As meeting professionals plan for future in-person meetings, they’ll need to incorporate new technologies and processes to keep all participants safe. One tool to consider is digital contact tracing. Here’s a look at what’s involved. Although most associations won’t be hosting large in-person meetings in the immediate future, many are thinking about what those face-to-face events will look like when they do return, along with what new technology and procedures they may need to implement to keep all participants [...]

As employees face stress from the pandemic, lockdowns, social injustice, and politics, their mental health can suffer. Employers don’t have to stand by helplessly, though. Experts suggest taking several steps to help staff stay healthy and productive. RESOURCES The American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health offers two guides to help employees and employers deal with some of the mental health challenges that have emerged during this stressful year.For employees: Working Remotely During COVID-19: Your Mental Health [...]

We begin by offering our thanks to speakers Senator Tom Takubo, Scott Cosco and Mike Clowser.  These three shared their different perspectives as a legislator, as a lobbyist with clients across different industries and a lobbyist representing a single association.  Below are some bullet points highlighting their remarks. Senator Tom Takubo, MD, said the 2021 legislative session will likely be a hybrid model of in-person and virtual activities, although the worst case scenario would be virtual only activities.  [...]

Associations responded remarkably well to an onslaught of challenges in 2020. A membership expert offers suggestions for navigating the start of a new year with your members in mind. I don’t know about you, but in times of uncertainty I like to talk to experts, so I reached out to Scott Oser, president of Scott Oser Associates, to find out his thoughts about membership for the upcoming year. Nothing like the hot seat. “The number one thing associations [...]

It’s the start of a new year, a great time to get motivated and reevaluate what works and what doesn’t. Here are six ideas to get the most out of volunteers, while also giving them a rewarding experience. As a CEO or volunteer manager, if you or your volunteers found yourselves unmotivated and ready to just stop at the end of the year, join the club, no dues required. But now it’s a new fiscal year for many [...]

While the pandemic led many associations to offer free education and events as a way to best support members in 2020, now is the time for organizations to re-evaluate their pricing strategy to ensure sustainable revenue. With 2021 upon us and a vaccine slowly rolling out, associations are starting to move out of the pandemic pricing mode and into a post-pandemic normal. But many are wondering what pricing should look like this year. Michael Tatonetti, CPP, CAE, a [...]

Associations are scrambling to reinvent conferences for the virtual world with a rightful focus on member needs. But these meetings often rely on financing from sponsors that need more than logo placements or a virtual exhibit hall to justify their continued support. A look at some new sponsor benefits to consider. “The sponsors are furious. They feel we’re disorganized and still in search of a plan—and they’re right.” Only eight weeks before their annual conference, this engineering association’s [...]

“It's remarkable what you can build if you just don't stop. It's remarkable the business you can build if you don't stop working. It's remarkable the body you can build if you don't stop training. It's remarkable the knowledge you can build if you don't stop learning. It's remarkable the fortune you can build if you don't stop saving. It's remarkable the friendships you can build if you don't stop caring. Small habits don't add up. They compound.” [...]

While many organizations were offering their virtual conferences for free or a very low fee, the Association for Jewish Studies decided to stick to the fee structure used for its in-person annual conference. A look at the strategy and results. As one association after another pivoted to virtual conferences back in spring 2020, there were so many unknowns to face: How do we make an online gathering meaningful? What platform should we use to host the event? Will [...]

An annual review in 2021 is a good way to surface lessons learned from 2020. But it’s also an opportunity to better support the work and goals of a challenged staff. A new year is typically a time to take stock of things—look back at the past year and plan for the one to come. Following a year like 2020, though, it’s tempting to just skip over the past year, treat it like an outlier, and move on. [...]