Client Education Session
Arlington, Virginia
Vicki Johnson & Associates partnered with Doubletree by Hilton - Crystal City and Production Resource Group to hold an education session, attended by 40 top association executives and moderated by Michael Altman and Ruth Wieder from Trialogue Studio. The interactive session analyzed trends affecting associations and changes in the event industry, with the goal of helping these association leaders to meet the new demands and preferences from a changing demographic and evolving customer.
Services
- Event planning and logistics
- Site selection and contract negotiation
- Pre-planning and on-site logistical support
- Securing and managing speakers
- Event marketing
- Event production
Goals
- Provide a productive and highly personalized event for top association executives
- Revamp the existing association model, break old paradigms, and challenge how organizations approach community engagement and creating customer loyalty
- Discuss the future of meetings and how event industry associations can embrace, prioritize, and respond to industry and demographic changes
- Provide a resource to current, past, and potential association leaders looking to navigate the industry
Solutions
Inspire collaboration and thought leadership
While the event attendees were very familiar with industry projections and challenges, this educational session aimed to inspire collaboration and thought leadership by:
- Considering key trends provided by ASAE in their research brief “Drivers of Change” which included: Automating Work, Empowered Women, Higher Education 3.0, Mentoring 2.01, Microlearning, The Sharing Economy, Virtualized Meetings, etc.
- Bringing industry leaders together to brainstorm potential problems and solutions
- Discussing how trade organizations can examine, explore, and expand their territory through quick roadmaps, alignment mapping, and strategy maps in order to best serve their existing members and the changing landscape of the workforce.
- Visually mapping large group discussion points and small group contributions
Provide actionable ideas for navigating change in the industry:
In addition to precipitating conversation about future trends, this session sought to inspire innovation through actionable ideas to navigate change in the industry, including:
- Planning more inclusive meetings and events
- Proposing opt-in products and services
- Using data and analytics in event planning strategies
- Leveraging micro-influencers and social media marketing
- Offering additional opportunities for continuing education
- Curating experiences and building community
- Focusing on engagement rather than overall membership numbers
Result
With our “Why Associate” event, we were able to bring together industry leaders, analyze relevant data, discuss potential trends and plan for a more fulfilling future. Here’s some feedback we received from Windy from APhA, "It was a great day – well worth the time out of the office! The program’s content was well organized and created great conversation. The pre-meeting information was thorough, the venue terrific, and the day was impactful. Job well done!"