Features

• Cover Story: Amid Controversy, Should You Move Your Conference?
  By: Mark Athitakis
  Associations contract with host cities and conference venues years in advance, but the political winds blow on their own timeline. In 2016, a year marked by adoption of controversial legislation in a handful of states, associations have been challenged to consider whether these laws align with their values. And that has forced hard choices about where and how members gather. Here's how two groups responded.
• Attract Millennials to Your Meeting
  By: Allison Torres Burtka
  You have loyal, long-time conference attendees—that's great. But to keep your events thriving for the long term, you need to engage your millennial members. How are you changing your conferences to appeal to a new generation?
• Transform Ordinary Meetings into Extraordinary Experiences
  By: Karla Taylor
  When people pay for travel and registration to attend a conference, plus leave work and family behind, they’re not looking for the “same old.” Instead, they want an experience to remember. Industry experts share five steps to make that happen.
• How to Get the Diversity Data You Need
  By: Joe Rominiecki
  As associations grow their diversity and inclusion efforts, they realize a fundamental need to understand the demographics of their members. But personal information isn’t always easy to get. Here’s how a few associations are collecting the data they need to serve diverse audiences and measure progress toward their D+I goals.
• Better-Rated Performance Reviews
  By: Mark Athitakis
  Old-fashioned performance reviews are too infrequent, impersonal, and stressful, according to many association employees and managers alike. Some organizations are finding a better way.

Departments

The A List

• Photographers Group Get Military Families Camera Ready
  By: Alex Beall
  At the University Photographers' Association of America annual conference, association members gave military families more than a picture.
• Library Associations Promote Early Reading
  By: Alex Beall
  Through the Every Child Ready to Read program from the Public Library Association and Association for Library Service to Children, librarians empower parents to put their kids on a path to reading.
• International Coach Group Widens Its Orbit
  By: Emily Bratcher
  Opening satellite offices enabled the International Coach Federation to strengthen relationships with its global members.
• Comings & Goings: September/October 2016
  New hires and personnel moves in associations.

Leadership

• Build Teams to Focus on Priorities
  By: Julie Shoop
  You may be getting lots of things done, but if they're the wrong things, your problem could be structural. Here's how one CEO reorganized staff teams to ensure collaboration on what the board said mattered most. Side benefits: Engagement ramped up, communication improved, and future leaders emerged.
• CEO to CEO: Most Impactful Conference Experience
  Four association CEOs discuss what was their most informative, engaging, or instrumental experience at a conference.
• 3 Lessons: Serenity Now
  Jennifer Tomb, CAE, assistant director of meetings and exhibits at the American Society for Microbiology, has a formula to keep calm and carry on. It includes saying two magic words and channeling MacGyver.

Money & Business

• A Job Board Gains Traction, and Dollars, for Auto Group
  By: Emily Bratcher
  The Auto Care Association launched a job board that increased the group's revenue and garnered good will.
• Do's and Don'ts for Meeting Minutes
  By: Jeanette Panning, CAE
  Minutes are not a detailed report on your board or committee meeting. Here’s what to put in and what to leave out.
• Idea Bank: Cat Association Shares Message with Coloring Books
  By: Alex Beall
  The International Cat Association makes learning colorful with two coloring books celebrating the diversity and care of felines.
• The Fix: Hit the Bull's Eye With Marketing Automation
  Marketing automation technology allows associations to market their products more efficiently and more effectively by automating the process on various channels, from email to social media.
• Data: The Perfect Work-to-Break Balance
  To get the most productivity out of your workday, you might consider adding some frequent breaks.
• Associations USA: Ohio
  Associations are everywhere. Here’s a snapshot from the Buckeye State.

Technology

• Beware Hashtag Hijacking
  By: Derrick Perkins
  One expert shares four ways to keep your social campaigns from being taken hostage by detractors or users who adopt it in posts that have nothing to do with your message.
• How Does Your IT Strategy Stack Up?
  More associations are taking a strategic approach to technology, but they may not know where to begin. A new assessment tool, developed by ASAE based on ASAE Foundation research, will help associations evaluate their tech strengths and weaknesses. Charles Colby, founder of Rockbridge Associates, which helped ASAE develop the tool, explains why assessment is critical.
• I Can’t Live Without My…Skype for Business
  This easy-to-use, one-on-one communication tool syncs with Office programs. Gretchen Steenstra of Delcor Technology Solutions shares how it helps her in her day-to-day communication.
• Data: Defending Cybersecurity Breaches
  Cybersecurity breaches remain a massive concern for everyone, which is why the National Governors Association is making it a top priority. A look at the number of attacks one state has already endured this year.

Membership

• Balancing Member and Nonmember Needs
  By: Joe Rominiecki
  Associations have longtime members, new members, lapsed members, and never-members. How do you engage them all? It helps to understand their different needs.
• Commit to Data-First Engagement
  By: Joe Rominiecki
  Want to boost participation in your association? Show members how they measure up. Here are the three keys to one association's successful engagement campaign.

Meetings

• Future Conference Formats
  By: Samantha Whitehorne
  The German Convention Bureau, in partnership with the European Association of Event Centres and Fraunhofer Institute of Industrial Engineering, revealed six conference formats that will likely grow in popularity.
• Destination: Boise
  By: Samantha Whitehorne
  Idaho’s capital city offers something for everyone. On the list: an expanded convention center, new and improved hotel inventory, and unique venues.

Brain Power

• Books: Winning Well, Payoff, and The 100-Year Life
  By: Kristin Clarke, CAE
  Three new publications discuss how to build the best team, personal and team motivation, and the preparation required for a longer worklife.
• How to Show You're Ready to Lead
  By: Cheryl Palmer
  Four tips for representing your skills to potential employers and demonstrating that you are ready to transition into management.
• How I Got Here: Christina McCoy
  A look at the journey from family farm hand to manager of events and communities for the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.

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• Supreme Court Case Raises Antitrust Questions for Associations
  By: Chris Vest, CAE
  A Supreme Court antitrust case that considers the role of members in constituting a conspiracy could have significant implications for associations.