WASHINGTON—Close to 6,000 association professionals and industry partners attended the 2014 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 9-12, in Nashville. ASAE had the highest number of association executives since the 2007 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago.

The final attendance breakdown includes: 3,159 executives, 1,897 exhibitors, 919 others, including guests, spouses, press, volunteers, vendors and staff, for a grand total of 5,975.

A total of 441 companies representing 707 booths exhibited in the expo hall this year, which resulted in a strong ratio of 63 percent buyers (association staff) to 37 percent sellers (industry partners).

“We had the highest number of association executives since we were in Chicago in 2007, and more than two-thirds of our members had never been to Nashville before. This created a great opportunity for the city to showcase what they had to offer,” said ASAE President & CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE. “Attendees heard from great speakers, and they left the conference with a variety of high-quality content they can use in their organizations' as well as their careers.” 

During the Opening General Session on August 10, Adam Grant, author of Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success, outlined three styles of interaction: takers, givers, or matchers. He mentioned the best organizations focus on weeding out the takers when hiring and the best performing companies have givers. Grant provided advice on how leaders, managers, and employees can utilize this knowledge to build richer networks and more innovative teams.

During the Closing General Session on August 12, Noreena Hertz, associate director of the Centre for International Business at the University of Cambridge and author of Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World, outlined strategies on how attendees can make smarter choices in a more complex environment. She advised attendees to find new ways to expand the sources of information they use, seek out different points of view for their leadership team, and find ten minutes a day to do nothing but think.  

ASAE raised $23,554 for the Second Harvest Food Bank, an organization that helps feed children, families, and seniors throughout a 46-county service area. ASAE presented the check after the Closing General Session. The two hands-on activities and money raised throughout the conference resulted in 103,780 meals for the Nashville community. ASAE raised money through volunteer efforts, city tours, 5K Walk/Run fees, and individual donations.

“This was truly a team effort between ASAE staff, volunteers, leadership, committee members, and the entire Nashville community. Our members noticed the effort and hospitality from the time they arrived until they left. Everyone truly had a fabulous time in Nashville, and they learned what Nashville could offer its members,” added Graham.

The three-day conference included more than 120 education sessions, exhibits, and networking opportunities. The 2015 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition will be in Detroit, MI on August 8-11.  

ASAE thanks the following Alliance Partners for their continued support of the association community:

Strategic Partners
Aptify
Business Events Canada
Detroit Metro CVB
Fort Worth CVB
Marriott International
Mexico Tourism Board
Personify
Reno Tahoe USA

Corporate Partners
Affinity Center International
Atlanta CVB
Visit Baltimore
Boxwood
CliftonLarsonAllen
Dallas CVB
GEICO
Louisville CVB
Omaha CVB
Visit Salt Lake
Meet in Washington State

Event Partners
BrightKey
The Broadmoor
DelCor
Dubai Association Center
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Johnson Lambert LLP/Veris Consulting
Meet in Minnesota
New Orleans CVB and New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Omni Hotels & Resorts
PBD Worldwide
Meet Puerto Rico
Richmond Region Tourism

MEDIA CONTACT: Sabrina Kidwai, APR, CAE, skidwai@asaecenter.org, 202-326-9505.
About ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.