No matter how attendees choose to engage, they will have access to dozens of educational sessions designed to help association professionals grow their industry knowledge and address new and emerging workplace challenges, network with each other and find business solutions from a wide variety of industry partners dedicated to advancing the association sector.

Official Community Pop-UP Hosts include the Atlanta CVB; Visit Charlotte; Choose Chicago; Destination Cleveland; Experience Columbus; Visit Dallas; Destination DC; Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB: Discover The Palm Beaches; and Visit Reno Tahoe. Check ASAE’s Annual Meeting website for a full listing of Community Pop-UPs.

“ASAE is excited to showcase an ambitious hybrid meeting model that will empower association industry professionals to ‘choose their own adventure’ when it comes to learning, networking and conducting business during the 2021 ASAE Annual Meeting,” said ASAE President and CEO Susan Robertson, CAE. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created a need for more choices in how professionals access the content and solutions they need to keep their organizations relevant and positioned for success in a changing business environment. ASAE has worked with our providers to significantly upgrade attendee engagement and industry partner opportunities for 2021 with our Community Pop-UPs, Association Solution Demos, Association Exchange @ the Marketplace, Association Solution Chats and Action Labs. This will be an entirely new and different meeting experience for attendees, no matter how they choose to engage.”

The 2021 opening keynote speaker for ASAE’s Annual Meeting is author, activist and comedian Baratunde Thurston, who will discuss “How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time” on Monday, Aug. 16. Thurston is an Emmy-nominated host who has produced for The Daily Show, advised the Obama White House and written the New York Times bestseller How to Be Black.

The closing keynote speaker on Aug. 18 is Michele Sullivan, a Fortune 100 business executive, author, motivational speaker and strategic business advisor, who will discuss “Turning Obstacles into Advantages.” Sullivan, a former executive at Caterpillar, is the author of the book Looking Up: How a Different Perspective Turns Obstacles into Advantages.

In addition, four Game Changer sessions will feature inspiring speakers from diverse fields of expertise, including: Amanda Ripley, a New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist who will share her specific rules of engagement for high conflict; Dr. Moogega Cooper, a NASA engineer who will share leadership lessons learned from her inspirational journey to the top of the male-dominated field of space exploration; Greg Bell, an author, business consultant and leadership coach who will share his observations of highly successful leaders and teams; and Poppy Jamie, an entrepreneur and mental health advocate who will discuss the role mindfulness can play in our happiness, relationships and productivity.

Association leaders looking for resources, products and services to help their organization thrive can access the re-designed Association Solutions Marketplace via the Intrado platform. Users can browse the following solution center kiosks: Business Operations; CEO/Executive Management; Communications; Government Relations & Public Policy; Marketing; Conferences, Meetings & Expositions; Membership; Professional Development; and Technology.

To learn more about all of the educational offerings, registration and events scheduled for the 2021 ASAE Annual Meeting, visit the ASAE Annual Meeting website. Please note that “Early Bird” registration pricing ends on June 15, 2021.

NOTE: Members of the press may receive complimentary registration to attend the 2021 ASAE Annual Meeting. Please contact Chris Vest, ASAE’s vice president of corporate communications and public relations, to request your registration at cvest@asaecenter.org.

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

Strategic Partners

Atlanta CVB

Destination Canada Business Events

Choose Chicago

Experience Columbus

Community Brands

Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB

Naylor Association Solutions

Discover Puerto Rico

Corporate Partners

AarwinMEP

Visit Austin

Caesars Entertainment

Destination Cleveland

Visit Dallas

DelCor Technology Solutions

Fonteva

Louisville Tourism

Visit Omaha

Visit Reno Tahoe

Visit Salt Lake

Visit San Jose

Event Partners

AffiniPay

Bostrom

Feathr

Higher Logic

Manifest

Maritz Global Events

MemberClicks

Mighty Citizen

OpenWater

Discover the Palm Beaches

Truist

Virginia Beach CVB

Global Partners

Dubai Association Center

Singapore Tourism Board

MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Vest, CAE, 202-626-2798, cvest@asaecenter.org

About ASAE

ASAE is a membership organization of more than 48,000 association executives and industry partners representing 7,400 organizations. Since it was established 100 years ago, its members have and continue to lead, manage, and work in or partner with organizations in more than a dozen association management disciplines, from executive management to finance to technology. With the support of the ASAE Research 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. Visit ASAE at asaecenter.org.