Greetings ASAE Community, 

Please find a few important updates from ASAE in the past few weeks:

 

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the rich history, diverse cultures and invaluable contributions of the Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine communities to our society. In the association community, their leadership, innovation and perspectives continue to shape our work and strengthen our commitment to Conscious Inclusion. Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on the importance of fostering diverse voices in our organizations and the broader community and continue striving to create spaces where all cultures are represented and celebrated.

I hope you will take a moment to visit ASAE’s Hispanic Heritage Month video gallery and hear from some of ASAE’s members reflect on the significance of this month.

 

ASAE Chair Heidi Brock’s Speech from ASAE24

ASAE Chair Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association, outlined her priorities for ASAE in Fiscal Year 2025 during a speech at the 2024 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Cleveland in August. If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, take a moment to watch Heidi’s inspiring speech. 

 

2024 ASAE Annual Meeting Compendium

Like many associations, ASAE is exploring how we can leverage AI to help provide added content and value to our members and attendees. Last week, ASAE launched an AI compendium of our recent 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Cleveland, which took place Aug. 10-13, 2024. Each year at the Annual Meeting, there are so many educational offerings that it is just not possible to attend them all. We hope our attendees will be able to use this compendium to review the content from the sessions they attended, and also gain key takeaways and thematic insights from those sessions they may have missed. The compendium was provided at no cost to attendees, and is available for purchase if you were not able to join us in Cleveland.

 

ASAE25 in Los Angeles

Just a reminder that the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition will take place in Los Angeles August 9-12, 2025. We look forward to creating another exceptional experience for you at our flagship conference. Sign up to receive updates on the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting as they become available. Over the summer, ASAE also announced the host cities for the ASAE Annual Meeting through 2034.

 

Congratulations to 2024 ASAE Summit Award Recipients

ASAE hosted its 25^th Annual Power of Associations Summit Awards Dinner on Sept. 24 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. It’s hard to believe this is now ASAE’s 25^th year of celebrating the Power of Associations at this signature event. This year’s honorees included the American Academy of Pediatrics; APSHO – Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology; Association for State and Territorial Health Officials; ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association; National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation; and Urban School Food Alliance. Congratulations to these deserving honorees who inspire us all and thank you to our sponsors and everyone who attended. Visit the Summit Awards Dinner photo gallery to relive this special night.

 

AIC’s Latest Research Focuses on Workforce Challenges

The Association Insights Center’s (AIC) latest collaborative research on workforce challenges is available on the AIC site. A survey of association executives was conducted in the early Summer 2024 to capture the scope of workforce challenges and understand general approaches associations use today to counter undesirable trends. Roughly 75% of association leaders described workforce shortages in their industry/field, with changing demographics cited as the leading cause of workforce shortages (70%). ASAE will host a webinar on the AIC research findings titled Building a Resilient and Future-Ready Workforce on Oct. 8. Speakers include Patrick Glaser, MA, MPA, chief practice officer, McKinley Advisors, and Kenneth Slaw, PhD, executive director, Society for Vascular Surgery.

 

Associations NOW Presents Podcast Series

ASAE recently launched a new monthly podcast series, Associations NOW Presents, which aims to deliver the latest insights and trends in the association industry while showcasing the talents and brilliance of its top professionals. Associations NOW Presents will feature prominent podcast hosts from within the association community, engaging in candid and in-depth conversations with industry experts. Each episode will explore key topics relevant to association professionals, discussing the challenges and opportunities in the field today, and highlighting the significant impact associations have on the economy, the U.S., and the world. The inaugural episode was recorded live at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Cleveland last month, featuring KiKi L'Italien, who lead a conversation on sustainability in the association space. The episode is now available at https://associationsnow.podbean.com, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music.

 

ASAE’s Free Toolkits on Risk Management, Going Global

Just a reminder that, earlier this summer, ASAE released two comprehensive toolkits that are free to members. The Associations’ Guide to Risk and Crisis Management toolkit was produced in collaboration with the leading associations on risk, RIMS, the risk management society, and security, ASIS International. Their tools, frameworks, and models were instrumental in the development of the toolkit and will help raise the standard of risk and crisis management for the association profession. The Associations’ Guide to Going Global was launched by ASAE and the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) to empower associations’ global initiatives. The toolkit includes an assessment of geopolitical and economic trends and steps for associations to consider when working internationally.

 

Prep for the Election’s Impact on Employees

Many association leaders are seeking to proactively communicate and provide support to employees during the 2024 election cycle. ASAE, for example, is scheduling a voluntary Town Hall for its employees to discuss the election’s impact in a nonpartisan environment. Many associations – ASAE included – are also supporting employees ability to participate in democracy by making Election Day a remote-work day and providing paid-time-off to vote. Axios HQ and Speechwriters of Color have provided a handy guide on employee communications in an election year.

 

Save the Date for Upcoming ASAE Programs

• AI Summit – Nov. 14-15, 2024
• Legislative Fly-In – March 25-26, 2025
• MMC+Tech Conference – May 12-13, 2025
• ASAE’s The Exchange – June 17, 2025

 

As always, thank you for your engagement with ASAE and please reach out with any questions.

 

Warm regards,

Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE

President and CEO