WASHINGTON—ASAE hosted its 10th Technology Conference & Expo, December 14-16, at the Gaylord National® Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, Maryland. With a total of 1,292 total participants, it was the highest attended conference in the event’s history. Participants took part in 42 high-level practical education sessions within five pathways (Disrupters; Leadership & Strategy; Learning & Technology; MarComm & Technology; and The Business of IT) and a sold-out Expo Hall.

The final attendance breakdown for this year’s conference: Execs (Assn Execs, Consultants, CEO/CIO Preconference Workshop) 734, Exhibitors (Exhibiting Booth Staff,) 392, and Other (Industry Partners, Press, Speakers, Staff, and Vendors) 159. Additionally, a total of 130 companies representing 174 booths exhibited in the expo hall this year, which resulted in a strong ratio of 57 percent buyers (association staff) to 30 percent sellers (industry partners) and 13 percent of others.

“We have seen this conference continue to grow each year as association leaders incorporate technology and digital evolution into their organizational strategies. We included new Pathways this year on Learning +Technology and Marketing + Communications that resonated with our members. The five Pathways allowed participants to be very selective in expanding their knowledge in different areas relating to technology,” said ASAE President & CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE.

At a preconference event on Monday, December 14, a group of 60 CIOs’ participated in the CIO UnSummit: Managing Technology in a Disrupted World. They took part in “fishbowl” discussions on a variety of topics including: beacon technology, the future of the AMS, and balance between legacy/sustaining technology and innovations.

Kicking off the Technology Conference on Tuesday, December 15, was Opening General Session speaker Rick Smolan, who is CEO of Against All Odds Production, a former photographer for TIME, LIFE, and National Geographic and creator of the epic "Day in the Life" book series. He shared insights from his most recent research on the human face of the big data revolution─ how real-time visualization of data has enabled us to sense, measure, and understand aspects of our lives we never thought possible. He encouraged attendees to embrace big data and find creative ways for their associations to use it effectively.

Closing out the conference, ASAE celebrated its 10th anniversary with music by Hey Baby, networking, and food.

The 2016 Technology Conference & Expo will take place December 12-14, at the Gaylord National® Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.

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

Strategic Partners
Abila
Aptify
Atlanta CVB
Business Events Canada
Detroit Metro CVB
Personify
Reno Tahoe USA
Team San Jose

Corporate Partners
Visit Baltimore
Dallas CVB
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB
Fort Worth CVB
GEICO
Louisville CVB
Mexico Tourism Board
Naylor Association Solutions
Omaha CVB
Visit Orlando
Visit Salt Lake
Meet in Washington State

Event Partners
BrightKey
The Broadmoor
CliftonLarsonAllen
DelCor Technology Solutions
Dubai Association Centre
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Johnson Lambert LLP and Veris Consulting Inc.
Korea Tourism Organization
Manifest
MemberClicks
Meet In Minnesota
New Orleans CVB and New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

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 9,300 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 asaecenter.org.