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08/06/2019

Nineteen Moments to Celebrate ASAE Annual '19

by Jay S. Daughtry

This will be my 7th ASAE Annual, having attended Honolulu '03, Dallas '12, Atlanta '13, Nashville '14, Detroit '15 and Salt Lake City '16. There's much to look forward to with ASAE's upcoming annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. Here are the 19 moments I'm celebrating ASAE '19:

  1. Opening Celebration at COSI- "Take in beautiful skyline views from COSI—a hands-on center for science and fun in an ultra-cool riverfront building by world-renowned architect, Arata Isozaki." Skyline views. Architecture. Science. Count me in.
  2. Expo Hall- The Expo Hall is open over the course of two days for a total of seven hours. This will be my first ASAE Annual without booth duty, and I plan to take full advantage of this. Many vendors/partners/exhibitors/sponsors are knowledgeable and passionate about the association industry. Stop by. Ask questions. Engage in conversations. It's quite possible that one of these exhibitors has seen and has insights on challenges you're facing right now. The Expo Hall can be an extremely valuable resource. Embrace it.
  3. Game Changer Session: Purpose Takes Over- In general I like ASAE's Game Changer Sessions. This one with food entrepreneurs Joe DeLoss of Hot Chicken Takeover and Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams promises to deliver.
  4. ASAE Foundation HeadShot Lounge- It's time to get a new professional headshot. For a small donation, you could do the same and get a professional headshot to use on LinkedIn, websites, etc.
  5. Event at The Bluestone- Historical architecture with plenty of spaces to explore. This event sponsored by Higher Logic, CommPartners, AMS Jobs, and eConverse Media looks to be a memorable one.
  6. MemberClicks' Small-Staff Shindig- Tacos and time with small-staff association professionals. Sounds like a winning combination to me. Not too hot on the salsa though; I'm more of a cheese and sour cream kind of guy.
  7. Profitable Association, Inc.- I'll be at ASAE Annual with Pat Wilson and my new client PAI. We'd love to talk with association executives about increasing sales for trade show exhibits, sponsorships, and advertising.
  8. Demystifying Innovation: From Informal to Intentional- I look forward to exploring this topic as session leaders Carol Hamilton and Rhea Steele address this fundamental question: "What would it look like if your organization was set up to innovate with intention?"
  9. Game Changer Session: Unleash Your Connectional Intelligence- I'm intrigued to learn about this topic from author and emerging management thinker Erica Dhawan.
  10. #ASAE19- You can be sure that I will be tweeting and following along on this hashtag for ASAE Annual from my @ChatterBachs profile on Twitter.
  11. Game Changer Session: Lessons from the Ledge- "Alison Levine is the history-making adventurer who served as team captain of the first American Women's Everest Expedition, climbed the Seven Summits and skied to the North and South Poles." I wouldn't want to go on any of these adventures, but I'd love to hear her stories... perhaps while drinking a soda and sitting in a comfortable chair.
  12. The Idea Party- Sponsors include 100 Reviews, CommPartners (there they are again!), PropFuel (I'm working on upcoming content with them!) and others. Ideas? With forward-thinking sponsors like these, I'm in!
  13. The Classic- Ohio son John Legend performs. 'Nuff said.
  14. Business Connection Lounge- Schedule times to meet with vendors. This is a quieter venue for having more focused conversations with exhibitors. At times this space can be underutilized; take advantage of this resource.
  15. New Insights for Developing Future Conference Audiences- "An increasing number of associations are greying right before our eyes. Attracting the next-generation member and conference participant has never been more urgent. Discover illuminating insights about what next-generation professionals want and expect in education and networking experiences." I'm confident that this will be an insightful session with Dave Lutz and Lisa Block of Velvet Chainsaw.
  16. Co-located Meetings: Navigating the Maze to Success- I'm all for collaboration between individuals and organizations, and this session with two association executives from the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons may reveal a path forward: "Co-located meetings give organizations the opportunity to collaborate and enhance the member experience. Generally, the concept fails once money comes into the equation. One organization held back-to-back co-located meetings with 2 different associations and discovered key aspects that can make or break the success of a co-located meeting."
  17. Awards Luncheon and Closing Keynote- Always a great event to end the conference, it will be fascinating to hear from the talented singer, actor, dancer Alton Fitzgerald White. Alton "has starred in six smash Broadway hits". Amazing. Simply amazing.
  18. Closing Celebration- I look forward to seeing all that host city Columbus has in store for us with this event. I'm sure they'll leave us with a lasting and positive impression of this city.
  19. Talking with you- I started CQbd (pronounced "c-cubed") and for the past 2+ years have been consulting. Having worked with associations, other consultants, and companies that serve associations during this time, I have developed what may be one of the more unique vantage points in the association space and one that gives each of my clients a well-rounded perspective. Feel free to call, text, email, tweet, or message me to schedule a time to talk at ASAE Annual.

What have I missed? What are you looking forward to at ASAE Annual? What should be my 20th moment to celebrate?

Please select this link to read the blog post as it originally appeared on LinkedIn.

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