As many associations wrestle with decisions for their fall conferences and shows, the question on everyone’s mind is, if you build it, will they come? Join this interactive webinar to learn how organizers of two very large events—one a trade association and the other professional—are tackling, planning and preparing for this fall. They have two scenarios in mind: hybrid or virtual? Cancellation is not an option. Join us on Tuesday, June 23, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. EDT. By attending, you will … [Read more...]
Webinar: Monetizing Your Virtual Conference When Competing with Free
PCMA is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, May 13, at 2 pm ET, featuring Dave Lutz and Lisa Block of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. Webinar description: Monetizing Your Virtual Conference When Competing with Free Everyone and their brother is hosting webinars and virtual networking opportunities. Like this one, most are free. This topic is a burning issue and promises to be a more engaging experience than most. Join us to: Explore virtual experience quality filters that will best … [Read more...]
[Webinar] Mission Critical: How One Association Transformed its Live Event to Virtual in Record Time
This is not a typical story. The American Association of Suicidology's annual meeting had been growing steadily in recent years. When their reimagined conference couldn't take place in Portland, Ore., in late April, staff and volunteers went into overdrive to transition the physical meeting to a virtual one in a matter of days.They knew how critical it was to deliver much-needed content to their global community. Jonathan and Colleen will share the unvarnished truth about what they learned, … [Read more...]
Teach Your Sponsors Well
If you, as a conference organizer or meeting owner, think selling sponsorships at your event is just about those four to five days when thousands gather face-to-face, think again. You are worth so much more than that. It’s time to stop devaluing your events, said Kim Skildum-Reid, owner of Power Sponsorship, a firm that specializes in advising corporations and sponsor seekers about effective sponsorship, at a recent workshop. Skildum-Reid calls sponsor seekers, “rightsholders,” and there’s a … [Read more...]
Leveraging Team Learning at Conferences
Traditionally teams from organizations attend a conference with a divide-and-conquer game plan, as they split up and attend as many different sessions as they can. The challenge with that strategy is that it’s very unlikely any real change will occur when the one team member who experienced the learning returns to work. Will they share what they’ve learned from a session? Or simply pass on a PowerPoint deck? What if you flipped that model and designed conferences that offered learning aimed … [Read more...]
Your Two Cents on Virtual Events
Improving digital learning and amplifying conference content to a larger audience is a high priority for most conference organizers. With the advent of DIY solutions, business models that include sponsorship and the ability to reach a global audience, we’re seeing an increased focus on expanding the impact of virtual events. Tagoras, an adviser to associations and businesses that offer adult lifelong learning, continuing education and professional development, freely shares quite a bit of … [Read more...]
How Is Your Association Using Learning Technologies?
Improving digital learning and amplifying conference content to a larger audience is a high priority for many clients we consult with. With the advent of DIY solutions, business models that include sponsorship and the strategic alignment of reaching a global audience, we’re seeing an increased focus on expanding the impact of digital learning. If you work for a membership organization, whether or not you use technology to deliver or enhance your learning products, we’re asking for your … [Read more...]
How to Ask for a Raise and Other Top Learnings from IAEE Women’s Leadership Forum
Having recently consulted with a major professional association on the sustainability and long-term growth strategy of its women’s leadership conference, I was motivated to attend a leadership forum for women in our own industry: IAEE’s Women’s Leadership Forum, which took place at the new MGM National Harbor in early May. Here are some of the key learnings I took away from the Forum, many of which can be applied to any aspiring professional or any conference. 1. Ask for a raise. If you’re … [Read more...]
