrian Segar and “The Meeting Industry’s Dirty Little Secret” (Association Chat)

Hmm, intriguing. Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

Guest: Adrian Segar, founder, Conferences That Work

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Tue 10/3 at 2 p.m. – Cracking the Code on Room Block Practices

Learn about the latest practices you should consider deploying to prevent the erosion of your contracted room block. Discover new industry resources you can use to educate your stakeholders about the difference between your room demand and contracted room block. Assess the current state of your organization’s room block practices. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: PCMA

Presenter: Christine “Shimo” Shimasaki, CDME, CMP, 2Synergize, Inc.

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Tue 10/3 at 2 p.m. – How to Strengthen Your Negotiation Skills

Contract negotiation is a key part of being a meeting planner. Being able to get the best hotel contract terms and concessions for your company can be the difference between a fabulous event and one that falls flat. Learn about key strategies to help you get the upper hand in any contract negotiation. More info/register.

Host: Smart Meetings

Presenter: Lisa Sommer Devlin, JD

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Wed 10/4 at 12 p.m. CDT – Chapter Roundtable (Chicago IL)

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Chicago. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Wed 10/4 at 12 p.m. (lunch) or 12:30 (webinar) – The Top Ten Tips for Nonprofits to Consider When They Procure Technology Solutions

Learn about considerations for negotiating and entering into technology contracts and licenses, namely, understanding different types of license grants, managing use of nonprofit data, addressing information security, dealing with electronic contracts, addressing future performance issues and problems, what happens when the relationship terminates, and handling other legal risks related to the use of third-party technology solutions. CAE credit. Location: Washington DC or virtual. More info/register.

Host: Venable LLP

Presenters:

• Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum, Esq. (moderator), Partner and Chair of the Nonprofit Organizations Practice, Venable LLP
• J. Zottola, Esq., Partner, Intellectual Property Transactions Practice, Venable LLP
• Christopher J. Kim, Esq., Associate, Intellectual Property Transactions Practice, Venable LLP
• Allison L. Laubach, Esq., Associate, Intellectual Property Transactions Practice, Venable LLP

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Wed 10/4 at 2 p.m. – Is Gamification Right for My Event?

Gamification can be used by event planners before, during, and after events to drive effective attendee habits and behaviors. Learn about the ways you can increase foot traffic in your exhibit hall, boost attendee engagement and networking, or maybe just give your attendees a way to relax and better connect with their professional and business opportunities. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Pathable

Presenter: Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey, CMP, Pathable

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Wed 10/4 at 2 p.m. – Competency-Based Training: Who Does It Help? And How?

Interest is growing in competency-based learning as an alternative to higher ed’s expense, with major companies such as Google, IBM, and EY adopting competency-based hiring and training programs as a direct route to employment. Hear about the rise of competency-based learning and what it means for the future of higher education, employment, and learning and development. More info/register.

Host: Learnosity

Presenters:

• Stephen Yadzinsky, Founder and CTO, Innovate & Educate
• Michelle Moggio, Director, Advisory Learning and Organizational Effectiveness, Grant Thornton
• Cora Stack, Lecturer, Institute of Technology Tallaght
• Brian Peddle, CEO, Motivis Learning

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Wed 10/4 at 2 p.m. – 7 Ways to Increase Event ROI and Audience Engagement with a Mobile App

Learn how to use event app engagement features like Live Polling, Q&A, gamification, push notifications, beacon alerts and more to create more personalized and interactive experiences for attendees, all while capturing data on their individual interactions to enhance your lead scoring and follow up programs. Hear about an organization that was able to increase attendee engagement by leveraging their mobile app to improve networking, education, and social interactions. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MeetingsNet

Presenter: Brooke Gracey, Marketing Manager, CrowdCompass by Cvent

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Wed 10/4 at 2 p.m. – How to Build and Scale a Webinar Program

Learn how to build webinars for each stage of the buying cycle, use webinars to enhance ABM and personalization, create targeted webinars for verticals and personas, and enhance nurture campaigns with webinar content. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Mark Bornstein, VP Content Marketing, ON24

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Thu 10/5 at 9:30 a.m. – Greater China Update (Washington DC)

Get a current overview of the state of affairs in the Greater China region and explore the different approaches that global associations have taken to grow a presence there. Gain a unique perspective on ongoing legal and political reform in China and strategies for aligning association activities; an update on China’s Foreign NGO Law and steps associations can take to ensure compliance; and insights into China’s association reform policy and an update on separation of China associations from government. 2 CAE credits. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Hosts: Kellen, ASAE, and Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong

Moderator: Steven Basart, vice president for Kellen in Beijing

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Thu 10/5 at 12 p.m. – How to Get Executive Support for Your Online Community

Learn how to identify the top community KPIs and tie them back to larger corporate initiatives, amplify the value that community will create throughout the organization, learn what your management cares about when it comes to adopting new technology, demonstrate the impact on the corporate bottom line, and get buy-in support from your management and other teams in your company. More info/register.

Host: Vanilla

Presenters:

• Richard Millington, CEO, Feverbee
• Melanie Attia, Vice President of Marketing, Vanilla

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Thu 10/5 at 3 p.m. – Fairy Tale or Horror Story? 9 Ways to Assure Your LMS Implementation Has a Happy Ever After

Learn the proper planning and analysis critical to a successful LMS implementation, plus how to involve the right stakeholders, select the best product to meet your defined needs, and determine the right time to start your strategic planning. More info/register.

Host: Chief Learning Officer

Presenter: Gary Underhill, Sr. Solutions Consultant, Expertus

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Thu 10/5 at 3 p.m. – Reston Idea Swap (Reston VA)

Location: Reston VA. More info/register.

Organizer: ASAE Greater Washington / National Capital Community

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Fri 10/6 at 1 p.m. – Talent Generation: An Important and Unexpected Role for Associations

Global research indicates the top concern among executives is their inability to recruit and retain talent. Hear the results of a study of the most future-facing companies in the United States today on the important role associations must play in solving the global workforce crisis. Gain valuable insights to rethink how you do business and respond to the challenges of the world. More info/register.

Host: Blue Sky eLearn

Presenter: Sarah Sladek, founder, XYZ University, and author, Talent Generation

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Save the date: Fri 10/13 – Association Component Exchange aka CEX (Arlington VA)

CEX is a one-day forum for association professionals who manage, nurture, and work with chapters or components, and a learning community where you can get together with CRP peers to share successes and struggles, strategies and tactics, and ideas and insights. Find out why three component relations professionals who helped design CEX are so excited about going. 8 CAE credits. Location: Arlington VA. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management & Marketing

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Save the date: Wed 10/18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – CMEpalooza

This free one-day virtual event feature a series of unique sessions focused on topics relevant to the broad CME community. More info/register.

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Felipe Portella on Unsplash.

The weekly list of free professional development and events for the association community…

Politicians and pundits need to listen to these two women whose friendship survives their opposing politics. And, if you find yourself judging others because of their politics, you need to watch this TED video too. Hate to be bossy but their message is one that isn’t often heard amidst all the noise.

Here’s another one of Ben Martin’s (CAE!) “Where are they now?” interviews, this time with one of my favorite CEOs, Dave Will, formerly CEO of Peach New Media and now CEO of PropFuel. And if that’s not enough, I just discovered and subscribed to Dave’s podcast, Entrepreneurs’ Organization Virtual Learning (EOVL)—and you should too. Love the latest episode with Cal Fussman, one of the best storytellers ever, talking about the art of interviewing and other adventures.

Turn your Bluetooth off when you’re not using it—that’s what I’m hearing from a few different authorities on cybersecurity.

As this weekly list shows, all kinds of organizations put on professional development webinars, and an increasing number of them are getting into online courses too. WBT Systems suggests nine ways associations can keep their online courses above the fray by engaging students and keeping them coming back for more.

Heed this advice from a content marketing agency that knows its stuff, RepCap, about the two things you need to run a great content marketing program.

You’ll never be famous and that’s okay, says Emily Esfahani Smith who also discusses George Eliot’s Middlemarch and leading a meaningful life. She has a TED talk worth watching too.

If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Mon 9/25 at 5:00 p.m.* – AENC FUEL Meetup (Durham NC)

Come early to this meetup for all ages of AENC members—at 4:30pm there will be a tour of The Durham Hotel, meet in the lobby. Please email Jovita Mask if you plan to attend the meetup. Big thanks to Greenville-Pitt County CVB for sponsoring the first drink and The Durham Hotel for hosting and appetizers. Location: Durham NC.

Organizer: Association Executives of North Carolina

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 9/26 at 9:00 a.m. – AENC FUEL Young Professionals Round Table (Durham NC)

This round table for AENC members 40 and under focuses on public speaking and media training. 1.5 CAE credits. Location: Durham NC. More info/register.

Host: Association Executives of North Carolina

Presenter: Deborah Holt Noel, Senior Producer, UNC-TV

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Tue 9/26 at 11 a.m. – The Changing Event App Landscape: Know Your Options

You’ve likely heard the buzz around changes to Apple’s App Store approval process that are affecting the options that meeting professionals have when providing attendees with event apps. Learn what’s behind the new changes and what it means for native event apps, what the available options are and how the new experience differs from a dedicated native event app, and how to effectively market your event app to your attendees to ensure they have an incredible experience. More info/register.

Host: EventMobi

Presenters: EventMobi CEO Bob Vaez and Product Manager, Martin Kuplens-Ewart

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Tue 9/26 at 12 p.m. – Negotiate Harder and Other Meetings Tips and Trends (Washington DC Idea Swap)

Are you truly negotiating in your organization’s best interests? How can you transition your meetings vendors into true win/win partners? Learn tips in meeting management plus how AWHONN achieved its most successful annual conference in its 48-year history and why attendees continue to give the event a 98% approval rating year after year. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Host: ASAE

Presenter: Billie Robinson, CAE, Director of Meetings and Convention Services, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)

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Tue 9/26 at 12:30 p.m. – How to Curate: Putting Curation in Practice

The volume of online information has made it increasingly challenging for learners to find what they need to stay current in their fields. Curation fits into the growing shift towards bringing learning into the flow of the work people are doing. It presents opportunities for the creation of new products that enable performance support and just in time information for busy professionals. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Web Courseworks

Presenter: David Kelly, Executive Vice President & Executive Director of The eLearning Guild

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Tue 9/26 at 1 p.m. – Maximizing Lead Gen: Why B2B Webinars Earn High Grades in Marketing Playbook

​Learn about the increasing use and success of marketing webinars. Get tips on improving your lead generation programs. Hear about how webinars can represent each stage of the buying cycle. Discover trends in content distribution to maximize exposure and influence. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenters:

• Todd Lebo, Partner/Chief Marketing Officer, Ascend2
• Justin McHeffey, Product Marketing Manager, ReadyTalk

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Tue 9/26 at 2 p.m. – Everything You Need to Know About Using Drones at Events (Association Chat)

The title says it all. Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

Guest: John Chen, CEO and The Big Kid, Geoteaming

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Tue 9/26 at 2 p.m. – How the Best Nonprofits Resolve Internal Conflict Quickly and Get on with their Mission

Is your organization’s mission suffering because of internal conflict, office politics and interpersonal issues? Learn seven proven communication strategies that prevent conflict in the first place, the reframing technique that turns interpersonal tension into creative solutions, and the best way to rebuild relationships after a conflict. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Wild Apricot

Presenter: Margaret Sumption, Cofounder, Sumption & Wyland

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Wed 9/27 at 8:30 a.m. – DC-Area Partnership Professionals Network (PPN) Idea Exchange (Washington DC)

Hear about the findings and talk about the implications of a recent survey on the state of corporate partnership programs. Email Bruce Rosenthal for more info/register. Location: Washington DC.

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Wed 9/27 at 12 p.m. – Content is Queen (Bee)

Thinking about a website redesign? Or a content refresh? We have a tendency to focus primarily on design with content as an afterthought. But, your content can make (or break) your website. Find out how to give your content the royal treatment it deserves from a panel of experienced content strategists. More info/register.

Host: Beaconfire RED

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Wed 9/27 at 1 p.m. – 17 Ways to Deliver VIP Experiences

Discover how to use your event to deliver VIP experiences to your clients and participants. From the first touchpoint to the memorable money-can’t-buy moment, find out how to use intentional design and basic principles to take your events to the next level. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Event Manger Blog

Presenter: Tahira Endean, instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology

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Wed 9/27 at 1 p.m. – How to Get Started on Sustainable Events

Learn how to understand minimum guidelines for sustainable events, determine which guidelines are best for your organization, know when to enroll your suppliers, benchmark your events through performance indicators, and develop a report to share the success of sustainable initiatives. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Presenter: Nancy Zavada, president, MeetGreen

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Wed 9/27 at 2 p.m. – Board Orientation Success: Key Elements for Effective Board Service

High-impact boards start with board members who understand their role and how best to bring their skills to the board table. Learn about the key elements of an annual Board Orientation Workshop designed to give board members a jump start on effective board service. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Headquarters

Presenter: Mike Dwyer, CAE, Chief Executive Relationship Officer, Association Headquarters

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Wed 9/27 at 2 p.m. – Could You Just Do One More Thing?

How many times have you heard that from someone with lavish taste and a small budget? How do you set boundaries with your clients, either internal or external? Come prepared to share a time you have felt overwhelmed, short staffed, short of resources or short tempered. Learn to establish clear goals and objectives, define and communicate the scope of the project and responsibilities so you can control the extent of your obligations, and evaluate your success. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: PCMA

Presenter: Lynne Wellish, CMP, CHSE CHO, Hospitality Educator with Triage Meetings and Events

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Wed 9/27 at 2 p.m. – The Attendee Journey: How to Maximize Engagement at Your Events

Understanding the attendee journey allows event organizers to set a ‘plan of attack,’ create important touch points at each stage of an event, and thoroughly engage an audience. Learn how to utilize technology to improve live experiences, crucial data points that will help achieve the best results, how to understand digital footprints, and other new ideas to improve the attendee experience. More info/register.

Host: BizBash

Presenter: Brooke Gracey, Senior Mobile Events App Strategist, CrowdCompass by Cvent

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Thu 9/28 at 1 p.m. – The Power of Live Events: How to Make Your Live Events Matter in a Digital World

Learn about the tragedy of the ‘ghost attendee’ and what you can do about it, five ways to use your event data to improve the attendee experience, real life examples of how planners are shaping the attendee journey, and actionable steps to get started. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenters:

• Brooke Gracey, Manager, CrowdCompass Marketing
• Emma Bica, Marketing Communications Specialist, PeopleNet

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Thu 9/28 at 2 p.m. – 10 Common Webinar Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Learn how to make the most of your webinar programs. Find out about best practices for driving webinar registration, delivering engaging presentations, enhancing the audience experience, and getting the most out of webinar leads. More info/register.

Host: CMS Wire

Presenter: Mark Bornstein, VP of Content Marketing, ON24

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Fri 9/29 at 12 p.m. – Let’s Learn Together: Enhancing Online Learning with Communities

Incorporating learning communities with your LMS can add a vibrant component to your virtual courses and keep your members coming back for more. Learn how to integrate an LMS and online community, what data can be shared between the two, and how a holistic system can drive engagement in both platforms. More info/register.

Host: Blue Sky eLearn

Presenters:

• Heather McNair, Vice President of Engagement Strategy, Higher Logic
• Jodi Ray, Channel Manager, Blue Sky eLearn

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Fri 9/29 at 2 p.m. – Confident Decision Making Through Scenario Planning

Learn how scenario planning liberates decision making at the leadership level, the importance of creating scenarios based on a number of business variables projected at a future point in time, how scenarios make it easy for executives to grasp the implications of any potential decision, and how scenario planning is a key element of Integrated Business Planning. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Timm Reiher, Principal and Demand Management Expert, Oliver Wight

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Save the date: Tue 10/3 at 12 p.m. CDT – Chapter Roundtable (Chicago IL)

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Chicago. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway 

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Save the date: Tue 10/3 at 12 p.m. – Association Analytics® Network Meeting (Washington DC)

Each quarter, Association Analytics® clients and invited guests meet to discuss new ideas and best practices in data analytics. This time you are encouraged to bring one of your association’s key marketing staff to the table to contribute as we talk about customer journey analytics and data augmentation – let’s cross-pollinate! More info/register.

Host: Association Analytics

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Save the date: Fri 10/13 – Association Component Exchange aka CEX (Arlington VA)

CEX is a one-day forum for association professionals who manage, nurture, and work with chapters or components, and a learning community where you can get together with CRP peers to share successes and struggles, strategies and tactics, and ideas and insights. 8 CAE credits. Location: Arlington VA. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management & Marketing

Don’t go yet, find out why three component relations professionals who helped design CEX are so excited about going.

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Erin Simmons on Unsplash.

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

We’re all Equif*cked. I swiped that word from TechCrunch—it’s a gem. Dave Coriale at DelCor Technology Solutions isn’t one to use that kind of language in public but he did share 12 steps association CEOs can take to avoid becoming the next Equifax—and avoid getting the axe.

If you’re wondering what former Aptify founder Amith Nagarajan has been up to since selling Aptify—because he’s definitely a guy to keep an eye on—Ben Martin CAE talked to him over at theNIRD.org. Keep an eye on rasa.io too—I think it will help shape the future of associations. By the way, NIRD stands for Not-for-profit Investments Research Department—it’s where Ben shared a rumor yesterday about big AMS news…waiting to hear more.

What do you remember from ASAE Annual—besides the good times you had with friends? Did most of the learning stick? I’d wager “no.” WBT Systems has a solution associations can implement to solve that problem: a post-conference learning plan.

This Fortune article explains five ways businesses are already using blockchain. The examples will help you understand what blockchain is all about and how it might apply to your industry.

If you have a hard time keeping up with emerging technology, check out the creative ways these eleven CIOs stay current.

Jimmy Daly says it’s the perfect time to launch a newsletter, and I agree. Because of the growing use of platforms like Slack, Daly believes “email is suddenly enjoyable again.” Slack non-users may not agree, but growing an email list is one of the smartest marketing moves an organization can make.

If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 9/19 at 9 a.m.* – Fiduciary Training for Associations/Nonprofits: The How To’s of Investment Oversight (Washington DC)

Learn practical tips that help you gauge whether you’re an effective steward of your organization’s assets. Understand the various steps you can take to ensure your organization’s investments are well-managed. More info/register.

Host: Raffa Wealth Management

Presenters: Dennis Gogarty, President, and Mark Murphy, Chief Investment Officer, Raffa Wealth Management

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 9/19 at 10 a.m. – Advocacy in a Social Media World

Explore how associations have become catalysts for change by using social media platforms—and members—to promote key issues to legislators, regulators, and the public. Learn how to galvanize members and other stakeholders to participate in social media campaigns, train and manage members to stay on topic in the age of 140-character debates, and build a social media campaign to maximize cost-effectiveness and political values to advance their cause. More info/register.

Host: MCI Group

Presenters: Rebecca Flick, Associate Vice President, and Chris Williams, Senior Associate, MCI USA

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Tue 9/19 at 11:30 a.m. – Using Marketing Automation to Grow Event Registration

Hear about different ways to target, incent, and create buzz about your event through marketing automation. Learn how to get a much better response and how to send smarter and more sophisticated emails. More info/register.

Host: C Systems Global

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Tue 9/19 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Tue 9/19 at 12 p.m. – Driving an Innovation Strategy

​Associations must innovate or become obsolete. Why is it then that associations seem to be stuck doing things “the way we have always done it?” Explore how an orchestrated strategy, concentrating on how informed leadership, streamlined processes, future facing technology and concierge service can accelerate your movement along the innovation spectrum. More info/register.

Host: NimbleUser

Presenter: Dan Stark, Director of Product Strategy, NimbleUser and former Executive Director of American Public Gardens Association

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Tue 9/19 at 1 p.m. – 3 Ways to Personalize your Marketing Campaigns

Learn why you should personalize your campaigns in real-time, how you can leverage deep customer insights to improve your campaigns, and how you can set up a dynamic and automated customer experience. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Christian Parker, Marketing and Customer Experience SME, IBM Cognitive Engagement Solutions, Watson Marketing

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Tue 9/19 at 2 p.m. – Association Chat

Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

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Tue 9/19 at 2 p.m. – Ideas to Keep Meeting Engagement High and Post-Event Satisfaction Even Higher

Learn simple, but highly effective methods to invigorate your agenda and transform it into a positive and rewarding experience. Discover how to leave your attendees with a positive, lasting impression, and keep them coming back for more. Hear about Meet with Purpose, an innovative program that combines sustainable menus coupled with an experiential component worthy of any agenda. More info/register.

Host: Smart Meetings

Presenter: Toni Zoblotsky, Director of B2B Marketing, Hilton

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Wed 9/20 at 10:30 a.m. – AENC CAE Study Group (Raleigh NC)

This study group was instrumental to many passing the exam. Bring your calendar (dates for future meetings will be set). You can obtain additional hours towards the CAE through this study group. From ASAE website: “Preplanned in-depth group study of specific association management topic(s) with interaction between a minimum of three participants from three different organizations earn 1 CAE credit for each clock hour, up to a maximum of 20 credits per CAE application.” Duration: 1.5 hours. Location: Paragon Bank Board Room (on your immediate left when you enter the bank), 3535 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC. Register/more info.

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Wed 9/20 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Wed 9/20 at 1 p.m. – Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? Working & Meeting Multi-Generationally

While it’s true that Millennials are transforming the business world and the very way we meet and market events, your meeting format must not leave other generations wanting. Explore the impact of generational differences on meetings and in the workplace. Learn how to work well with all generations. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Presenter: Joan Eisenstodt, Friday with Joan blogger and meeting industry stalwart

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Wed 9/20 at 1 p.m. – Wake Up Sleepy Subscribers with Marketing Automation

Learn how inactive subscribers bring down the overall health of your email programs, various strategies for re-engaging inactive subscribers based on email domain and last engagement, and ways to leverage marketing automation to turn your inactive subscribers into loyal customers. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Mike Madden, Sr. Manager, Marketing, Marketo

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Wed 9/20 at 2 p.m. – Association Email Event Promotion Metrics Unveiled

Most marketers lack insight into how their event promotions measure up to their peers. Hear the results of Informz’s first Association Email Event Promotion Microstudy, including key performance metrics for email promotions for large and small events, insight into promotional strategies used by associations and results achieved, and the most successful types of event promotions for conversions, from save the dates to last chances. More info/register. Host: Informz

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Wed 9/20 at 2 p.m. – Raise the Roof with Your Sourcing Game

Gain insights on the seismic shifts taking place in events and hospitality and learn best practices to leverage technology to increase efficiency, win in hotel negotiations, and demonstrate proven value to clients and meeting owners. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Pathable

Presenter: Brad Langley, CITE, MBA, Vice President, Global Thirty Party Markets, etouches

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Wed 9/20 at 2 p.m. – 7 Secrets to Avoid a Boring Webinar
Learn tips and best practices that can increase the value of your webinars for you and your audience, including: gamification to make complex data digestible and fun, simple ways to add engagement to your webinars, tricks for getting more from video, even if you don’t have a studio, and modern webinar formats. More info/register.

Host: ON24

Presenter: Mark Bornstein, Vice President, Content Marketing, ON24

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Wed 9/20 at 4 p.m. – Your Nonprofit IT Budget

Learn how to budget for your IT to perform well, how to integrate IT budget decisions at all levels of management, and how to become comfortable viewing IT decisions as important strategic decisions. More info/register.

Host: Community IT

Presenter: Johan Hammerstrom, President and CEO, Community IT

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Thu 9/21 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Location: Reston VA. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Thu 9/21 at 1 p.m. – How to Drive Association Success with Continuing Education

Discover how modern learning technology can help you strengthen your position as a relevant, trusted source of continuing education, add value by helping members stay ahead of accreditation requirements, develop and deliver useful content at members’ convenience, offer pricing that appeals to diverse audiences, while optimizing your revenue streams, and apply marketing techniques that differentiate you and increase response from members and non-members, alike. More info/register.

Host: Talented Learning

Presenters:

• John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst, Talented Learning
• Tamer Ali, SVP and General Manager of Education Solutions, Community Brands

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Thu 9/21 at 2 p.m. – Budgets Roadmaps & MarTech Project Management

1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: HighRoad Solution

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Fri 9/22 at 11:30 a.m. – Unleash Your AMS Data (Tyson’s Corner VA)

You’ve written your standard operating procedures, taught staff why data integrity is key, and added tons of user-defined fields to meet the needs of the business units you support. You’ve given your organization the gift that keeps on giving—pristine data that can power your digital marketing campaigns. Learn about the various ways organizations are now leveraging their AMS data to power personalized, automated campaigns. 1 CAE credit. Lunch provided. Duration: 2 hours. Location: Tyson’s Corner VA. More info/register.

Host: benel Solutions

Presenter: Suzanne Carawan, CMO, HighRoad Solution

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Save the date: Fri 10/13 – Component Exchange aka CEX (Arlington VA)

CEX is a one-day forum for association professionals who manage, nurture, and work with chapters or components, and a learning community where you can get together with CRP peers to share successes and struggles, strategies and tactics, and ideas and insights. 8 CAE credits. Location: Arlington VA. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management & Marketing

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Manuel Barroso Parejo on Unsplash.

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

“Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.” It sure is. I heard these wise words from Susan David on an episode of The Good Life Project podcast. She’s the author of Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life which I managed to snag for $1.99 a while back thanks to an alert from BookBub.

I listen to podcasts whenever I have a chance—working out, doing chores, cooking, and driving. I bet many of your members and prospects are podcasts junkies too. That’s one of the reasons why WBT Systems says you may want to add podcasts to your online educational offerings.

Are you ready for GDPR? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, or if any of your databases (systems) contains information for even one European resident, or if you offer products or services to European residents, then you need to read this advice on preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation.

Another must read: McKinley Advisors provides a detailed checklist of sorts to see if your association has adapted to the new marketing reality.

And finally, an optimistic opinion from an economic historian: “A long-wave theory of technological and economic change suggests the financial malaise that began in 2007 may be about to end.” Fingers crossed, we’re on the verge of a new golden age.

If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Mon 9/11 at 12 p.m.* – 10 Data Management Tips to Boost Marketing

Regardless of your association size, your data is one of the most valuable assets you can use to create successful marketing strategies. Get a simple assessment to see how well you’re managing data and ten action items you can implement right away to improve your organization’s data management practices. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ASAE

Presenter: Wes Trochlil, president, Effective Database Management

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 9/12 at 11 a.m. – How to Bring Teams Together around Digital Projects with Simple Collaboration Techniques

Learn how to set your compass to a north star for you and your collaborators to navigate towards; how to take responsibility for developing a shared language at any time in the project; how to build momentum that’s fueled by having motivated collaborators; and how to maintain healthy collaborative practices that keep your team together. More info/register.

Host: Gather Content

Presenter: Ellen de Vries, content strategist, Clearleft

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Tue 9/12 at 2 p.m. – Six Things You Probably Didn’t Know about the Future of Aging (Association Chat)

The future of aging is a complicated constellation of issues that is in front of us at all times and yet never seems to garner the attention it demands. Join this lively discussion about the duty of foresight and some compelling facts on the future of aging that you probably don’t know. Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

Guest: Jeff De Cagna, executive advisor, Foresight First LLC 

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Wed 9/13 at 11 a.m. – The Whys and Hows Behind Recent Association Web Projects

Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall in another organization’s office as they’re developing their digital strategy or making big decisions about which web technologies and platforms to use? Find out about the strategy behind seven recent web projects and learn how other organizations are developing new and better ways to meet their members’ needs on the web. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Matrix Group

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Wed 9/13 at 12 p.m. CDT – Chapter Roundtable (Chicago IL)

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Chicago. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Wed 9/13 at 12 p.m. – Is Gamification Right for My Event?

Gamification can be used by event planners in many different ways before, during, and after events to drive effective attendee habits and behaviors. Gain a solid understanding of what gamification is and how it can fit in your current and future event design. Learn five actionable ways to integrate gamification into your events. Receive one game template to try at your next event. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Pathable

Presenter: Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey, CMP, Pathable

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Wed 9/13 at 2 p.m. – PCMA Ask Us Anything (about Digital Events)

During this crowdsourced online session, we invite digital event novices and virtuosos alike to ask their most pressing questions to a panel of esteemed industry thought leaders. More info/register.

Host: PCMA

Presenters:

• Kaila Bongiovanni, DES, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Microsoft
• Ruud W. Janssen CMM, EDC, DES, Managing Director, TNOC
• Emma King, Digital Media Engagement Strategist, LearningAlignment

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Wed 9/13 at 4 p.m. – Small Association Forum for Executives (Washington DC or call-in)

Join an executive peer roundtable for executives of small staff associations with ten or fewer employees—a free-flowing discussion around pressing issues on a variety of topics. Duration: 1.5 hours. Location: Washington DC or virtual. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Executive Management Section

Facilitator: Shira Harrington, Chief Engagement Officer, Purposeful Hire, Inc.

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Thu 9/14 at 12 p.m. – Powering Up Your Chapter Leaders Succession Planning

Join us for a different take on chapter succession planning. We’re shifting from talking about providing succession plan templates to coaching for success. What’s your role at the National association? How can you actively coach your chapter leaders? What resource can you provide that will make a difference? Let’s talk and share! 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

Presenters:

• Peggy Hoffman, President, Mariner Management & Marketing, LLC
• Kyle Bazzy, Director of Growth, Billhighway

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Thu 9/14 at 12 p.m. – Community Managers Unite

Come with your questions, your concerns, and your advice. How do you deal with conflict that occurs among members within your community? Do you have a code of conduct? How do you get member buy-in and/or enforce it when need be? How do you maintain the balance with industry partners so they are getting value out of the community, but not crossing the sales line? 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Success

Presenters: Arianna Rehak, Luke Zimmer, and Catherine Hackney

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Thu 9/14 at 1 p.m. – Association Learning + Technology

Hear about the key findings from the new edition of the Association Learning + Technology report and how they apply to your association. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Community Brands

Presenters:

• Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele, co-founders, Tagoras
• Anna Toon, product marketing manager for careers & education, Community Brands

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Thu 9/14 at 2 p.m. – Network Ninja Training

Learn a new technique to uncover your event’s true high-speed internet access (HSIA) bandwidth requirements. Find out how to evaluate a venue’s ability to provide the three most important requirements in delivering a successful event:  bandwidth, infrastructure, and support. More info/register.

Host: PSAV

Presenter: William Sterling

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Fri 9/15 at 1 p.m. – Engage. Inspire. Involve. 

Find out how to engage members, volunteers, and the community in order to involve them in your organization’s mission. Learn strategies for genuine engagement; an approach for building relationships that matter; and a plan to involve key players in a way that propels your mission forward. More info/register.

Hosts: Blue Sky and teamWorks

Presenter: Becky Lunders, teamWorks

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Save the dates:

Tue 9/19 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC

Wed 9/20 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA

Thu 9/21 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Host: Billhighway

Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.

Location: Reston VA. More info/register.

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Massimo Mancini on Unsplash.

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

This week’s photo is a preview of my weekend, but without the chair—can’t fit a chair like that in my backpack. We’re heading out on Sunday for our first backpack camping trip, the first of many, if all goes well. So, what did I enjoy reading this week…

What happens when a membership prospect calls your association? Do you really know? You may want to find out after reading this interesting report from Billhighway about hundreds of calls they made to associations for a market research project.

And now for a more complicated subject but one I felt like I needed to learn more about—blockchain. This Fortune article describes how businesses are trying to harness blockchain and why they (and you) can’t afford to ignore it.

Don’t buy bitcoin because all the cool kids are buying bitcoin, that’s not a good reason, although it does demonstrate the power of social proof. WBT Systems explains how your association can use the power of social proof to market your online learning programs.

I know we’re all sick of the word “silos,” but they’re still an issue so we’re still talking about them. Silos are especially frustrating when you think about all the content produced across a typical association—conference sessions, website, emails, publications, reports, and so on—but they don’t have a coordinated approach to using it. Learn how to tear down silos and create a culture of content from the Content Marketing Institute.

If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 9/5 at 2 p.m. – TV Producer’s Association Story on Change Management (Association Chat)

Learn how an association executive leveraged her background as an actor and TV producer to bring a mentality of nimbleness and culture of change management to her association. Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

Guest: Sharon Newport, a TV producer turned association executive

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Wed 9/6 at 1 p.m. – What’s Driving Member Loyalty?

Member retention is key to association survival, but why do your members keep coming back? Community Brands asked more than 1,000 association members in the U.S. just that and their answers could make all the difference in understanding how to retain them and better nurture them up the loyalty spectrum. Learn what motivates your most loyal members and the most effective ways to communicate your value to them. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: NimbleUser AMS and Community Brands

Presenters: Amanda Myers and Peggy Smith, Community Brands

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Wed 9/6 at 2 p.m. – Webinar Benchmarks Report 2017

You want your webinars to be the best, but what really goes into the best webinars? ON24 looked at over 12,000 webinars to find out, and the results were surprising. Hear about best practices and key industry benchmarks. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Mark Bornstein, VP Content Marketing, ON24, Inc.

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Thu 9/7 at 9 a.m. – Medical Education in China: Practical Steps to Build Impact

Hear insights from the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s (SCCM) five year effort to improve SCCM engagement and partner strategy for the distribution of its training courses and publications in China. Learn how to navigate the complicated stakeholder landscape, build recognition and buy-in, understand the government’s objectives for the healthcare industry, and get an update on the NGO law with practical examples. More info/register.

Host: MCI

Presenters:

• David J. Martin, CEO & Executive Vice President, Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
• Maria Tong, Director MCI China, team leader for SCCM in China

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Thu 9/7 at 11 a.m. – How to Plan for Content during Website Redesigns

Learn the four types of digital change, and how a website redesign fits within the broader lifecycle, the basics of creating a dynamic content inventory, the six steps of handling content during a migration, and techniques of sequencing multiple sites in a global redesign. More info/register.

Host: Gather Content

Presenter: David Hobbs, David Hobbs Consulting

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Thu 9/7 at 12 p.m. – Freedom in the Cloud: A Modern and Flexible Approach to Technology for your Association

Find out what it means to embrace the cloud, what “the cloud” actually is, how it’s used by Fortune 500 companies and associations, and why you should do the same. Learn the pitfalls of monolithic software applications such as Association Management Software (AMS), why you should get out of the closet and into the cloud for data storage, and the freedom and flexibility you can achieve by embracing what modern technology has to offer. More info/register.

Host: Greenfield Services

Presenter: Jeff Horne, Founder & CEO, Industrial

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Thu 9/7 at 3 p.m. – A Podcaster’s Guide to Podcasting (Loudoun County Idea Swap in Sterling VA)

Podcasting is the perfect communication tool for association professionals with a shoestring budget and lots of content ideas. Craig Sorrell of Results Direct will share his experience and lessons learned in podcasting. Hear what worked and what didn’t work, including format and structure tips, advanced voice and technical techniques, set up, podcast feeds, and ideas to monetize your podcast. There will be time for questions and the opportunity to see a hands-on podcasting demonstration. 1 CAE credit. Location: Sterling VA. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Greater Washington / National Capital Community

Presenter: Craig Sorrell, Marketing Manager, Results Direct

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Fri 9/8 at 12 p.m. – Your Member Experience: Have You Called Your Association Lately?

Has your association ever hired a ‘secret shopper’ to evaluate your customer service? Do you know what membership prospects experience when looking for information on your website or calling your association? During a market research project, we learned much more than we anticipated about the membership prospect experience. The results were often so surprising (and disappointing) that we wanted to share them with the association community. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

Presenter: Kyle Bazzy, director of growth, Billhighway

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo on Pexels.

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

Amanda Kaiser (aka Smooth the Path) has partnered with Dynamic Benchmarking on the association community’s first benchmark survey on new member onboarding. Follow that link to Amanda’s blog to learn how your association can participate and find out more about this important survey.

In both my association jobs, I worked closely with our state and local affiliated associations. I only wish I had access to the amazing resources that now exist for component (or chapter) relations professionals, like this cool-looking event from Billhighway and Mariner Management on October 13, CEX, the Component Exchange. Check it out, CRPs!

Something else I could have used—this glossary to AMS lingo from DelCor Technology Solutions plus an explanation of how an AMS works. Now you don’t have to just nod along and pretend you know what IT is talking about.

Not a week goes by that I don’t get excited by the potential of technology. Much of it is out of reach (budget) of associations now but you know how that goes. Start thinking about it because soon it will be here. This week’s example is insight engines. I’m thinking of it as sort of a bionic search capability that pulls on all kinds of data sources across the enterprise and delivers highly context-relevant results, but this article from CMS Wire explains it better.

Look out associations, colleges and universities are discovering that there’s money to be made in the lifelong learning market. WBT Systems describes the different ways they’re hoping to steal your customers and how you can take advantage of the opportunities they’ve missed.

The dog days of summer are here – not too many webinars scheduled next week. If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 8/29 at 12 p.m.* – Driving an Innovation Strategy

​Associations must innovate or become obsolete. You can’t predict the future but you can make your association future-ready. Explore how an orchestrated strategy that concentrates on how informed leadership, streamlined processes, future facing technology, and concierge service can accelerate your movement along the innovation spectrum. More info/register.
Host: NimbleUser

Presenter: Dan Stark, director of product strategy, NimbleUser (and former executive director of American Public Gardens Association)

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 8/29 at 1 p.m. – Using Content Strategy to Re-Imagine Your Website

Before you redesign your website, you need to understand who your users are and what they’re looking for. Learn how to develop a content strategy that’s tailored for your association and answers these questions. More info/register.

Hosts: Euclid Technology and ReviewMyAMS

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Tue 8/29 at 1 p.m. – Top Social Media Tools to Boost Your Event Marketing

Learn about a carefully curated set of tools that can help you to boost the quality and quantity of your social media output. Find out why these tools are important, get an overview of how they should be used and explore how they can help you to market your events and grow your business. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Event Manager Blog

Presenter: Miguel Neves, head chef, Social Media Chefs Ltd.

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Tue 8/29 at 2 p.m. – Association Chat

Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

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Tue 8/29 at 2 p.m. – Choosing a Mobile Event App: Find the Best for Meetings & Conferences

Learn about the most important questions to ask when vetting a mobile event app provider to ensure it will be a valuable tool for you and your attendees. Find out what new mobile features are being used to increase engagement. Hear from a planner who recently evaluated providers and learn what they did to make sure they were getting the best, most reliable product at the right cost. More info/register.

Host: Smart Meetings

Presenter: Brooke Gracey, senior mobile events app strategist, CrowdCompass by Cvent

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Wed 8/30 at 12 p.m. – Increase Employee Engagement & Retention

A 2017 Gallup survey found that 70% of employees in the U.S. are disengaged from their work, while a significant 30% are actively antagonistic towards it. Learn how your leaders can improve their communication skills to make staff members feel valued and committed to the organization’s goals. Explore how strong leadership skills and strategic conversations contribute to increased employee engagement and retention. More info/register.

Host: ASAE/Association Career HQ

Presenter: Bob Dunham, Institute for Generative Leadership

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Wed 8/30 at 12 p.m. – Your Member Experience: Have You Called Your Association Lately?

Has your association ever hired a ‘secret shopper’ to evaluate your customer service? Do you know what membership prospects experience when looking for information on your website or calling your association? During a market research project, we learned much more than we anticipated about the membership prospect experience. The results were often so surprising (and disappointing) that we wanted to share them with the association community. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

Presenter: Kyle Bazzy, director of growth, Billhighway

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Wed 8/30 at 1 p.m. – Wellness: The Spa and Beyond

Learn about specific meeting trends in the wellness arena, must-haves for buzzworthy wellness and spa offerings, and effective methods to improve one’s own health and vitality with powerful and effective spa-at-home practices. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Presenter: Theresa Rose

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Thu 8/31 at 3 p.m. – 20+ Marketing Hacks to Get More Butts on Seats

A panel of marketing gurus shares their advice on how to reach beyond your current marketing database, tips on getting your marketing emails opened by more, social media do’s & don’ts, and justifying the costs of print vs. digital advertising. More info/register.

Host: Event Tech Tribe

Presenters:

• Molly Falco, marketing, Swoogo
• Raime Merriman, marketing, Hubb
• Lara Simmons, marketing, Event Tech Tribe

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Andreas Kind on Unsplash

Your weekly list of free webinars and events for the association community…

It drives me nuts when I hear about associations that don’t give their employees a decent professional development budget. Short-sighted. Hypocritical too. Maybe this article by Thomas Marcetti will help someone get the support they need.

Expeditionary marketing, emotional marketing, and evangelism marketing—three underappreciated yet effective approaches for marketing association educational programs, according to WBT Systems.

Dion Hinchcliffe identifies the enterprise technologies to watch. His article helps you get a feel for what these tools do, imagine how your members will use them, and how you can use them to deliver value.

Here’s a helpful checklist from Andy Crestodina for improving the user experience on your website.

I wrote this post early because I was away this week so the list below may not include all the options for this week, sorry about that. If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 8/22 at 12 p.m.* – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 8/22 at 2 p.m. – Association Chat

Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

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Wed 8/23 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Wed 8/23 at 4 p.m. – We Are All Data Managers: Learn How to Up Your Game

Every person working at a nonprofit shares some data management responsibility. Learn the fundamental skills and mindset you need to be a better manager of data and a more valued employee to your nonprofit organization. More info/register.

Host: Community IT

Presenter: Peter Mirus, partner, Build Consulting

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Thu 8/24 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Location: Reston VA. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

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Thu 8/24 at 12 p.m. – The Comedy of Team Building: Build Strong Teams Using Lessons from Improv

Performing improv comedy is one of the ultimate team-building experiences. With no script and no safety net, your troupe can’t be successful unless everyone’s committed to the good of the group and the shared goal to engage and entertain your audience. Learn improv secrets you can use to transform a group of individuals into a highly functioning and supportive team and how to take your teams beyond their comfort zones to spark innovative performances worth rousing applause. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Professional Development Section

Presenter: Cynthia D’Amour, leadership strategist, People Power Unlimited

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Thu 8/24 at 1 p.m. – A Beginners Guide to Monetizing Your Learning

Identify strategic and creative ways to price your education programs. Discover packaging and promotional opportunities to drive participation. Explore scenarios from fellow association executives who successfully increased their reach and revenues through their learning portfolios. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: CommPartners

Speaker: Richard Finstein, founder and CEO, CommPartners

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Thu 8/24 at 1 p.m. – Building an Agile Team to Drive Amazing Customer Experiences

Marketers need content. Audiences want content. But the question becomes, how to do it, do it well, and get it done on time? Learn how marketing teams have employed sophisticated and agile techniques to deploy content that works. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Jeff Julian, co-founder, EnterpriseMarketer.com

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Fri 8/25 at 1 p.m. – How to Develop eLearning Pricing Strategies & Winning Value Propositions

Learn how to craft a winning value proposition for eLearning, avoid common mistakes that kill registrations, and explore pricing structures that combat one-offs. More info/register.

Host: Blue Sky eLearn

Presenter: Tracy King, founder, InspirEd

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Cameron Oxley on Unsplash

Look out associations, now that LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, you can expect it to become a professional development and networking behemoth. This week it launched a new service that identifies potential mentors and people who might be looking for mentorship in a specific location, and then helps them connect. Hmm, sounds like a souped-up association mentoring program.

According to research, Millennials and Generation Z are more likely to stick with employers that provide opportunities for professional development and growth. WBT Systems explains why and how associations can design online learning programs that will appeal to young professionals and their employers.

45 million voice-assisted devices are now in use in the U.S. and that number will rise to 67 million by 2019. Here’s what you need to know about Voice AI, “the next frontier of brand marketing.” And that means association marketing too.

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, is one of those books I’ve always meant to read but never have. Now I’m getting the gist of it from Mike Guerreri, CAE, of DelCor Technology Solutions. He explains how to use the Switch framework when planning for change management.

The first event on my list this week is a happy hour at ASAE Annual for CRPs—component relations professionals—hosted by my friends at Billhighway and Mariner Management. But there’s more fun to be had in Toronto—just check out this list of #asae17 events collected by KiKi L’Italien. She does this every year, such a doll.

The list of this week’s free webinars and other learning events is shorter than usual, probably because of Annual. If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Sun 8/13 at 5 p.m. – Chapters Only Happy Hour at ASAE Annual (Toronto, ON)

It’s free and we’ll have an open bar tab! Now that we have your attention… Got chapters? We know chapters add a whole new layer of complexity to your organization. We also recognize that there isn’t a place or online community just for component-based associations to converse. Wouldn’t it be nice to be face-to-face with other association professionals that understand what you’re going through? So why not join us for a drink…or two? After all, it’s on us! Call us crazy…but we’re not going to sell you while we’re there. We simply want to help those who work at associations with chapters be able to network, share challenges, wins, and more. Duration: 2 hours. Location: Toronto, ON. More info/register.

Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management & Marketing

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 8/15 at 2 p.m. – Green Meetings: Creating Sustainable Planners & Attendees

As social and environmental awareness increase, brands big and small must examine green factors surrounding their events, ranging from diversity of speakers and healthy menu options, to readily-accessible recycling. These green-meeting elements can make or break even the most popular events, so it’s critical to market them strategically and advantageously. Learn how sustainability can drive creativity at your events and what the top 10 hottest trends for creative, sustainable events are. More info/register.

Host: SmartMeetings

Presenter: Nancy J. Zavada, president & founder, MeetGreen

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Tue 8/15 at 2:30 p.m. – Association Chat Live from #ASAE17

This won’t be like other Association Chats! KiKi, Nabil, and Tamela will be on site to give you their insights from the conference, highlights from the show floor, and live interviews with special guests. If you are watching online, you’ll get to hear different perspectives on the conference and a glimpse of what you may not see elsewhere online. If you want to participate in the live show on site, there’s limited seating, so RSVP to KiKi ASAP. Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Hosts: KiKi L’Italien, Tamela Blalock and Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

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Wed 8/16 at 1 p.m. – How the Dyslexia Training Institute (DTI) Launched Its First Virtual Conference

Learn how DTI set up the conference, secured the keynote speaker and workshop presenters, created content, and spread the word about the event. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: iCohere

Presenters: Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracy Block-Zaretsky, founders, Dyslexia Training Institute

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Wed 8/16 at 2 p.m. – Getting and Staying Strategic

Strategic management is an ongoing process that goes beyond the formal meeting you hold every 3-5 years. It’s a way of life. Learn how your board can become strategic and more importantly, how to stay strategic, all without outside facilitation. Understand how to prepare for a strategic board meeting; how to identify, measure, and track key data points that help boards and executive teams make strategic decisions; and how to implement tactics that help leadership focus on strategic issues. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Headquarters

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Thu 8/17 at 1 p.m. – Life Stage Marketing: Audience Targeting from Graduates to Retirees

​Learn how affinities and more evolve throughout the life stages. Understand how you can use this data to develop a powerful targeting strategy. Hear about the typical day individuals in each major life stage have and what they’re talking about. Listen to case studies about how major companies are finding new ways to use life stage marketing to unleash more effective targeted content programs. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Dan Neely, CEO and founder, Networked Insights

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Fri 8/18 at 11:30 a.m./12 p.m. – AENC CEO Round Table/Luncheon (Raleigh NC)

For association CEOs/executive directors only, come hear a presentation by U.S. Senator Thom Tillis. 1 CAE credit. Location: Raleigh NC. More info/register.

Organizer: AENC

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Save the dates:

Tue 8/22 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC

Wed 8/23 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA

Thu 8/24 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. Host: Billhighway

Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.

Location: Reston VA. More info/register.

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That’s it for this week. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Cara Fuller on Unsplash