Saturday Community Service Project: Indy Gives Back: Pack with Purpose
● General
Ticketed
Room not listed on conference website
Make a meaningful impact while you’re in Indy. Join Teachers’ Treasures, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring students and teachers across Marion County have access to free, essential classroom supplies.Make a meaningful impact while you’re in Indy. Join Teachers’ Treasures, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring students and teachers across Marion County have access to free, essential classroom supplies. During this hands-on experience, you’ll roll up your sleeves at their storefront warehouse to assemble hygiene kits that directly support local students in need. This service opportunity not only strengthens Indy classrooms—it also reflects ASAE’s Talent Readiness strategic pillar by supporting the educators who shape the workforce of tomorrow. By helping ensure students and teachers have the resources they need to thrive, you’re contributing to a stronger, more equitable talent pipeline for the future. It’s a powerful way to connect with fellow attendees, advance community impact, and leave a lasting contribution that extends well beyond the conference walls. All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
Tap into Indy’s creative spirit with an experience that blends art, style, and a little indulgence. At Kicasso Sneaker Art Bar, you’ll design and paint your own custom pair of sneakers.Tap into Indy’s creative spirit with an experience that blends art, style, and a little indulgence. At Kicasso Sneaker Art Bar, you’ll design and paint your own custom pair of sneakers. With expert guidance, premium materials, and creative vibes all around, you’ll paint, design, and personalize your very own wearable work of art, no artistic experience needed. Once your kicks are looking fresh, it’s time to satisfy your sweet tooth with decadent treats from the iconic Cake Bake Shop, known for its whimsical charm and over-the-top desserts. Whether you’re celebrating creativity, connection, or just want to do something fabulously fun and Instagram-worthy, this experience is the perfect mix of creativity, connection, and confection. All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday Indy Experience: Indy’s Pathways of Progress: Resilience & Legacy
● General
Ticketed
Room not listed on conference website
Experience Indianapolis through the lens of African American history, leadership, and cultural influence. This curated tour begins at the Kennedy King Memorial and the Landmark for Peace, honoring pivotal moments of unity, justice, and compassion during the civil rights movement.Experience Indianapolis through the lens of African American history, leadership, and cultural influence. This curated tour begins at the Kennedy King Memorial and the Landmark for Peace, honoring pivotal moments of unity, justice, and compassion during the civil rights movement. The journey continues to the historic Madam Walker Legacy Center, a tribute to one of the nation’s first self-made female millionaire and a visionary entrepreneur who redefined empowerment. Guests will enjoy an elegant afternoon tea accompanied by a captivating live portrayal of Madam Walker, bringing her extraordinary story to life in an intimate and unforgettable setting. This enriching experience offers inspiration, cultural depth, and a unique perspective on how leadership and legacy intersect in Indianapolis. All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday Indy Experience: Indy’s Wild Impact: Conservation Leadership in Action
● General
Ticketed
Room not listed on conference website
Step behind the scenes at the Indianapolis Zoo for a private VIP experience where conservation, leadership, and unforgettable animal moments collide.Step behind the scenes at the Indianapolis Zoo for a private VIP experience where conservation, leadership, and unforgettable animal moments collide. Enjoy exclusive access and up-close encounters while discovering how Indy leads on a global stage through the prestigious Indianapolis Prize — the world’s foremost award honoring heroes of animal conservation. Learn how bold ideas, strategic partnerships, and mission-driven action are protecting species around the world. It’s inspiration with a roar, and proof that world-changing leadership can have a seriously wild side. All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
A guided tour that blends Indy’s monumental history with its vibrant craft beverage scene!A guided tour that blends Indy’s monumental history with its vibrant craft beverage scene! You’ll cruise past some of Indianapolis’ most iconic landmarks, striking murals, and historic monuments—learning how the city earned its title as home to more memorials than any U.S. city outside of Washington, D.C. On the tour enjoy fascinating stories, rich local history, plenty of photo-worthy sights with a few quick stops to snap the perfect shot! Along the route we will visit a selection of local breweries featured on the Indy Craft Pass. Enjoy curated tastings, peek into the brewing process, and hear how Visit Indy works with partners to promote Indy’s thriving craft culture, complete with behind-the-scenes insights and lessons learned. It’s the perfect blend of history, hops, and hometown pride—no walking shoes required! All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Saturday Indy Experience: Sustainable Indy in Action: From Pasture to Pour
● General
Ticketed
Room not listed on conference website
Discover how Indianapolis is cultivating a more sustainable future one bite and sip at a time. Begin at Trader’s Point Creamery, Indiana’s first organic dairy farm, where rolling pastures and heritage farming practices set the stage for innovation.Discover how Indianapolis is cultivating a more sustainable future one bite and sip at a time. Begin at Trader’s Point Creamery, Indiana’s first organic dairy farm, where rolling pastures and heritage farming practices set the stage for innovation. Tour the grounds, meet the animals, and learn how regenerative agriculture, responsible land management, and modern sustainability practices work together to produce award-winning cheeses, yogurts, and ice creams. Then travel to Rejoicing Vine Winery, a family-owned vineyard dedicated to eco-conscious growing and small-batch winemaking. Explore how thoughtful stewardship of the land enhances both quality and community impact while crafting distinctive wines that reflect Indiana’s terroir. This immersive experience connects responsible agriculture, environmental leadership, and exceptional taste - offering a fresh perspective on sustainability in action. All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday Indy Experience: The Indy Reset: Move. Nourish. Unwind.
● General
Ticketed — SOLD OUT
Room not listed on conference website
Designed to rejuvenate both body and mind, this tour offers attendees an ideal blend of energy, creativity, and relaxation — all rooted in Downtown Indy’s unique character.Designed to rejuvenate both body and mind, this tour offers attendees an ideal blend of energy, creativity, and relaxation — all rooted in Downtown Indy’s unique character. Explore the city with Pacers Bikeshare via the Indianapolis Cultural Trail as you enjoy a comfortable e-bike ride to one of Indy’s most popular cultural districts, Mass Ave. You’ll arrive at Bottleworks District, to tour downtown’s only Michelin Key hotel, you’ll enjoy gentle movement with the Stretch Lab, a fresh juice mixology experience and close with a relaxing sound bath experience. It’s the ultimate pre-conference recharge — movement, mindfulness, and Indy culture all in one unforgettable experience. All tours will load/unload at the Indiana Convention Center. Meet inside the Indiana Convention Center Wabash East lobby at 12:30pm.read more
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
AI Strategy Bootcamp: From Quick Wins to Org-Wide Adoption
● Artificial Intelligence
Ticketed
📍 234-235
Most associations have experimented with AI: a chatbot here, a drafting tool there. Few have turned those experiments into something that actually changes how the organization works. That's what this bootcamp is about.Most associations have experimented with AI: a chatbot here, a drafting tool there. Few have turned those experiments into something that actually changes how the organization works. That's what this bootcamp is about. You'll work through a practical framework for org-wide AI adoption: how to assess where your organization really stands across people, processes, data, and culture; how to prioritize the use cases worth investing in versus the ones that just look shiny; how to build a 90-day roadmap you can actually execute; and how to lead the change itself, including making the case to your board and building internal champions. You'll walk out with a concrete plan, a set of tools you can use immediately, and a clear view of what the next 90 days should look like when you're back at your desk. Part of the AI Forward series connecting MMC+Tech, Annual Meeting, and digitalNow 2026. By the end of this session, you will be able to: • Assess your organization's AI readiness across people, processes, data, and culture using a structured diagnostic • Prioritize AI use cases that cross multiple departments, with criteria for separating quick wins from longer-term investments • Build a 90-day AI adoption roadmap with milestones, resource needs, and clear ownership • Make the case for AI investment to your board and leadership using ROI frameworks and narrative templates built for the association context • Design a change management approach that takes staff concerns seriously, develops internal champions, and keeps adoption going after the first pilotread more
John HuismanCOO, Blue Cypress
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
CAE to C-Suite: Your Roadmap for Success
● Learning & Professional Development
Ticketed
📍 236-237
Designed for association professionals who want to proactively develop their leadership competencies and career pathways, this session provides guidance from C-suite leaders and executive search professionals to help participants better understand and navigate their long-term career potential.Designed for association professionals who want to proactively develop their leadership competencies and career pathways, this session provides guidance from C-suite leaders and executive search professionals to help participants better understand and navigate their long-term career potential. Competition for C-suite positions is significant, and it is tougher than ever to get there without a carefully developed and executed career plan. Drawing on real-world executive search insights, the session will explore the competencies most often associated with successful executive transitions, as well as common areas of risk and blind spots that can derail advancement. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own strengths, development priorities, and career choices, and begin mapping a more intentional path forward. The discussion will also examine multiple pathways to executive leadership and how networking, continuing education, relationship building, and the domains of the CAE body of knowledge can be leveraged to support sustained growth. Learning Objectives: Understand the most sought-after skills and competencies Search Committees and Boards are seeking in candidates today Learn about the areas of risk and blind spots that could keep you from reaching your potential Develop a career map to help you achieve your professional goalsread more
Tonya MuseAssociation Practice Lead, Social Impact, CEO & Board Practices, Heidrick & Struggles
Jim J. ZanielloPresident, Vetted Solutions
Daryl MullerCOO & Corporate Secretary, Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
Rhea M. SteeleChief of Staff and VP of Strategy & Governance, School Nutrition Association
Philip K. BellPresident and CEO, Steel Manufacturers Association
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
CEO Summit: A Working Session: AI, Your Board, Your Members and the Next Three Years
● General
Ticketed
📍 White River Ballroom E
A 3-Hour Working Session only for Association CEOs Your board is already asking about AI.A 3-Hour Working Session only for Association CEOs Your board is already asking about AI. The challenge isn't awareness — it's knowing how to lead through it, what decisions to make, and how to protect your mission, credibility, and revenue while delivering what members will need next. Artificial intelligence is not just a technology shift — it's a leadership test. In the next five years, AI will reshape what members value, what they expect, and where they still demand trusted human guidance. The question isn't whether AI will affect your association. It's whether you're positioned to lead through it. This hands-on working session — not a keynote — is built for association CEOs who are ready to move from uncertainty to action. ASAE has vetted and partnered with one of the most sought-after AI strategists in the country to lead it: Trent Gillespie, CEO of Stellis AI and former senior executive at Amazon. Trent has been called “one of the most trusted voices in applied AI” — and unlike consultants who speak in frameworks and theory, he brings a proven, practical methodology used by leaders across industries to cut through the noise and make AI work inside real organizations. You’ll work alongside your association CEO peers, guided by Trent, to tackle the central strategic question: How will AI change what our members need from us in the next five years — and are we positioned to deliver it while sustaining our mission and trust? What we'll cover: • How AI will reshape member expectations over the next five years • The risks your association faces — to trust, credibility, revenue, and mission relevance • Where to build internal AI capabilities versus when to partner externally • An honest assessment of whether your organization is built to deliver on what members will need next What you'll leave with: • A prioritized three-year AI action plan specific to your association • A board-ready narrative you can present with confidence • Specific decisions identified and prioritized — including where to build, where to partner, and where to protect • A peer network of CEOs navigating the same challenges This isn’t a lecture or a vendor showcase. It’s a working session — and you’ll leave with something you can actually use. About Your Facilitator Trent Gillespie is the CEO and co-founder of Stellis AI and one of the most in-demand AI strategists working with non-tech organizations today. He spent nearly a decade as a Senior Technology Executive at Amazon, where he led global expansion programs, drove Last Mile Technology innovation, and managed AI privacy and compliance for Amazon Alexa — one of the world’s largest consumer AI deployments. After leaving Amazon, Trent founded Stellis AI with a singular mission: to make the hard-won lessons of AI adoption at scale accessible to organizations that need it most, including nonprofits, associations, and mission-driven institutions. Trent has already brought his AI SPRINT™ framework to ASAE’s CEO Conclave, where attendees called his session “alarming, informative, and inspiring” and praised his “pragmatic approach… grounded in real-world experience.” Britt Wood, CEO of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, called him “the best presenter on innovation and AI I have seen.” This session is your opportunity to go deeper — in a smaller, CEO-only room, with time to work through your specific challenges alongside peers.read more
Trent GillespieCEO & Co-Founder, Stellis AI
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Certified Accessible Event Planner: The Three Pillars of Accessible Events™
● Meetings & Events
Ticketed
📍 Sagamore 6
Over 20% of the global population lives with a disability, yet most events are still not designed with accessibility in mind.Over 20% of the global population lives with a disability, yet most events are still not designed with accessibility in mind. In this certification session, John Sage introduces The Three Pillars of Accessible Events™, facilities, customer service, and information, along with The Sage Accessibility Cube™, a practical framework that incorporates the five disability types, the three pillars of accessibility, and the core components of the event experience. Drawing from real-world applications across conferences, meetings, and events, this session covers the business case for accessibility, key considerations across venues, hotels, and transportation, and how accessibility impacts registration, attendee experience, and overall event success. Participants will leave with a clear, actionable approach to identifying barriers, implementing best practices, and strengthening their organization’s ability to deliver accessible events. Attendees who complete the session will earn recognition as a Certified Accessible Event Planner. Learning Objectives Understand the business case for accessibility, including key statistics, compliance considerations, and its impact on event success Apply The Three Pillars of Accessible Events™ across venues, accommodations, transportation, and event registration • Identify accessibility barriers and implement practical strategies to improve attendee experience and strengthen event outcomes Please Note: This workshop runs from 1:30 - 3:00 PMread more
John SageFounder & CEO, Accessible Travel Solutions
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Facilitation for Impact: An Intensive for Association Leaders
● Organizational Leadership
Ticketed
📍 238-239
Meetings are where strategy lives or dies—and facilitation is the difference. Over three hours, association leaders, partners, and consultants will step into the facilitator’s chair to learn the mindsets, methods, tools, and resources that transform meetings from updates into breakthroughs.Meetings are where strategy lives or dies—and facilitation is the difference. Over three hours, association leaders, partners, and consultants will step into the facilitator’s chair to learn the mindsets, methods, tools, and resources that transform meetings from updates into breakthroughs. Drawing on the FACILIT8me association facilitator framework, you will experience live simulations, small-group practice, self-reflection, and peer feedback designed specifically for association environments—boards committees and staff teams alike. You’ll learn how to design, flow, spark engagement, manage dynamics, and guide conversations toward shared decisions and lasting momentum. Whether you lead, serve, or support, facilitation is the multiplier skill every association professional needs to elevate impact and culture. Learning Outcomes • Apply core facilitation techniques to amplify diverse voices and drive alignment. • Design meetings and sessions that generate participation, ownership, and outcomes. • Evaluate and refine your own facilitation, presence, and process for higher impact conversations.read more
Fit for Purpose: Choosing and Building the Right Credentialing Model for your Organization
● Learning & Professional Development
Ticketed
📍 Sagamore 7
Credentials have emerged as a trusted tool for strengthening professional skillsets, signaling competence in the marketplace, and raising standards across the workforce.Credentials have emerged as a trusted tool for strengthening professional skillsets, signaling competence in the marketplace, and raising standards across the workforce. Come explore the critical considerations for designing, launching, and sustaining high-quality credentialing programs from certification to certificate to microcredentials. It walks participants through strategic decision-making, market and needs analysis, assessment development, eligibility and recertification requirements, and accreditation standards. The session also examines marketplace perceptions, legal and regulatory considerations, and benchmarking data from credentialing organizations. Together, these elements provide a practical framework for building credible, defensible, and value-driven programs. By the end of this session, you will be able to: • Distinguish between certificates, certifications, and other credentialing models and identify when a certification program is appropriate vs. other credentialing types. • Describe the key components of developing and maintaining a valid, reliable, and legally defensible certification program, including assessment and recertification. • Evaluate strategic, market, resource, and accreditation considerations that influence the success and credibility of credentialing programs.read more
Pam WeberVP NAAEI, National Apartment Association
Cynthia AllenPresident, SeaCrest Consulting Company
Denise RoosendaalExecutive Dir, Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE)
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Sat Aug 15 · 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Mastering Mental Fitness for Purposeful Leadership
● Organizational Leadership
Ticketed
📍 232-233
Your level of Mental Fitness is one of the strongest predictors of how effectively you lead under pressure — especially when navigating constant demands, competing priorities, and increasing complexity.Your level of Mental Fitness is one of the strongest predictors of how effectively you lead under pressure — especially when navigating constant demands, competing priorities, and increasing complexity. Yet most leaders operate below the level required for peak performance, often falling into reactive patterns that impact decision-making, relationships, and execution. Mental Fitness is the ability to manage those internal responses so you can think clearly, stay focused, and lead with intention. The good news is that, like physical fitness, it can be strengthened with practice. In this interactive pre-conference, you will learn how to recognize and shift the patterns that interfere with their leadership in real time, with the opportunity to deepen and apply the work during a follow-up Integration Lab later in the conference. Learning Objectives • Understand how the core mental muscles drive performance, resilience, and leadership effectiveness • Identify how saboteur patterns show up under pressure and impact decisionmaking and execution • Apply practical techniques to shift from reactive to intentional leadership in real time This conversation will continue at the “Mastering Mental Fitness for Purposeful Leadership Integration Lab, taking place on Monday, August 17, 2:00 – 3:00 pm in Sagamore 7.read more
Amy YipCEO, Amy Yip LLC
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Details will be shared with all participants closer to the event!Details will be shared with all participants closer to the event! • Rules and Regulations/Safety Information • Run/Walk Route • Waiver Forms • Shirt Sizes • Sponsor Information • Onsite check-in/shirt and bib pick up details within the Convention Center and more!read more
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Join the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) for an interactive Risk Readiness Lab exploring how associations can better prepare for uncertainty in international meetings.Join the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) for an interactive Risk Readiness Lab exploring how associations can better prepare for uncertainty in international meetings. Using the Copenhagen Risk Navigator framework, participants will be introduced to 14 practical tools covering the full event lifecycle and apply them through hands-on scenario exercises. Participants will gain insights into the evolving risk landscape affecting international meetings and events, assess how different risk scenarios could impact meeting outcomes and organizational objectives, and test potential response strategies through collaborative scenario planning exercises. This session is hosted by: ICCAread more
Dermot RyanHead of Association Engagement, International Congress and Convention Association
Black Association Executives Community Group Meeting
● General
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Coaching Session - Kathleen Shanley (Virtual)
● General
5 individual appointments — 4 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Coaching Session - Mariama Boney
● General
5 individual appointments — 2 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Coaching Session - Mary Ellen Brennan (Virtual)
● General
1 individual appointment — 1 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Key Professional Associations Committee
● General
By invitation only
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Member Focus Group: Building Belonging Beyond Traditional Networking
● Membership
📍 Sagamore 6
What helps association professionals build meaningful relationships and feel a stronger sense of belonging?What helps association professionals build meaningful relationships and feel a stronger sense of belonging? In this interactive focus group, ASAE will invite members to share their thoughts on new ways to connect members through shared interests, personal passions, and informal communities. Feedback gathered during this session will help inform future ASAE member engagement opportunities.read more
Chris MooreChief Learning & Meetings Officer, American Society of Association Executives
David AdlerFounder, Bizbash
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Cicely Anderson
● General
5 individual appointments — all SOLD OUT
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Cynthia Mills (Virtual)
● General
5 individual appointments — 4 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Jeff Koziatek
● General
5 individual appointments — 4 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Lori Bruhns
● General
5 individual appointments — 1 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
The Engagement Equation
● Meetings & Events
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
As meeting professionals skill up to greet the new age of meetings and events, it’s more important than ever to re-evaluate and update the defined value proposition for bringing people together.As meeting professionals skill up to greet the new age of meetings and events, it’s more important than ever to re-evaluate and update the defined value proposition for bringing people together. What is the purpose of a meeting, if not to meet with people (subject matter experts, peers, community members and customers)? And if that is the primary purpose of an event, shouldn’t it be the lens through which we design experiences that matter for our participants, stakeholders, clients and organisations? As we seek to connect people in meaningful ways, what techniques can be applied to the elements of our events to ensure those connections are purposefully designed and executed? Explore the science of breaking the “hallway conversation” out of its corridor and into the rest of our spaces. Join this discussion and leave equipped with the power to create meaningful engagement for all attendees and stakeholders. Learning Outcomes: • Articulate the new value proposition for in-person meetings and events. • Utilize new formats to create engagement among attendees. • Facilitate networking that is meaningful for all participants.read more
Jessie StatesVP MPI Consulting, Meeting Professionals International
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Leading Through the Messy Middle of Major Tech Change
● Technology
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
Major technology projects rarely fail because of technology. They fail because of people, culture, capacity, and the hidden pressures that surface once implementation begins.Major technology projects rarely fail because of technology. They fail because of people, culture, capacity, and the hidden pressures that surface once implementation begins. Engage in a candid look at the human side of major tech change, including decision fatigue, shifting expectations, and cultural friction that disrupts even the best planned initiatives. Learn how small but intentional micropivots can keep teams aligned when plans collide with reality. Drawing on real world experience and reinforced by broader association insights, we highlight what successful organizations do differently when navigating the messy middle of complex change. Gain practical tools to assess readiness, manage expectations, and guide staff through the most stressful phases of technology transformation. The goal is to help leaders approach major projects with clarity and confidence while building a culture that adapts to change instead of resisting it. Learning Outcomes • Apply the micropivot framework to adjust course during complex and evolving change. • Identify cultural communication and capacity risks that commonly disrupt major technology projects. • Use practical tools to build organizational readiness and guide teams through the messy middle of technology transformation.read more
Justin A. ScottCEO, American Foundry Society
Annette MoyExecutive Dir, Digitalization & Analytics, Metals Service Center Institute
Middle-Out Leadership: Influence and Impact at Every Level of the Organization
● Organizational Leadership
📍 137
Leadership is a mindset, not a job title. This NextGen Talk will empower participants to lead from any role by thinking strategically, building strong relationships, and communicating with confidence.Leadership is a mindset, not a job title. This NextGen Talk will empower participants to lead from any role by thinking strategically, building strong relationships, and communicating with confidence. We will discuss how to shape culture, expand influence, contribute to organizational success, and positively impact decisions regardless of position or career stage.read more
Caitlin KinserSr Dir of Marketing Strategy, American College of Sports Medicine
Stuart KushnerPresident, Kushner Consulting
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Sun Aug 16 · 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
NextGen Talks
● General
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Persona Roulette: Real-Time Journeys and Continuous Learning
● Marketing & Communications
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
Static personas break the moment your members change—so what if your strategy could adapt in real time to meet the persona where they are at?Static personas break the moment your members change—so what if your strategy could adapt in real time to meet the persona where they are at? In this interactive session, utilize our custom AI app to chat with Eric, the Gems and Jewelry appraiser, to better understand their membership experience based on the data you have access to. Move beyond one-and-done exercises to dynamic personas that continuously learn, adapt, and drive smarter strategy. Learning Outcomes • Shift from static personas to real-time versions that help you respond to evolving member needs faster. • Expose friction points across awareness, onboarding, engagement, and renewal phases. • Use AI and continuous feedback to refine personas and journey maps after launch, turning one-off exercises into ongoing improvement.read more
Laura SparksDir, Marketing and Communications, American Society of Appraisers
Rhoni RakosLead Consultant, Digital Strategy, Ellipsis Partners LLC
A Global Perspective on Inclusion as a Core Element of International Meetings
● International/Global
📍 140
What does inclusion actually look like around the world?What does inclusion actually look like around the world? Inclusion can mean different things to different underrepresented groups around the world but ensuring your association is developing cultural expertise improves your events, attracts larger delegate numbers, and elevates your organization as it seeks to grow its worldwide impact. Join the BestCities Global Alliance panelists as they explore and offer insights on what "inclusive design" means in their region. This session is hosted by Best Cities Global Allianceread more
Magdalena N. Nowicka-MookCEO, International Coaching Federation
Gregory YapVP, Americas, Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau
Alison BestDir of Sales, U.S. Association, Destination Vancouver
Karina Soraya LanceAssociate VP, Business Events, Dubai Convention and Events Bureau
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Sun Aug 16 · 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
Hispanic Association Executives Community Group Meeting
● General
Room not listed on conference website
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Leading Through Uncertainty and Risk: Adapting to Today’s Geopolitical Environment
● International/Global
📍 140
As geopolitical dynamics continue to reshape the global operating environment, associations are adapting how they engage members, convene events, build partnerships, and advance their missions across regions.As geopolitical dynamics continue to reshape the global operating environment, associations are adapting how they engage members, convene events, build partnerships, and advance their missions across regions. In this interactive discussion, leaders in the association space will share how their organizations are responding to today's challenges, what's working, and the lessons they've learned along the way. The session will also include a regional update from Dubai, offering insights into the evolving dynamics shaping the Middle East.read more
Dianna SteinbachChief Growth and Marketing Officer, Institute of Management Accountants
Karina Soraya LanceAssociate VP, Business Events, Dubai Business Events
ASAE Research Foundation’s Scholarship Recipient Celebration
● General
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Measuring Legacy and Impact in Business Events
● Meetings & Events
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
What if an event’s true value lies not in what happens during it—but in what lingers after? We will share insights from the last and final year of a groundbreaking legacy and impact study on business events.What if an event’s true value lies not in what happens during it—but in what lingers after? We will share insights from the last and final year of a groundbreaking legacy and impact study on business events. Unpacking real data and stories from across the business events landscape, we explore how destinations can move from visitor economy metrics to purpose-driven legacies. Learn how events can leave a lasting legacy, shape global conversations, and leave with actionable ideas on how to embed social, sectoral, and sustainable impact into your own event strategies. Learning Outcomes • Learn to operationalize legacy drivers to strengthen event impact. • Discover how to embed intentional legacy planning into event design. • Acquire applied methods to measure and communicate long-term event outcomes.read more
Virginie De VisscherExecutive Dir, Destination Canada
Whether you are relatively new to associations or a veteran, discover recent updates to the ASAE Association Law Handbook, Seventh Edition.Whether you are relatively new to associations or a veteran, discover recent updates to the ASAE Association Law Handbook, Seventh Edition. ASAE’s General Counsel and principal author, Jerry Jacobs, will get you up to speed on the most basic legal issues affecting nonprofit membership organizations—contracts, antitrust, intellectual property, governance, and tax exemption. Learning Outcomes • Understand the main laws and regulations affecting associations. • Discover how laws applicable to associations are different from those for businesses. • Learn where to turn for answers to tough questions in association law.read more
Jerald A. JacobsPartner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
AGI CEO Series: CEO Confidential: Ask Me Anything (AMA)
● Governance
📍 107-110
Association CEOs rarely get the chance to ask the questions they’re really wrestling with—especially in a public setting.Association CEOs rarely get the chance to ask the questions they’re really wrestling with—especially in a public setting. Join veteran association CEOs in the hot seat for a candid, unscripted conversation about leadership, governance, pressure points, and the decisions that don’t come with a playbook. To ensure authenticity, the panel will not see the questions in advance. No rehearsed answers. No polished talking points. You can submit questions anonymously, giving voice to the concerns that often go unspoken. What emerges is honest dialogue, real-time problem-solving, and unfiltered perspective from leaders who understand the weight of the role. Come prepared to ask the hard questions—and to hear answers you won’t find on a keynote stage. LEARNING OUTCOMES • Apply peer - tested insights to ambiguous problems. • Strengthen personal decision - making confidence and resilience • Recognize common leadership pressure points and practical approaches to managing themread more
Marc CadinCEO, Finseca
Gary A. LaBrancheCEO, Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
Anne Forristall LukePresident and CEO, US Tire Manufacturers Association
Vicki Deal-WilliamsCEO, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Associations IGNITE
● General
📍 500 Ballroom
The ever-popular IGNITE is back! Speakers get just 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of 5 minutes.The ever-popular IGNITE is back! Speakers get just 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of 5 minutes. Laugh, cry, and feel all the feels in these fast, inspiring, and delightful talks featuring: • Baseball, Board Games, and Boating Beliefs – Jay Daughtry, CEO, CQbd • Triple H vs. My Hormones - Deedre Daniel, Founder, The Interesting Conversations Company® • The Questions Worth Asking - Carla Johnson, Best-Selling Author + Keynote Speaker • Unreasonable Hospitality – Ben Bongers, Manager, Professional Learning, E D U C A U S E • Lessons Learned in Unlikely Places – Candice Graham, MBA, CAE, AAiP, LSSBB, Assistant Director, Member Engagement and Recognition, American Physical Society • Hitting the Slider – Rachel Nicole Selwan, CAE, Owner, New Level Mgmt. LLC • We're Allowed To: Life After Layoff – Phil Putnam, Keynote Speaker & Author • Stress-Proof Leadership: Driving More Connection, Capacity, and Trust – Chris Failla, Leadership Trainer, Facilitator, Executive Coach, Lighthouse Institute • When Resilience Becomes Your Identity – Stacey Kauffman, Founder & Executive Advisor, SK Collective Moderated by Megan Denhardt, CAE, Founder & CEO, Denhardt Productionsread more
Carla JohnsonRethink Labs
Rachel SelwanFounder, New Level Mgmt. LLC
Chris FaillaFounder and Lead Facilitator, See the Human, LLC
Deedre DanielComedic Keynote Speaker, Game Inventor & Show Host, The Interesting Conversations Company
Candice GrahamAssistant Dir, Membership, American Physical Society
Phil PutnamSelf Employed
Megan DenhardtCEO & Founder, Denhardt Productions
Jay S. DaughtryChief Communications Officer/Owner, CQbd
Ben BongersManager, Professional Learning, EDUCAUSE
Stacey KauffmanFounder & Executive Advisor, SK Collective
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Calling In With Confidence: A Trust-Centered Framework for Associations
● Conscious Inclusion
📍 Sagamore 4
Association workplaces are navigating heightened expectations around communication, accountability, and inclusion—yet when conflicts arise teams can default to avoidance or public “calling out” which can erode trust and stall progress.Association workplaces are navigating heightened expectations around communication, accountability, and inclusion—yet when conflicts arise teams can default to avoidance or public “calling out” which can erode trust and stall progress. Let us offer a practical alternative: learning to “call in” with confidence. Using Dean Williams’ Circle of Trust framework and Harvard’s calling-in model, explore how to create conditions for reflection, repair, and meaningful accountability. Designed for communication and talent-development leaders we begin with a facilitated circle-of-trust activity that helps you slow down, reflect, and surface assumptions or unseen biases that may influence your interpersonal communication. Building on this insight, we will shift into a discussion of calling-in versus calling-out and how these approaches can be applied within association teams and volunteer structures. Learn how to interrupt unproductive dynamics without escalation and to support dialogue that strengthens trust across your organization. Learning Outcomes • Use calling-in techniques—including scripts, phrases, and decision cues—to address harmful or unproductive dynamics without escalation. • Facilitate a circle-of-trust reflection with staff or volunteers using a ready-made template and discussion prompts to surface assumptions and improve interpersonal awareness. • Apply a trust-centered communication toolkit (facilitation steps,sample scenarios, and follow-up guidance) to strengthen team culture and support conscious inclusion back at the office.read more
Amanda TaylorSr. Dir, Global Communication and Marketing, ABET
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Experiential Foresight for Hands-On Learning
● Strategy
📍 Sagamore 7
Foresight is not just spotting trends or predicting the future—it’s a structured approach to anticipate change, explore multiple possibilities, and prepare strategically. We will introduce you to ForesightWorks and the practice of strategic foresight, emphasizing experiential learning and hands-on application.Foresight is not just spotting trends or predicting the future—it’s a structured approach to anticipate change, explore multiple possibilities, and prepare strategically. We will introduce you to ForesightWorks and the practice of strategic foresight, emphasizing experiential learning and hands-on application. Through guided exercises, small-group discussions, and scenario-building you will explore two to three emerging drivers of change such as truth under pressure, the people-automation dynamic, and the shifting inclusion imperative. You will practice analyzing potential risks, opportunities, and strategic implications in a collaborative environment. Rather than a lecture, we focus on learning by doing using real-world examples and hypothetical association scenarios to demonstrate how foresight can inform planning,, innovation and decision-making. Walk away with practical methods, discussion tools, and the confidence to apply foresight thinking in your own organizations, helping you anticipate change, prepare for uncertainty, and strengthen strategic agility. Learning Outcomes • Learn hands-on techniques to translate drivers into plausible future scenarios, exploring how different outcomes could affect organizational strategy and decision-making. • Practice examining key ForesightWorks drivers to identify potential risks, opportunities, and strategic implications for associations. • Gain practical tools and methods to integrate foresight thinking into your own association’s planning and innovation processes.read more
Danielle Duran BaronVP, Marketing, Communications and Industry Relations, School Nutrition Association
Beth SurmontFASAE, CMP-Fellow, CAE, Head of Strategy & Design, 360 Live Media
Francisco GomezConsultant, EG Solutions LLC
Tommy GoodwinPresident & CEO, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
From Intention to Action: Building Neuroinclusive Organizations by Design
● Conscious Inclusion
📍 Sagamore 1
Most association leaders want to create more inclusive environments for staff, volunteers, and members. Yet research shows a persistent gap between organizational intentions and the experiences people actually have. Why?Most association leaders want to create more inclusive environments for staff, volunteers, and members. Yet research shows a persistent gap between organizational intentions and the experiences people actually have. Why? Too often, inclusion efforts are slowed by uncertainty, built without the voices of those most affected, or sustained by a handful of passionate champions rather than embedded into organizational systems. Drawing on ASAE and MPI's national neuroinclusion research, this interactive panel discussion explores how associations can move from intention to action and build inclusion into the fabric of their organizations. Panelists will examine three common barriers—designing without neurodivergent perspectives, fear of getting it wrong, and relying on individual champions—and discuss practical ways leaders can overcome them. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of what Inclusion by Design looks like in practice and how to create environments where neurodivergent individuals, and ultimately everyone, can thrive. Learning Outcomes • Recognize the organizational benefits of neurodiversity and how inclusive practices strengthen teams and outcome • Apply an inclusion-by-design framework to create more innovative, equitable associations. • Develop a personal action plan and practical tools to embed neuroinclusion across your organization.read more
Jessie StatesVP MPI Consulting, Meeting Professionals International
Celia Chomón ZamoraExecutive Dir, American Council of Academic Physical Therapy
Laurie KulikoskyCEO, Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD)
Nathan HermistonSr VP of Convention Sales and Services, Visit KC
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
From Pilots to Products: Scaling AI Innovation in Associations
● Business Operations
📍 Sagamore 3
Too many associations are stuck in the “pilot phase” of innovation—testing ideas that never scale or deliver measurable value.Too many associations are stuck in the “pilot phase” of innovation—testing ideas that never scale or deliver measurable value. We will introduce a practical framework to help organizations move from experimentation to execution, turning AI pilots into sustainable products and member services. Discover the pilot-to-product pathway, a four-step process for transforming small wins into scalable systems that deliver ongoing impact. We feature a real-world case study from a national safety association that turned an AI knowledge pilot into a full member product in under a year. Leave with a roadmap for identifying scalable opportunities, structuring innovation teams, and aligning technology pilots with mission-driven outcomes. Learning Outcomes • Analyze key success factors that enable associations to launch scalable data-driven tools and services. • Apply a repeatable framework to move from AI pilot to product using measurable criteria. • Develop an internal roadmap to turn experimental ideas into member-ready innovations that align with mission and market needs.read more
Dawn GlossaVP Communications and Advocacy, ASSP
Kevin OrdonezPresident, .orgSource
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
From Transactional to Transformational: Rethinking Membership Recruitment
● Membership
📍 Sagamore 6
In an era when membership growth often hinges on discounts and incentives, associations must evolve beyond transactional recruitment toward transformational engagement. Explore how belonging, purpose, and storytelling can drive deeper member connections and sustainable retention.In an era when membership growth often hinges on discounts and incentives, associations must evolve beyond transactional recruitment toward transformational engagement. Explore how belonging, purpose, and storytelling can drive deeper member connections and sustainable retention. Learn how to design equity-centered values-based recruitment strategies that align with the organization’s mission and members’ sense of identity. Drawing on behavioral science, leadership theory, and real-world association examples, we will challenge you to reimagine what it means to attract and retain members not as customers but as community contributors. Gain a practical framework for transforming recruitment culture through authentic storytelling, data-informed engagement, and human-centered design that fosters lasting impact and loyalty. Learning Outcomes • Redefine key performance indicators to reflect long-term member engagement and community impact. • Apply human-centered design principles to create membership strategies that prioritize belonging and shared purpose. • Integrate inclusive and equity-based approaches into your membership recruitment and retention plans.read more
Kevin WrightSr. Manager, Membership Recruitment, Shriners International
Jessica A. IrizarryComponent Relations Dir, Shriners International Headquarters
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Human-Centered AI: Building Trusted Digital Ecosystems on Association Budgets
● Technology
📍 238-239
Small and mid-sized associations face an impossible paradox: members expect seamless digital experiences yet budget constraints force quick-fix technology decisions, creating fragmented, frustrating user journeys.Small and mid-sized associations face an impossible paradox: members expect seamless digital experiences yet budget constraints force quick-fix technology decisions, creating fragmented, frustrating user journeys. Post-pandemic expectations, explosive AI tool availability, and budget pressures create a perfect storm—associations are either paralyzed by options or making expensive mistakes. We reveal how three associations fundamentally reimagined their digital ecosystems through rigorous technology assessments and strategic AI integration—all within realistic budgets. Drawing from comprehensive case studies you'll see how one association moved from ten disconnected systems requiring constant manual intervention to an integrated platform with true personalization and AI-enhanced support. Learn practical frameworks for conducting technology assessments, prioritizing system changes when you can't do everything at once, and evaluating whether AI tools genuinely solve problems or create expensive distractions. Digital transformation isn't reserved for enterprise budgets—it's achievable when you lead with strategy, not shiny objects. Learning Outcomes • Evaluate technology and AI solutions using budget-conscious criteria including lifecycle costs, integration capabilities, and cultural fit to make strategic decisions that serve both immediate needs and future growth. • Apply a systematic technology assessment framework to diagnose your organization's integration gaps, duplicative processes, and highest-impact improvement opportunities. • Design prioritized technology roadmaps that sequence system changes strategically, ensuring new platforms integrate seamlessly while transforming fragmented member touchpoints into cohesive digital experiences.read more
Jeanne SheehyCMO, Bostrom
Michael BaccelliDir of Marketing and Creative, Bostrom
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Mastering the Art of Celebrating Wins
● Personal Skills
📍 236-237
Taking time to reflect on your achievements — big and small — isn’t just a feel-good practice. It’s a powerful strategy that supports well-being, accelerates career growth, and strengthens confidence as a leader.Taking time to reflect on your achievements — big and small — isn’t just a feel-good practice. It’s a powerful strategy that supports well-being, accelerates career growth, and strengthens confidence as a leader. Many women struggle to celebrate themselves out loud, having been taught to stay humble, avoid “bragging,” and let their work speak for itself. Over time, this can limit visibility, self-advocacy, and recognition. In this interactive session, you will reflect on recent wins, explore the internal barriers that make self-celebration uncomfortable, and practice ways to communicate contributions with greater clarity and confidence. Learning Objectives • Understand why celebrating wins is critical for leadership growth and visibility • Identify internal barriers that make celebration uncomfortable • Apply practical strategies to confidently communicate contributions and achievements with confidenceread more
Amy YipCEO, Amy Yip LLC
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
NextGen Talks
● General
Room not listed on conference website
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Strategic Planning in Action: Turning Vision into Results at Your Association
● Strategy
📍 137
Strategic planning can feel overwhelming, especially for emerging association professionals who are balancing big ideas with day-to-day responsibilities.Strategic planning can feel overwhelming, especially for emerging association professionals who are balancing big ideas with day-to-day responsibilities. This interactive NextGen Talk is designed as a collaborative conversation where attendees can bring their strategic planning questions, challenges, and real-world scenarios to discuss with peers and receive practical feedback. Drawing from the ASAE NextGen Advisory Committee’s firsthand experience navigating its own strategic planning process over the past year, this session will explore lessons learned, approaches that worked, and opportunities for improvement. Whether your association is launching a new strategic plan, revisiting organizational priorities, or looking for ways to increase member engagement in the planning process, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives, actionable ideas, and insights from fellow attendees facing similar challenges. Come ready to share, ask questions, and learn from one another.read more
Lowell AplebaumCEO, Vista Cova
Stephanie Erin BrunoDir of Association Management Services, Talley Management Group Inc
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
The Impact of Pricing Decisions: A Simulation Game
● Marketing & Communications
📍 Sagamore 5
Pricing decisions can make or break organizational success—but applying pricing theory in real life is complex and unpredictable. Many association leaders struggle to balance value perception, competitor actions, and market conditions while ensuring sustainable growth.Pricing decisions can make or break organizational success—but applying pricing theory in real life is complex and unpredictable. Many association leaders struggle to balance value perception, competitor actions, and market conditions while ensuring sustainable growth. Step into the role of a decision-maker navigating dynamic market scenarios through a hands-on pricing simulator. As you react to competitor moves, economic shifts, and changes in member perception, you’ll see the real-time consequences of your decisions on revenue, market share, and brand trust. By the end you’ll understand how small pricing adjustments create large ripple effects and how to communicate and defend those choices with confidence. Walk away ready to make smarter, evidence-driven pricing decisions that maximize both impact and sustainability. Learning Outcomes • Apply pricing decision frameworks to simulated market events and analyze their outcomes on revenue and member perception. • Differentiate between value-based pricing and competitor-based pricing in real-world association contexts. • Develop confidence in explaining and defending pricing strategies to stakeholders using data-driven evidence.read more
Michael Carr-TatonettiFounder/CEO, Pricing for Associations
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
The Learning-Led Shift: AI, Education & the New Path to Growth, Value & Revenue
● Learning & Professional Development
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
Associations are facing a defining moment...one where learning is no longer just another program but the strategic engine that will determine relevance, growth, and financial resilience.Associations are facing a defining moment...one where learning is no longer just another program but the strategic engine that will determine relevance, growth, and financial resilience. This session will spotlight how a leading association has reimagined its learning portfolio to become a powerful driver of member engagement, retention, and sustainable revenue. In an era of unparalleled competition, from commercial providers, digital platforms, and alternative credentialing sources, associations must rise above the clutter and re-establish themselves as the industry standard. This session explores how AI-driven learning experiences, modern credentialing models, and workforce-aligned education are redefining what members value and how associations compete. Attendees will walk away with a clear roadmap for elevating their learning strategy to drive sustained growth, deeper relevance, and greater financial resilience, positioning their association as the trusted leader in a rapidly changing professional landscape. Learning Outcomes: • Identify how AI-enhanced learning models can transform your association’s value proposition, strengthening member engagement, retention, and long-term loyalty. • Analyze modern education strategies that directly fuel non-dues revenue growth through courses, certifications, micro-credentials, and workforce-aligned learning experiences. • Develop an actionable roadmap for evolving your learning portfolio into a core strategic engine that drives measurable growth, competitive differentiation, and financial sustainability.read more
Bill SheehanGlobal Head Association Strategy, D2L Corporation
Kelly HeuerVP, Learning, Project Management Institute
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Your Ethical Framework: Orient It With Real Cases
● Ethics
📍 234-235
Ethical decision-making in associations is rarely black and white, and every leader brings a personal framework to the table. Learn to identify your own ethical lens and then apply it to real-world challenges drawn from association practice.Ethical decision-making in associations is rarely black and white, and every leader brings a personal framework to the table. Learn to identify your own ethical lens and then apply it to real-world challenges drawn from association practice. Using mini case studies, you will examine multiple paths forward, identify possible outcomes, and discuss what “ethical” looks like in imperfect situations with peers who likely have differing frameworks. We draw on the ASAE Code of Ethics while encouraging honest reflection, peer discussion, and practice finding solutions that you can take back to your organization. Leave with greater clarity about your own ethical framework, a structured approach to evaluating tough decisions, and insights into how your own lens shapes trust and organizational culture. Suitable for executives, staff, and volunteer leaders at all experience levels. Learning Outcomes • Use a structured decision-making process to navigate complex dilemmas. • Identify your personal ethical framework. • Build skills to discuss sensitive issues in a way that promotes trust, transparency, and healthy cultureread more
Greg WilsonInterim Executive Dir, Greg Wilson Consulting
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Sun Aug 16 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Your Staff Believes in the Purpose. So Why Are They Looking for the Door?
● Human Resources
📍 232-233
Your team is engaged. They collaborate, they lead, they feel a sense of belonging. And yet, more than half are quietly exploring their next opportunity.Your team is engaged. They collaborate, they lead, they feel a sense of belonging. And yet, more than half are quietly exploring their next opportunity. New research from the 2026 State of the Mission-Driven Workforce Report—based on a national survey association professionals—gives association executives a clearer picture of what's actually driving that disconnect. Spoiler: it's not compensation. This session brings the data to life through honest, practitioner-led conversation with association leaders who have faced these challenges firsthand. We'll dig into what the research reveals about career development gaps, technology frustrations, and the belonging advantage that associations are uniquely positioned to leverage and we'll connect those findings to decisions you can bring back to your organization on Monday morning. If you're responsible for the people who power your association's programs, membership, and mission, this session was built for you. Learning Objectives • Identify the three factors the research shows have the strongest measurable impact on retention in associations and understand how they compound when left unaddressed together. • Develop career path clarity based on what actually matters most to the people behind your purpose, while understanding how to tie career development to business KPIs. • Apply real-world retention strategies for your organization that you can implement starting tomorrow.read more
What 500+ B2B Exhibitors Really Want: Their Top 3 Challenges, Plus Solutions for Your Events
● Meetings & Events
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
What separates successful exhibitor programs from the rest?What separates successful exhibitor programs from the rest? Drawing on research from more than 500 B2B exhibitors, in this session, Robyn and Walid will explore the core challenges exhibitors face, how those challenges differ across exhibitor maturity levels, and share strategies organizers can use to improve their exhibitors' and sponsors’ experience. No sales pitch. No product demo. Just insights and real event data to improve exhibitor value, retention, and long-term event growth. Learning Outcomes: • Explore what 500+ B2B exhibitors identified as their biggest challenges across engagement, operations, and ROI, and what that means for how organizers like you can design more valuable experiences. • Learn how exhibitors' needs evolve across different maturity levels and how to tailor your event strategy to help them succeed. • Walk away with practical ideas, examples, and tools to create a seamless exhibitor journey, from onboarding to engagement, that strengthens relationships, reduces operational complexity, and improves exhibitor retention. Bring your questions and insights; we welcome an interactive discussion throughout the session.read more
Robyn DavisTrade Show Trainer/Consultant, Exhibitors WINH LLC
Future of Meetings & Events Happy Hour - Sponsored by Miles Partnership
● General
Room not listed on conference website
Everyone is invited to join us in the lounge on the expo show floor, across from booth 2300, to mix and mingle before heading out on the town!
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Inside ASAE’s New Strategic Framework: Process, Insights, and Takeaways
● Strategy
📍 500 Ballroom
As ASAE debuts its new strategic framework at the Annual Meeting, this session gives attendees a clear view into the intentional, community informed process that shaped it.As ASAE debuts its new strategic framework at the Annual Meeting, this session gives attendees a clear view into the intentional, community informed process that shaped it. Panelists including ASAE's CEO and members of ASAE's Board will describe how feedback from members, volunteers, and leadership groups was gathered and analyzed to ensure a wide range of voices guided the framework’s direction. They will also share how AI supported analysis accelerated the synthesis of large volumes of qualitative input, helping the team surface patterns and insights with greater rigor and speed. The discussion will outline how ASAE separated ongoing operational responsibilities from long range strategic choices, and will highlight practical lessons other organizations can apply to strengthen their own planning practices. Learning Outcomes • Examine how ASAE gathered and synthesized broad stakeholder input to shape its new strategic framework. • Learn how AI-supported analysis accelerated insight generation while preserving rigor and transparency. • Apply practical approaches for separating operational priorities from long-term strategic decisions.read more
Simon BaileySimon T. Bailey International
Jay L. KarenCEO, National Golf Course Owners Association
Michelle MasonPresident & CEO, American Society of Association Executives
A Small-Staff Sponsorship Strategy That Generated $1 Million
● Fundraising & Non-dues Revenue
📍 Sagamore 4
In recent years our small-staff association has grown its sponsorship program, doubling our nondues revenue to surpass $1 million in 2026. The turning point?In recent years our small-staff association has grown its sponsorship program, doubling our nondues revenue to surpass $1 million in 2026. The turning point? A complete redesign of our prospectus and a purposeful restructuring of our offerings to create clarity, value, and demand. We will walk through the before-and-after: how we streamlined benefits, right-sized tiers, introduced high-interest opportunities, and built a structure that naturally encouraged sponsors to level up. We’ll also explore how messaging, timing, and relationship stewardship contributed to a stronger pipeline and higher renewal rates. See real examples including prospectus pages, bundled offerings, benefit ladders, and pricing adjustments while gaining practical strategies for rebuilding your own program into a compelling, in-demand sponsorship program. Learning Outcomes • Construct an initial tiered sponsorship menu using benefit ladders, bundled offerings, and pricing strategies that establish a clear value pathway for partners. • Identify the essential components of an effective sponsorship prospectus and apply at least three design principles, whether building a new program from the ground up or refining an existing one. • Implement a basic relationship-building workflow that lays the groundwork for sponsor recruitment, retention, and long-term demand.read more
Jessica S. StruveCo-Executive Dir, Radiology Business Management Association
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
AGI CEO Series: Do Your Leadership Skills Need a Reboot?
● Governance
📍 107-110
CEO's are challenged by an environment that is both demanding and constantly changing. Effective CEOs must consistently monitor and act on the changes in their environments, the trends in their industry, and the stresses on their staff and members.CEO's are challenged by an environment that is both demanding and constantly changing. Effective CEOs must consistently monitor and act on the changes in their environments, the trends in their industry, and the stresses on their staff and members. Success requires growth, agility, resilience, humility, and vulnerability. However, this is easier said than done. The pressures face are immense, and there are few resources and guides to help us. We bring together a panel of seasoned executive recruiters and coaches to share their insights into the leadership skills that define today's and tomorrow's CEOs, how established CEOs can adapt to these changes, and above all, how can CEOs sustain their mental and physical well-being. Explore strategies for navigating organizational complexity, uncovering blind spots, enhancing influence, and driving team performance. Learning Outcomes • Identify and adapt leadership skills. • Enhance strategic influence and team performance. • Sustain personal resilience and well-being.read more
Jennifer LewiFounder & CEO, Design Your Next Step
Paul PomerantzFounder, Pomerantz Consulting
Peter J. O'NeilPrincipal, American Society of Civil Engineers
Tonya MuseAssociation Practice Lead, Social Impact, CEO & Board Practices, Heidrick & Struggles
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Belonging as Strategy: A Framework for Community Repair
● Conscious Inclusion
📍 Sagamore 3
Many associations are carrying the weight of polarization, shifting expectations, and members who feel stretched thin. Traditional engagement tactics are not enough.Many associations are carrying the weight of polarization, shifting expectations, and members who feel stretched thin. Traditional engagement tactics are not enough. We introduce belonging as a practical strategy for community repair and show how everyday structures can either strengthen connection or quietly erode it. Learn a simple framework that highlights where belonging breaks down and how to rebuild it in ways that feel realistic, repeatable, and supportive of different cultural and cognitive needs. Through guided scenario discussions you will identify hidden barriers inside your own organizations and talk through small adjustments that can create meaningful change. The focus is clear: conversation, reflection, and practical planning. Leave with a belonging audit checklist, a 90-day community repair template, and a handful of strategies you can use immediately to help members feel grounded, welcomed, and ready to reconnect. Learning Outcomes • Apply a belonging audit checklist to evaluate gaps in member experience, communication, and engagement within your own organization. • Identify specific structural and cultural barriers that weaken belonging by using a simple community repair framework. • Create a 90-day community repair plan that outlines realistic steps for rebuilding trust, strengthening connection, and supporting diverse member needs.read more
Jennifer KosterDEIB Engagement Manager, International Coaching Federation
Aikyna FinchVP of DEIB, International Coaching Federation
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Beyond Search: The Generative Engine Optimization Framework for Associations
● Artificial Intelligence
📍 Sagamore 1
Artificial intelligence is rewriting how information is discovered—and who gets credit for it. As generative engines begin summarizing entire professions, associations face a new responsibility: ensuring the right version of their story survives.Artificial intelligence is rewriting how information is discovered—and who gets credit for it. As generative engines begin summarizing entire professions, associations face a new responsibility: ensuring the right version of their story survives. Introducing Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—a practical framework that helps associations protect credibility and visibility in an AI-driven world. Drawing from The Future of Search is Answers—The GEO Framework for Associations in the Age of AI (forthcoming 2026) learn tested practices from a national GEO pilot and leave with actionable tools: the teach-test-adjust-govern cycle, the GEO maturity model, and a starter checklist for digital stewardship. Through storytelling, peer dialogue, and guided exercises, diagnose your association’s visibility gaps and design a 30-day plan to strengthen authority, accessibility, and authenticity—ensuring AI systems learn from you not about you. Learning Outcomes • Design a GEO action plan that protects and strengthens the accuracy, visibility, and credibility of your digital footprint using the teach-test-adjust-govern cycle and GEO maturity model as guides. • Diagnose how generative search and AI currently portray your association and industry—and identify where essential context or member value is missing. • Apply three low-cost practical GEO techniques to safeguard organizational authority while amplifying the authentic voice of your members.read more
Charles SmithermanCEO, Association of Professional Rental Orgs
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Code Red: Event Under Pressure
● Meetings & Events
📍 234-235
Get ready to really test your crisis management skills in a true “Code Red” situation!Get ready to really test your crisis management skills in a true “Code Red” situation! You will participate in a simulated conference emergency where we will execute an escape room scenario using event technology You will be encouraged to use a combination of emergency preparedness, communication skills, facilities management, logistical coordination, and F&B operations to solve a series of challenges. Fast thinking and collaboration is key! Have fun while putting your problem-solving skills to the test! This escape-room-style challenge will provide hands-on activities and guide you through unanticipated and critical moments that can ruin even the best-planned conference. An engaging opportunity to test your problem-solving skills! Learning Outcomes • Use event technology to demonstrate collaborative problem-solving and communication skills. • Apply crisis management and emergency preparedness strategies to solve a simulated conference emergency. • Integrate diverse event functions to manage critical and unanticipated scenarios.read more
Earla J JonesEvents Dir, AACN - American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
Tadu YimamVP, Operations and Member Engagement, National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)
Monica PembertonVP and Chief Information Officer, American Council on Education
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Couples Counseling: What Everyday Partner Arguments Teach Us About Associations
● Strategy
📍 238-239
Has your partner ever asked which outfit looks better only to completely ignore your input? Have you ever looked high and low for something you swore was right there just to find out your partner moved it without telling you?Has your partner ever asked which outfit looks better only to completely ignore your input? Have you ever looked high and low for something you swore was right there just to find out your partner moved it without telling you? Or worse yet they trashed it?! Or have you ever forgotten something your partner promised they told you five times? Congratulations! You already understand how associations work. We ignore valuable feedback even when we ask for it. Members can’t find things you’re sure you sent them. Volunteers hold onto programs well past their expiration date. Boards forget conversations you know happened. And everyone gets a little cranky when you change something without warning. In a fast-paced, lighthearted, and relatable manner, we use common relationship arguments—lost items, mixed signals, unspoken expectations, and emotional attachments—to unpack what all association professionals need to know about communication, member experience, volunteer engagement, and trust. Learning Outcomes • Recognize emotional attachments and expectations that influence how people react to programs, changes, and feedback. • Improve communication and reduce misunderstandings by applying everyday relationship lessons to members, volunteers, boards, and staff. • Strengthen trust and engagement by designing clearer, more intuitive experiences that prevent the association version of “You never told me that!”read more
Tara PuckeyPresident & CEO, Radio Television Digital News Association
Michael SanserinoExecutive Dir, Radio Television Digital News Association
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Designing Globally Relevant Content: Strategies for International Meetings
● International/Global
📍 Sagamore 7
As associations grow globally, a major challenge is how to design content that resonates across cultures, languages, and regions.As associations grow globally, a major challenge is how to design content that resonates across cultures, languages, and regions. Traditional approaches developed for large domestic conferences often fall short when applied abroad, where audience needs, expectations, and levels of subject-matter familiarity vary widely. Drawing on insights from ASAE’s International Meetings Insight Brief, explore a framework for creating compelling, relevant, and culturally attuned content for global audiences. Learn how to engage local stakeholders effectively, balance global program identity with regionally specific content, avoid cultural missteps, and evaluate when a small, highly knowledgeable advisory group may outperform a large volunteer committee. We also cover practical planning considerations around interpretation, translation, and language clarity to ensure content is accessible and inclusive for diverse audiences. Learning Outcomes • Design session formats that reflect local audience preferences and increase interactivity, knowledge, sharing, and perceived value. • Assess regional content needs by applying strategies for meaningful engagement with local experts, partners, and stakeholders. • Balance global and local content by adapting case studies, speaker rosters, and language considerations without diluting organizational identity.read more
Does It Spark Joy? Evaluating and Letting Go of Offerings
● Business Operations
📍 Sagamore 2
Associations are adding new programs, products, and services faster than they are sunsetting old ones— creating clutter, resource strain, and strategic drift. What if there were a simple way to clear space for innovation?Associations are adding new programs, products, and services faster than they are sunsetting old ones— creating clutter, resource strain, and strategic drift. What if there were a simple way to clear space for innovation? Inspired by the philosophy of intentional editing, we introduce a structured, repeatable method to evaluate, streamline, and reorganize association portfolios based on what truly serves the strategy. Learn how to apply a “sparks strategic joy” lens to existing offerings. We will share an evaluation rubric that assesses programs against a combination of qualitative and quantitative criteria including staff, time, revenue, expenses, demand, and alignment with the strategic plan. Unlike standardized ROI metrics used in commercial businesses, this methodology emphasizes mission relevance, member value, and organizational capacity—criteria tailored uniquely to each association. Walk away with practical tools to facilitate difficult conversations, sunset nonperforming programs, and free up resources to pursue innovation. Learning Outcomes • Develop organization-specific scoring criteria that include mission alignment,financial metrics, staff capacity, and strategic priorities. • Apply a structured program evaluation method using a declutter–style “keep, adapt, or remove” framework. • Use strategic planning—not just mission statements—to drive evaluation, decisions, and prioritize offerings.read more
Chantal AlmonordChief Information & Engagement Officer, ISPOR
Evan ReidSr Dir of Analytics, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Adam SavinoVP, Technology & Org Effectiveness, ASIS International
☆
Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Innovation That Matters: Turning Ideas Into Member Value
● Strategy
📍 232-233
High member satisfaction is no longer enough—innovation is the new driver of attraction and loyalty. Explore findings from the 2025 Association Innovation Impact Study to understand what truly motivates members to choose and stay with your organization.High member satisfaction is no longer enough—innovation is the new driver of attraction and loyalty. Explore findings from the 2025 Association Innovation Impact Study to understand what truly motivates members to choose and stay with your organization. Learn why innovation—not just excitement—fuels both member advocacy and engagement, and how to prioritize the right strategies for maximum impact. Through real examples, discussion, and reflection, see how social purpose, digital modernization, and member-focused innovation combine to create tangible benefits. We will introduce a practical framework for action, showing which innovation investments drive professional impact, skill-building, and member trust. Leave with strategies and concrete next steps to embed innovation in ways that increase member satisfaction, attractiveness, and long-term loyalty. Learning Outcomes Understand why high satisfaction alone is no longer a differentiator. See how social purpose can create real day-to-day value for members. Walk away with practical strategies to embed innovation in your organization and a personal plan to act immediately.read more
Tina C. GordonCEO, North Carolina Nurses Association
Lowell AplebaumCEO, Vista Cova
Wendy-Jo ToyamaCEO, American Epilepsy Society
Gina WoodallVP, Client Services, Radius Global Market Research
☆
Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Maximizing Strategic Partnerships
● Fundraising & Non-dues Revenue
📍 Sagamore 5
With economic uncertainty impacting revenue streams, associations must rethink sponsorships by fostering collaboration across programming, marketing, communications, and events teams. Explore how to craft holistic, innovative, sponsorship packages that create lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships.With economic uncertainty impacting revenue streams, associations must rethink sponsorships by fostering collaboration across programming, marketing, communications, and events teams. Explore how to craft holistic, innovative, sponsorship packages that create lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships. Learn best practices for identifying ideal sponsors, designing strategies beyond one-time transactions, and structuring agreements that drive sustained revenue, enhance member benefits, and strengthen organizational impact. Learning Outcomes • Learn how to identify and engage the right sponsors by tailoring value propositions aligned with their objectives and reinforcing the association’s mission and offerings. • Understand how associations can break down silos and build sponsorship programs that foster collaboration and enhance member benefits and organizational impact. • Explore practical strategies for structuring sponsorship agreements that drive sustained revenue, elevate programmatic opportunities, and create meaningful engagement for members and sponsors alike.read more
Holly DavisOwner and Principal, Gauge Strategy
☆
Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Scaling Human Connection and Belonging in the AI Era
● Membership
📍 236-237
Members don’t stay for content alone—they stay when they feel seen,, supported and connected. Explore how associations can use modern, scalable mentorship models to create a robust sense of belonging, especially for emerging professionals, career-changers, and historically underconnected members.Members don’t stay for content alone—they stay when they feel seen,, supported and connected. Explore how associations can use modern, scalable mentorship models to create a robust sense of belonging, especially for emerging professionals, career-changers, and historically underconnected members. The discussion focuses on intentionally fostering human connection and community in today's rapidly evolving AI-driven world. Two associations serving higher education professionals will share their successful strategies demonstrating how structured mentoring, facilitated peer networks, and technology-enabled support strengthen the entire member journey from initial onboarding to leadership development. Examine what today’s members expect, how to meet those needs sustainably, and which metrics best capture impact. Walk away with actionable tactics to embed mentorship into your engagement strategy and turn membership into meaning. Learning Outcomes • Evaluate technology-enabled and facilitated models for sustaining high-quality connections and professional development in the AI era. • Analyze how scalable mentorship models drive human connection, belonging, equity of access, and long-term member engagement, particularly for priority segments such as emerging professionals and career shifters. • Formulate an action plan to embed mentorship into member onboarding, programming, and leadership pipelines and select key indicators to track belonging and engagement outcomes over time.read more
Melissa PerainoDir of Content Development and Volunteer Leader Management, UPCEA
Jeff BieganekExecutive Dir, Graduate Business Curriculum Roundtable
Jennifer KiousDir of Marketing, Mentor Collective
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Sun Aug 16 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Strategic Benefits Decisions to Strengthen Your Workforce and Financial Stability
● Human Resources
📍 Sagamore 6
Employee benefits are no longer a back-office task. They’re a strategic lever shaping retention culture and financial stability.Employee benefits are no longer a back-office task. They’re a strategic lever shaping retention culture and financial stability. With costs climbing, association leaders must make sharper future-focused decisions about where to invest, where to modernize, and how to control long-term spending without damaging the employee experience. We examine the full benefits ecosystem through an executive lens: health plan funding options that improve predictability, redesigned leave and time-off structures that strengthen retention, financial wellbeing and retirement models that support stability, mental health and caregiver supports that reduce burnout, culture-driven and flexible work practices that define employer brand, and low-cost offerings that build trust. We’ll focus on leadership’s role: governance, fiduciary responsibility, risk exposure, workforce expectations, and how to bring boards along during change. Speakers will share practical lessons and provide a strategic framework and multiyear roadmap leaders can use to align benefits with culture, sustainability, and performance. Learning Outcomes • Evaluate cost-control strategies governance requirements and fiduciary considerations leaders must weigh when modernizing benefits or shifting funding models. • Analyze employee benefits as a strategic investment and determine which levers - health financial wellbeing and flexibility deliver the strongest organizational ROI. • Design a multiyear benefits strategy that aligns talent needs financial projections culture priorities and board expectations.read more
Samantha RosenbergChief People & Governance Officer
Spencer WhalenVP, Workforce Solutions, OneDigital
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Visit Lauderdale welcomes everyone – no invitation needed. Come make a splash at our reception as we celebrate the beaches, waterways, and vibrant communities that make our destination shine. All aboard!
AGI CEO Series: CEOs vs. Boards: Who Owns the Hard Decisions?
● Governance
📍 107-110
Association leaders spend plenty of time talking about governance challenges. Take the bolder step of debating them—out loud.Association leaders spend plenty of time talking about governance challenges. Take the bolder step of debating them—out loud. Watch the debate as two teams step into familiar but often uncomfortable roles: one arguing from the CEO’s seat, the other from the board of directors’ chair. Together, they’ll tackle the real scenarios that keep association leaders up at night—strategy versus oversight, speed versus process, accountability versus trust. Each side will advocate for how decisions should be made, where authority truly lies, and what happens when expectations collide. No hedging. No abstract theory. Just honest arguments grounded in lived experience. Learning Outcomes • Clarify decision - making authority in governance scenarios. • Evaluate competing perspectives on speed, process, trust, and control. • Apply insights from real - world debates and peer challenges.read more
Matthew R. D'UvaCEO, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Lakisha A. WoodsPresident & CEO, National Glass Association
Patricia BlakePrincipal, BeExtra, LLC
Jeffrey S. TenenbaumManaging Partner, Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC
Greg HeidrichCEO Emeritus, Society of Actuaries
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Building AI-Resilient Thinkers in Modern Associations
● Artificial Intelligence
📍 Sagamore 6
As AI accelerates across associations, leaders must manage not only new technologies but the risks they pose to workforce capability, ethical decision-making, and organizational effectiveness.As AI accelerates across associations, leaders must manage not only new technologies but the risks they pose to workforce capability, ethical decision-making, and organizational effectiveness. Research across cognitive science, learning theory, HCI, and organizational behavior shows that unstructured AI use can erode memory, judgment, and strategic thinking—skills essential to mission-driven performance. We will introduce an innovative, research-based framework that equips leaders to design AI-supported learning and operations that strengthen human capability, reduce organizational risk, and improve decision quality. You will examine business cases illustrating how intentional AI learning design enhances staff readiness, supports ethical governance, aligns with strategic priorities, and increases the effectiveness of professional development programs. Through a rapid interactive analysis activity you will apply the framework’s principles to identify vulnerabilities in your own learning ecosystem and outline actionable steps for building resilient, future-ready, talent capable of navigating AI with integrity and sound judgment. Learning Outcomes • Apply human-centered AI design principles to strengthen judgment, ethical reasoning, and cognitive resilience within staff development or member-learning programs. • Diagnose organizational risks and capability gaps created by unstructured AI using research-based indicators from cognitive science, learning theory, and human–AI interaction. • Develop a strategic action plan to enhance an existing learning experience or workforce initiative by integrating AI-supportive practices that improve decision quality and align with organizational priorities.read more
Madeline ShellgrenDir of Accreditation and Strategy, Online Learning Consortium
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Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Coaching Session - Carol Vernon (Virtual)
● General
5 individual appointments — 5 still open
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Coaching Session - Kathleen Shanley (Virtual)
● General
5 individual appointments — 4 still open
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Coaching Session - Mary Ellen Brennan (Virtual)
● General
1 individual appointment — 1 still open
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Coaching Session - Vincent Randazzo
● General
5 individual appointments — 3 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
From Concept to Consensus: A Freemium Membership Strategic Transformation
● Membership
📍 Sagamore 7
With membership declines affecting many associations, one organization recently posed a transformative question: “What if membership was free?” This bold approach led to the adoption of a freemium model, challenging traditional practices and rethinking member engagement.With membership declines affecting many associations, one organization recently posed a transformative question: “What if membership was free?” This bold approach led to the adoption of a freemium model, challenging traditional practices and rethinking member engagement. Join us to explore the journey of designing, implementing, and adapting to this new model. From rallying volunteers and securing board buy-in to addressing marketing and financial impacts, gain actionable insights into empowering teams and innovating for the future. After sixteen months of experience, we’ll share the successes and challenges of navigating change with strategies you can apply to empower your teams, align leadership, and build sustainable membership connections. Discover if a freemium membership model can harness your association’s strengths for resilient growth in an evolving landscape. Learning Outcomes • Develop techniques for applying sound financial decisions to new projects across your organization. • Evaluate the benefits of a freemium model of association membership through first-hand current data on the effects of dues and nondues revenue • Key strategies for engaging board and volunteer stakeholders in buy-inread more
Barry SchiefersteinCOO, The American Society for Nondestructive Testing
Nealy WheatChief Financial & Administrative Officer, The American Society for Nondestructive Testing
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Loss of a Leader: Navigating Grief and Business Continuity
● Organizational Leadership
📍 232-233
The unexpected loss of a volunteer or staff leader deeply impacts an association’s people and operations. We guide associations and industry partners in acknowledging grief, fostering resilience, and sustaining mission continuity during challenging times.The unexpected loss of a volunteer or staff leader deeply impacts an association’s people and operations. We guide associations and industry partners in acknowledging grief, fostering resilience, and sustaining mission continuity during challenging times. Learn from real-life case stories while gaining insight into how organizations navigate leadership loss, support staff and volunteers, and benefit from compassionate leadership. We cover the emotional and operational effects of bereavement on business matters, offering practical strategies such as communication plans, peer support, and honoring legacies. Explore succession planning, leadership transitions, and business continuity while recognizing the value of open dialogue, empathy, and targeted resources in strengthening organizational culture. Tools for ongoing healing and maintaining a sense of community are provided, equipping leaders to support their teams and ensuring stability after loss. You will also have an opportunity to remember and reflect on the life of a lost leader. Learning Outcomes • Discover how to apply compassionate leadership strategies to support grieving teams members and partners. • Learn how to preserve and protect an association's operations and culture when it is impacted by the loss of a key leader. • Consider ways to create open authentic dialogue about grief, loss, and well-being within your associations and workplaces.read more
Steve Robert SmithCEO, Association Management Center
Gayle IrvinExecutive Dir, Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
Dave CorialePresident, DelCor Technology Solutions
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Making Advocacy Click: Turning Background Advocacy Into Clear Member Value
● Government Relations
📍 Sagamore 1
Many associations invest heavily in advocacy and government relations yet most members don’t see the connection or understand the value. Let us close that gap.Many associations invest heavily in advocacy and government relations yet most members don’t see the connection or understand the value. Let us close that gap. You’ll learn how to turn policy work into clear value and how to transform advocacy engagement so it feels like a concrete benefit for all of your members. We’ll cover why advocacy feels intangible, the communication barriers that get in the way, and storytelling strategies that highlight real-world impact. We’ll also explore how to build engagement through consistent, meaningful updates and cutting-edge technology use—like legislative tracking alerts and dynamic surveying—to keep your work visible and easy to engage with. You’ll walk away with examples and strategies for turning policy wins into clear member value, practical messaging templates, strategies to keep advocacy relevant all year,and greater confidence that your advocacy is a valued member benefit. Learning Outcomes • Apply storytelling and messaging frameworks to turn real advocacy wins and policy outcomes into compelling narratives that resonate with different member segments. • Translate advocacy and policy work into clear member-centric value statements you can use in conversations, presentations, and written communications back at the office. • Design a repeatable advocacy engagement plan that uses consistent updates and custom technology tools (for example, legislative tracking, alerts, and dynamic surveys) to keep members informed, involved, and aware of advocacy as a core benefit year-round.read more
Evan HawkinsAssociation Executive, W Strategies LLC
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Now You’re Speaking My Language! A Guide to Translating eLearning
● Learning & Professional Development
📍 Sagamore 2
Associations serve members who speak many languages, yet translated learning materials often fall flat. Literal word swaps, awkward phrasing, and missed cultural cues can leave learners confused and disengaged.Associations serve members who speak many languages, yet translated learning materials often fall flat. Literal word swaps, awkward phrasing, and missed cultural cues can leave learners confused and disengaged. We will give you a clear, practical way to decide what to translate and why it matters by guiding you through the who, what, why, and how of multilingual content planning. You will also see behind the curtain of professional localization to understand what “good” truly looks like and why humans still play a vital role even as AI evolves. Real association case examples will reveal how accurate language and cultural alignment reduce cognitive load, strengthen trust, and create better learning outcomes. Learning Outcomes • Strengthen your understanding by distinguishing translation from localization, identifying common pitfalls that increase cognitive overload and making informed choices that support ESL and LEP learners. • Determine what content should be translated by assessing the who, what, why, and how while recognizing when AI translation is appropriate and when human expertise is required. • Apply an effective workflow that supports planning production and review improving learner retention through design decisions aligned with diverse language needs.read more
Kara AdamsStrategic Consultant, DelCor Technology Solutions.
Nicholas StrozzaCEO, Interpro Translation Solutions
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Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Turning Financial Data Into Strategy: Benchmarking Financial Performance
● Finance
📍 238-239
Understanding your organization's performance compared to others is a fundamental component of answering the most important questions facing every Board and C-suite: What are our strengths, what are our capabilities, what are our competitors doing, and how can that inform...Understanding your organization's performance compared to others is a fundamental component of answering the most important questions facing every Board and C-suite: What are our strengths, what are our capabilities, what are our competitors doing, and how can that inform strategy? Before committing more resources to the current strategy, or changing direction altogether, association leaders must benchmark financial performance. ASAE's new Association Finance & Operations Navigator: Operating Ratio Metrics to Evaluate Organizational Health puts access to updated benchmarking data and insights that reveal trends in association finances over time. Presenters will provide a snapshot of the latest findings from the report and highlight key ratios that help associations evaluate financial health, operating efficiency, and revenue structure. Attendees will learn how to interpret operating ratios, identify meaningful peer comparisons, and apply benchmarking insights to budgeting, planning, and board conversations. Join us for a first look at the new data and practical guidance on how association leaders can use financial ratios to better understand how their organization compares and where opportunities for improvement may lie. Learning Outcomes • Recognize key financial ratios used to assess association performance. • Interpret benchmarking data to compare financial performance with your peers. • Apply ratio insights to support budgeting and strategic decisions.read more
Joy DavisCOO/Deputy Executive Dir, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
Laura VansuchPrincipal, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
VIP Q&A Session with Keynote Speaker
● General
By invitation only
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
What Kind of Potato Are You? Remote Team Building Reimagined
● Organizational Leadership
📍 236-237
Remote work has transformed associations by offering global talent while risking disconnected teams struggling to find their rhythm. One association team developed a two-pronged solution that addresses both the 'how we work' and 'who we are' of remote teams.Remote work has transformed associations by offering global talent while risking disconnected teams struggling to find their rhythm. One association team developed a two-pronged solution that addresses both the 'how we work' and 'who we are' of remote teams. First, they created buckets—focused meetings that eliminate reactive scrambling and create space for strategic work. Second they introduced "energy connectors" that bypass boring ice breakers for questions revealing how people actually think. These questions create human connections that transcend WiFi and Teams chats. Here's the key: you need both. Structure creates the space; connection fills it with trust. (Spoiler: "What's your role in a zombie apocalypse?" tells you way more about your colleague than "What's your favorite color?") The impact? A distributed team that genuinely trusts each other, works efficiently, and wants to stay connected. Learn the strategies and then debate what kind of potato you are. Learning Outcomes • Distinguish between a good team meeting and a great team meeting. • Sketch out a meeting framework that prioritizes proactivity over reactivity. • Create and facilitate questions that build authentic trust and connection in virtual environments.read more
Taylor JeromosSr Mgr of Learning Strategy, National Recreation and Park Association
Kelby RoseDir of Education Operations, National Recreation and Park Association
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Cicely Anderson
● General
5 individual appointments — 1 still open
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Cynthia Mills (Virtual)
● General
5 individual appointments — 4 still open
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Jeff Koziatek
● General
5 individual appointments — 1 still open
Room not listed on conference website
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Mon Aug 17 · 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Effective Networking Strategies for Associations
● Meetings & Events
📍 Sagamore 4
Networking is the lifeblood of associations—but in a busy, distraction-filled world many members struggle to make meaningful connections. We offer practical, people-centered strategies to strengthen member engagement, deepen relationships, and create a more connected community.Networking is the lifeblood of associations—but in a busy, distraction-filled world many members struggle to make meaningful connections. We offer practical, people-centered strategies to strengthen member engagement, deepen relationships, and create a more connected community. Learn how to design networking experiences that are inclusive, energizing, and aligned with your association’s mission. Through real examples and simple repeatable techniques, we’ll explore how to help members break the ice, build trust quickly, and keep conversations going long after events end. Leave with actionable tools you can use immediately—whether planning conferences, running chapters, or fostering everyday touchpoints that turn passive members into active champions. Learning Outcomes • Apply practical techniques to help members initiate conversations, build rapport, and create lasting connections. • Design networking experiences that increase member engagement, participation, and satisfaction. • Implement inclusive networking approaches that support diverse communication styles and comfort levels.read more
Diane DarlingSpeaker & Author, Skills4Today
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
From Governance to Ground-Level Practice: Building an Ethics Ecosystem
● Ethics
📍 Sagamore 3
Moving beyond mere compliance, an association’s ethical posture must be a lived-in, multidimensional ecosystem involving the board of directors and members, leadership, CEO, and staff.Moving beyond mere compliance, an association’s ethical posture must be a lived-in, multidimensional ecosystem involving the board of directors and members, leadership, CEO, and staff. We connect the aspirational principles of the ASAE Standards of Conduct (acting fairly, championing DEI) directly to operational excellence using the ASAE Ethics Toolkit and principles of fostering a culture of everyday ethics. Learn how to integrate the ASAE Ethics Toolkit's core components—conflict of interest, anti-harassment, AI, and whistleblower policies—into key organizational functions. We will discuss ethical principles such as stewardship and advancing public trust into long-term goals; using policies to ensure due process and safeguard against retaliation; how to establish clear statements on intolerance and applying those codes consistently; and how to apply the Ethics Decision-Making Framework to member and volunteer engagement and disputes. Gain practical steps for translating high-level governance into ground-level practice. Learning Outcomes • Learn to assess your organization’s ethics culture and to translate values and standards into policies and everyday practices. Using the ASAE Ethics Toolkit as a guide, you will identify association policies that require review and learn a process for planning and developing effective policies for an ethical association culture. • Understand the seven core ASAE ethical standards and identify at least three specific ASAE Ethics Toolkit policies relevant to the duties of the board, CEO, and staff. • Develop distinct, measurable outcomes—such as a goal for annual board policy review or the percentage of staff on-boarding that includes anti-harassment policy review—to evaluate the successful integration of ethics into your organizational strategic planning.read more
Tina DeNeenAssociate Executive Dir, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
Larry SmithExecutive Director / Principal, IIB Association Group
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
From Turbulence to Takeoff: Change Management Strategies for Chaotic Times
● Organizational Leadership
📍 234-235
In today’s environment, leaders are no longer responsible for guiding teams through predictable cycles of change—instead they are navigating free fall moments defined by ambiguity, volatility, and rapid transformation.In today’s environment, leaders are no longer responsible for guiding teams through predictable cycles of change—instead they are navigating free fall moments defined by ambiguity, volatility, and rapid transformation. Drawing on concepts from several experts on change management, we explore what it really means to lead when the ground seems to shift beneath your feet. Leaders must move beyond traditional change management models and instead cultivate the capabilities, mindsets, and interpersonal approaches that support stability in motion. Examine how to lead with clarity when answers are unclear, how to build resilience in yourself and in your teams, and how to use disruption as a catalyst for innovation rather than a threat to stability. Through practical frameworks, reflective discussion, and shared experiences we invite leaders to reinterpret chaos as a strategic and human-centered opportunity. Emerge with deeper insight into how you show up as leaders. Learning Outcomes • Build team resilience and trust by exploring approaches to transparent communication, cocreating stability through shared agreements, and supporting team members at different stages of emotional readiness. • Reframe change management as a grief process by exploring how leaders can assess the emotional state of their teams and make better decisions even when the path forward is unclear. • Use disruption as an opportunity to innovate by learning how to surface new ideas, empower teams to experiment, and instill a sense of possibility amid constraints.read more
Nikki ShanksDir of Member Engagement & Governance, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation
Nikki GoldenStrategist, Association Laboratory Inc.
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Add Coaching Skills to Your Leadership Development Toolkit
● Human Resources
📍 232-233
Coaching skills aren’t just for professional coaches—they provide leaders and managers with a powerful toolkit to build trust, accelerate development, deepen engagement, and improve performance across their teams.Coaching skills aren’t just for professional coaches—they provide leaders and managers with a powerful toolkit to build trust, accelerate development, deepen engagement, and improve performance across their teams. We introduce core coaching concepts and offer practical tools you can apply immediately to elevate workplace conversations and support employee growth. Explore foundational coaching behaviors such as active listening, asking powerful questions, and delivering growth-focused feedback. Through short demonstrations and interactive practice you will learn how to shift from directing and telling to partnering and empowering while still maintaining clarity, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals. Whether you lead people directly, influence across a matrixed environment, or are preparing for a leadership role, gain a clear and accessible starting point for integrating coaching skills into everyday leadership practice. Learning Outcomes • Apply core coaching communication techniques including active listening and powerful questioning to create more meaningful and productive conversations with team members. • Define how coaching differs from traditional management approaches and identify when coaching-based leadership is most effective. • Use a simple framework to deliver constructive growth-focused feedback that strengthens trust, accountability, and performance.read more
Karen S. BernsteinVP, Learning and Development, International Coaching Federation
Robert GarciaVP, Coaching in Orgs, International Coaching Federation
Sofia RodriguesRegional Manager - Europe & Africa, International Coaching Federation
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Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Advocating Your Value: Compensation, Balance and Growth
● Human Resources
📍 Sagamore 1
Gain practical tools to assess and claim your full value when negotiating employment agreements, contracts, or project scopes. Explore how to define value in terms of salary, benefits, work-life balance, growth potential, unique skills, and professional development.Gain practical tools to assess and claim your full value when negotiating employment agreements, contracts, or project scopes. Explore how to define value in terms of salary, benefits, work-life balance, growth potential, unique skills, and professional development. We will empower you to confidently articulate what you bring to the table — without underselling yourself just to secure the role. We will guide you in mapping a career-growth plan in tandem with employers committed to your long-term success. Learning Outcomes • Apply effective negotiation and communication strategies to advocate for fair compensation, supportive working conditions, and appropriate recognition. • Construct a comprehensive personal value proposition that reflects your full worth—including compensation, benefits, flexibility, growth opportunities, and unique contributions. • Design a personal career-growth and development plan to present to employers that align your ambitions with organizational needs.read more
Nicholas OliverExecutive VP, New England Association Services
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Catalyst: Fire Up Your Mental Health
● Health & Wellness
📍 500 Ballroom
How can we regain our enthusiasm, recapture our joy, and get the pep back in our step at work and at home?How can we regain our enthusiasm, recapture our joy, and get the pep back in our step at work and at home? In this dynamic, high-energy keynote, Anthony McLean brings humor, powerful storytelling, and actionable strategies to help audiences recharge and beat burnout. Anthony explores the crucial balance between resilience (knowing when to push through) and self-compassion (knowing when to pause and refuel). Attendees will learn to recognize their own personal "check engine lights," identify warning signs of stress, and replace unhealthy coping habits with practical, daily wellness routines. This lively session leaves everyone feeling motivated, uplifted, and ready to take action.read more
Anthony McLeanAuthor/Speaker | Mental Health & Workplace Culture
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Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Designing Online Courses That Strengthen and Future-Proof Your Credential
● Learning & Professional Development
📍 Sagamore 6
Explore the art and science of designing online courses—and full learning ecosystems—that strengthen and support association credential programs.Explore the art and science of designing online courses—and full learning ecosystems—that strengthen and support association credential programs. In an environment where credentials are losing automatic authority and workforce expectations are accelerating, credential value is increasingly determined by the quality of the learning experience behind it. Drawing on analysis of more than 70 recent association annual and impact reports, modern learning science, and practical experience we reveal why online course quality now determines credential strength trust and relevance. Examine forces such as deregulation, AI, employer-built academies, and nondues revenue shifts. We will introduce methods for developing learner personas, using member surveys, qualitative research, and the brand cascade mode—a comprehensive framework for understanding learner motivations and needs. You will learn how advanced pedagogy, multimedia sequencing,adaptive pathways, and experience-based assessments combine to create credential-aligned courses that improve competence and outcomes. Learning Outcomes • Learn methodologies for evaluating credential readiness, including how to use member surveys, qualitative interviews, and the brand cascade model to construct advanced learner personas and identify the course design needs of distinct learner cohorts. • Discover how to analyze the key forces—deregulation, AI, employer academies, and shifting learner expectations—that contribute to credential erosion and understand how these pressures shape the design requirements of modern online courses. • Understand the core steps involved in designing an action plan for creating or improving credential-supporting online courses using advanced pedagogy, multimedia content strategy, adaptive learning principles, and experience-based assessments.read more
Glenn H. TeckerChair and Co-CEO, Tecker International LLC
Tom SilvaPrincipal, Silva Band LLC
Lauren BrechnerFounder & Principal, Ember Forge Consulting
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
From the Front Office to the Front Lines: Building Powerful CEO–Young Professional Partnerships
● Organizational Leadership
📍 137
What happens when Association CEOs and young professionals move beyond mentorship and begin collaborating as strategic partners?What happens when Association CEOs and young professionals move beyond mentorship and begin collaborating as strategic partners? This interactive NextGen Talk brings together both C-Suite and Young Professional voices to explore how emerging leaders can contribute meaningfully to organizational priorities while gaining visibility, influence, and career growth opportunities. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own questions, challenges, and real-world scenarios for discussion. Together, we'll explore practical ways CEOs can better engage and empower young professionals, and how young professionals can position themselves as trusted advisors, problem-solvers, and invaluable contributors to their organizations. Through collaborative conversation and peer idea-sharing, participants will leave with actionable strategies for strengthening cross-generational partnerships that benefit both individual careers and association success.read more
Allison K. SummersExecutive Dir, APHON
Hazel IglesiasDir of Governance Engagement & Operations, MCI USA
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Knowing Without Asking: ASAE’s Data-Driven Approach to Member Insight
● Membership
📍 Sagamore 5
Discover how ASAE transformed its member experience by moving beyond a traditional AMS to a flexible API-driven ecosystem centered on a member data platform (MDP).Discover how ASAE transformed its member experience by moving beyond a traditional AMS to a flexible API-driven ecosystem centered on a member data platform (MDP). A year after the transition, ASAE reflects on the lessons learned—what worked, what didn’t,and how their approach to member data has evolved. With their MDP, ASAE now has access to real-time behavioural insights they never had before, tracking engagement across events emails, learning platforms, and community activity without needing to ask members directly. This shift has enabled leadership to see the full member journey, identify patterns, and make proactive decisions rooted in data. If you’re an executive seeking to better understand what your members are thinking and doing without relying solely on surveys, we offer a candid look at how ASAE built the foundation for smarter strategy, deeper engagement, and more informed decisions by rethinking their digital architecture. Learning Outcomes • Learn strategic lessons from ASAE’s transition away from a traditional AMS, including practical takeaways, key wins, and the challenges encountered during their first year in a more flexible data-driven ecosystem. • Understand how a connected ecosystem enables real-time visibility into member behavior across platforms without relying on surveys. • Discover how an API-first modular digital architecture empowers leadership to make informed, proactive decisions about member strategy.read more
Jeff HorneCo-Founder & CEO, Wicket
Reginald J. HenryChief Information and Performance Excellence Officer, American Society of Association Executives
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
NextGen Talks
● General
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
No-Surprise Budgets: A Financial Planning Framework for Annual Meetings
● Meetings & Events
📍 Sagamore 2
Equip yourself with a clear and practical framework to build accurate and defensible budgets for annual meetings and other high-stakes events.Equip yourself with a clear and practical framework to build accurate and defensible budgets for annual meetings and other high-stakes events. Discover how to forecast production-related costs with confidence, identify financial risks before they escalate, and communicate trade-offs and budget impacts to leadership in clear and strategic language. Replace intuition-driven budgeting with a predictable and evidence-informed approach tailored to association events. We will include a breakdown of core cost drivers; methods for anticipating variables such as labor and venue requirements; and tools that strengthen collaboration between planning, finance, and executive teams. Explore how proactive financial planning supports stewardship of member resources, enhances governance transparency, and strengthens trust between staff and volunteer leadership. The budgeting model is scalable for small, mid-sized, and large associations. Leave with a repeatable process you can use to prevent last-minute surprises and deliver stronger financial outcomes. Learning Outcomes • Explain budget impacts and financial trade-offs using clear and strategic language that improves communication with executive and finance teams. • Identify major cost drivers and risk areas that commonly lead to unplanned expenses in association events. • Apply and document a repeatable budgeting process that improves alignment and enables more predictable financial outcomes.read more
Cameron MageeOwner & CEO, avad3
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Prompting the Future: Using AI to Build Everyday Foresight
● Strategy
📍 Sagamore 7
Associations don’t need complex frameworks to begin using foresight in meaningful and practical ways. Today’s AI systems—essentially powerful pattern-matching tools—can help association professionals broaden their perspective by surfacing signals, highlighting emerging shifts, and revealing relationships they may not otherwise see.Associations don’t need complex frameworks to begin using foresight in meaningful and practical ways. Today’s AI systems—essentially powerful pattern-matching tools—can help association professionals broaden their perspective by surfacing signals, highlighting emerging shifts, and revealing relationships they may not otherwise see. You will learn simple, adaptable prompt structures that strengthen environmental scanning, help you explore alternative futures, and uncover blind spots in strategy planning, innovation, and risk discussions. Each prompt has a no-tech version so you can use the same thinking patterns with your board, volunteers, and staff—whether or not you use AI directly. You’ll leave with a clear, accessible worksheet of ready-to-use prompts and discussion sequences designed specifically for association work. No AI expertise required—just curiosity and a willingness to think differently about what’s coming next. Learning Outcomes • Understand how to use AI as a pattern-matching system to support scanning, scenario exploration, and strategic interpretation without relying on complex foresight frameworks. • Learn how simple AI prompt structures—and their no-tech equivalents—can help expand perspective, surface early signals, and uncover blind spots in association decision-making. • Leave with a practical worksheet of ready-to-use prompts and discussion exercises tailored to strategic planning, innovation, risk management, and board or staff conversations.read more
Rhea M. SteeleChief of Staff and VP of Strategy & Governance, School Nutrition Association
Kristine MetterPresident, Crystal Lake Partners
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
The AMS Exodus? Why Best-of-Need is Gaining Ground
● Technology
📍 236-237
We’ll say what we’re all thinking…traditional AMS platforms are struggling to keep pace with associations’ needs. The breakneck evolution of member expectations and association technology demands agility, and many all-in-one solutions are simply not equipped to respond.We’ll say what we’re all thinking…traditional AMS platforms are struggling to keep pace with associations’ needs. The breakneck evolution of member expectations and association technology demands agility, and many all-in-one solutions are simply not equipped to respond. As a result, more associations are shifting toward best-of-need ecosystems that prioritize flexibility, experience, and mission alignment. You will hear directly from an organization that ditched its AMS in favor of a more adaptable mission-aligned architecture. Together we’ll break down what “best-of-need” looks like in real life, explore the pain points that pushed them to reconsider the status quo, and walk through their “before and after” ecosystem. You’ll leave with a solid understanding of this emerging technology model and practical questions to evaluate whether your own ecosystem might benefit from a more flexible approach. Learning Outcomes • Identify patterns, pain points, and opportunities to assess your technology environment. • Understand the key components, benefits, and drawbacks of a “best-of-need” ecosystem. • Provide practical guidance on evaluating tech choices.read more
Ginger AusloosVP of Technology Solutions and Data Strategy, AACSB International
Himali ShahVP, Customer Innovation, fusionSpan
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Two Buyers, One Association: Unlocking the Employer Revenue Line
● Marketing & Communications
📍 238-239
Most associations have a fully developed member business and a barely-started employer business.Most associations have a fully developed member business and a barely-started employer business. That asymmetry is the largest untapped revenue opportunity in the sector, and it is hiding in plain sight inside every association whose members run or work for businesses. Sixty-one percent of associations name non-dues revenue as their top financial challenge. Yet most still treat employer engagement as sponsorship rather than as a distinct customer relationship with its own product, pricing, and recurring revenue logic. The reason that pattern persists is that most associations have never defined what an employer-side product actually looks like. Workforce readiness changes that equation. Workforce readiness is not a program with an end date. It is the ongoing condition of having a workforce that can meet the demands of the industry right now — and right now keeps changing. Industries evolve, regulations shift, technology accelerates. That makes readiness a continuous need, not a periodic one — and for associations, a repeatable revenue model rather than a one-time sale. This session examines what the employer-side product actually looks like, why workforce readiness is the natural anchor, and how associations are building the infrastructure to deliver it without overextending staff. We will work through the strategic shifts that turn an association from a single-buyer organization serving members into a dual-buyer organization serving members and the businesses that employ them. Learning outcomes: You will be able to map the employer-side revenue opportunity inside your association by identifying which member-employed businesses represent buyers for industry-specific workforce solutions. You will be able to evaluate workforce readiness as a recurring revenue product line, including content, delivery, pricing and partnership models. You will be able to make the internal case for a dual-buyer business model and identify the organizational shifts required to support it.read more
Caitlin FoxPresident, mdg
Claire MooreChief Learning Officer, International Carwash Association
Mike ThompsonCEO, Learner Mobile
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
From Branded Merch to Memorable Moments: How Branded Merch Inspires Joy, Shapes Identity, and Fosters Lasting Experiences
● Marketing & Communications
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
Associations create meaning, belonging and value through thoughtful experiences and strong communities, and branded merch is how that connection lives on in the real world.Associations create meaning, belonging and value through thoughtful experiences and strong communities, and branded merch is how that connection lives on in the real world. When treated as a strategic asset rather than a tactical expense, branded merch becomes a powerful tool to reinforce identity, spark joy and extend engagement far beyond a single moment or interaction. This session reframes branded merch as a purpose driven marketing medium, one that complements membership strategies, strengthens recall and deepens emotional connections. Drawing on industry trends, data on effectiveness, and real-world examples, attendees will learn how associations can use branded merch to support events and membership. Participants will also explore best practices—and common missteps—to ensure branded merch aligns with organizational goals, delivers measurable impact and creates moments of joy that members carry with them long after the initial experience. Learning Outcomes: Attendees will learn how to: • Reposition branded merch from “giveaway” to strategic marketing channel • Align branded merch with membership and events strategies • Leverage branded merch to extend engagement and reinforce belongingread more
Drew HolmgreenPresident & CEO, Promotional Products Association International (PPAI)
Rethinking Regional Collaboration in a Changing environment: Singapore and Hawaii and a New Look at the Pacific Rim
● International/Global
📍 140
Traditional regional models are being challenged by shifting geopolitical realities, prompting associations to reconsider where and how they engage globally.Traditional regional models are being challenged by shifting geopolitical realities, prompting associations to reconsider where and how they engage globally. This session examines emerging opportunities across the Pacific Rim, including how associations have effectively utilized Singapore and Hawaii as strategic gateways for collaboration, convening, and member engagement. Learn how organizations are adapting their regional approaches to navigate risk while strengthening global connections. This session is hosted by: Singapore and Meet Hawaiiread more
Meredith EllisonExecutive Dir, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
Kyle Fariss JordanDir, Meetings, INFORMS
Jim PiechowskiVP of Strategic Partnerships, Holmes Corporation
Small Staff, Big Impact: Scalable Learning Programs for Small Associations Canceled
● Learning & Professional Development
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
Small-staff associations gain practical research-informed strategies for delivering high-impact professional development on limited budgets. As workforce expectations rise and talent pipelines shrink, building internal capability has become a strategic imperative, not a luxury.Small-staff associations gain practical research-informed strategies for delivering high-impact professional development on limited budgets. As workforce expectations rise and talent pipelines shrink, building internal capability has become a strategic imperative, not a luxury. Explore how embedding learning and talent development into organizational strategy boosts engagement, strengthens internal mobility, and increases agility in a rapidly changing environment. We introduce low-cost approaches grounded in backward design adult learning theory and universal design for learning, along with tools that support neurodiverse and multimodal learners. Key topics include creating career pathways, designing role-based development plans, using microlearning and volunteer SMEs, leveraging AI-enabled tools, and tracking internal mobility as a core L&D metric. Leave with actionable, inclusive design practices and a practical blueprint for building scalable outcomes-based development programs that deliver outsized impact even with small teams and small budgets. Learning Outcomes • Activate and strengthen internal talent pipelines by deploying microlearning career pathways and AI-enabled development tools. • Design and launch scalable, outcomes-based professional development programs using low-cost, inclusive learning frameworks. • Drive organizational performance by assessing L&D impact through mobility metrics, readiness-gap analysis, and alignment of workforce capabilities with organizational strategy.read more
Defying Gravity: The New Rules for Global Association Impact
● International/Global
📍 Sagamore 4
Geopolitical tensions, travel restrictions, and economic uncertainty are reshaping how associations engage international members. Yet, global reach remains critical for mission impact and revenue diversification.Geopolitical tensions, travel restrictions, and economic uncertainty are reshaping how associations engage international members. Yet, global reach remains critical for mission impact and revenue diversification. We tackle head-on the challenges associations face: declining cross-border meeting attendance, fractured member bases, and the complex calculus of building international programs amid instability. Through provocative dialogue and real-world case studies, discover how forward-thinking associations are successfully navigating these turbulent waters. Learn frameworks that work today—not theoretical models from prepandemic playbooks—for expanding membership globally, creating revenue streams that transcend geography, and delivering mission impact across borders. Whether you're launching your first international initiative, restructuring existing global programs, or wanting to engage your current international community, you'll leave with actionable strategies that acknowledge today's realities while positioning your association for sustainable international growth. Learning Outcomes • Implement revenue diversification strategies specifically designed for fragmented international markets drawn from peer associations' successful case studies. • Assess your association's readiness for global expansion using a practical framework that accounts for current geopolitical, economic, and operational constraints. • Design flexible meeting and engagement models that maintain member value and attendance despite travel restrictions, visa challenges, and regional instability.read more
Jeanne SheehyCMO, Bostrom
Avital RosenVP Business Development, Kenes Group
Louise GorringeVP Association Management, Kenes Group
Peter DohertyAccount Executive / Executive Dir, Bostrom
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Finding Your People: Mentorship and Coaching That Moves Your Career Forward
● Learning & Professional Development
📍 137
This interactive NextGen Talk invites attendees to bring their questions, experiences, and mentorship and career development challenges for an open discussion with peers and mentors.This interactive NextGen Talk invites attendees to bring their questions, experiences, and mentorship and career development challenges for an open discussion with peers and mentors. Together, we'll explore the unique roles of mentoring and coaching, finding the right mentor through programs like ASAE NextGen's mentoring initiative, setting expectations, navigating common challenges, using coaching conversations to uncover goals and opportunities, and building relationships that support long-term professional growth. Whether you're seeking a mentor, serving as one, exploring career coaching, or strengthening an existing connection, you'll leave with practical insights, fresh perspectives, and actionable next steps to advance your career with confidence.read more
Michael PereiraMarketing Manager, School Nutrition Association
Amy L. FriskneyLearning and Leadership Development Dir, International Coaching Federation
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
NextGen Talks
● General
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
The Indispensable Association: Relevance and Strategy for 2030
● Strategy
📍 Sagamore 3
Associations are navigating structural uncertainty: shifting member expectations, fractured attention, new digital behaviors, and evolving engagement models.Associations are navigating structural uncertainty: shifting member expectations, fractured attention, new digital behaviors, and evolving engagement models. We will ask a single, strategic question: what will truly make associations indispensable by 2030—and what conditions must exist for that to be true? Grounded in strategy, behavioral science, and futures-thinking, we blend live interviews with association leaders and collaborative technology-supported input from the room. You will surface and evaluate signals, pressures, and opportunities, then organize them into shared strategic drivers, risks, and conditions for relevance. A facilitated synthesis process converts these insights into a collective 2030 blueprint. Walk away with a field-informed framework you can adapt to spark board and staff dialogue, test scenarios, and guide long-range planning around relevance, value, and member impact. Learning Outcomes • Assess and organize expert perspectives and room-generated insights into shared strategic drivers, opportunities, and risks shaping the future association landscape. • Evaluate the strategic signals, member behavior shifts, and external forces most likely to influence association indispensability through 2030. • Construct a collective 2030 blueprint that articulates the organizational conditions associations must build or strengthen to sustain long-term relevance and value.read more
Marci D. ThompsonCEO (CEO), Society for Marketing Professional Services
Kelli C BaxterFounder and Managing Partner, KG1 Consulting Group
Tiffany BrownExecutive Dir, National Org of Minority Architects
Myra T. BriggsVP, Executive Search, IADB | MTB Leadership Labs
Dareana RoyAssociation Dir, Executive Search, Development Guild
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
The Power Couple: Leveraging the CVB-Services Bond for Association Success
● Meetings & Events
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
This session deconstructs the strategic framework by which destination representatives and services specialists collaborate. Moving beyond the transactional, we explore how to maximize this three-way partnership—planner, sales, and services—to ensure seamless delivery and peak client value.This session deconstructs the strategic framework by which destination representatives and services specialists collaborate. Moving beyond the transactional, we explore how to maximize this three-way partnership—planner, sales, and services—to ensure seamless delivery and peak client value. We will map the journey from initial source and strategic promotion to on-site logistics and the attendee experience. Key focus areas include efficient sourcing protocols, integrated communication systems, and real-world case studies of successful synchronization. Attendees will gain proven best practices to leverage these unique partner strengths, streamlining operations and consistently exceeding event goals. Learning Outcomes: • The Pre-RFP Strategic Blueprint -Participants will develop a standardized pre-RFP checklist designed to align association needs with destination capabilities from day one. This framework ensures that both Sales and Services are synchronized on the project’s vision before the first contract is signed, preventing 'vision drift' during the planning process. • The Seamless Handoff Communication Matrix - Participants will establish a clear communication matrix that defines the transition from Sales to Services. By delineating responsibilities and reporting channels, planners will learn how to eliminate 'siloed' communication, reduce administrative friction, and prevent the duplication of effort when working with Tier 2 destinations. • Architecting Local Experience - Participants will learn to integrate the specialized local expertise of Destination Services into their overarching event strategy. This takeaway focuses on moving beyond basic logistics to leverage the DMO’s community relationships, resulting in measurable, high-value attendee experiences that lean on the destination’s unique strengths.read more
Dee MittmanNational Multicultural & Business Development Sales Manager, Visit Virginia Beach
Eric LoganDir of Destination Services, Visit Virginia Beach
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Unlocking Agility and Resilience in Your Organization
● Strategy
📍 Sagamore 5
Size and resources don’t make an association agile—focused practices and intentional choices do. Discover ASAE’s 7 Measures of Success and learn what drives agility and resilience in associations.Size and resources don’t make an association agile—focused practices and intentional choices do. Discover ASAE’s 7 Measures of Success and learn what drives agility and resilience in associations. Using a simple three-challenge framework, you will identify whether your organization is most affected by internal friction (unclear roles, conflicting priorities, or slow decision-making), overloaded priorities (too many projects or tasks competing for attention), or external pressures (changes in technology, policy, or member expectations). Through guided exercises, peer discussion, and reflection, see how your organization measures up against key markers of agility and resilience—sensing and responding quickly, working across teams, making clear decisions, using technology and data effectively, and balancing stability with flexibility. Leave with practical strategies, actionable insights, and a personal plan to strengthen agility, resilience, and performance that lasts. Learning Outcomes • See how agility and resilience show up in associations of any size or structure. • Learn practical strategies to improve teamwork, decision-making, and workflow. • Walk away with a personal action plan and concrete steps to boost agility, resilience, and long-term results.read more
Chelsea KillamResearch Advisor, Vista Cova
Christina LewellenExecutive Director and CEO, National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)
Patrick GlaserChief Practice Officer, McKinley Advisors
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
When Everyone Has AI: The New Job of the Association Leader
● Artificial Intelligence
📍 132
Your staff is already using AI, whether you've sanctioned it or not. The real question is what your job becomes when everyone on your team has it.Your staff is already using AI, whether you've sanctioned it or not. The real question is what your job becomes when everyone on your team has it. This session works through the three calls only a leader can make: direction (which problems matter), guardrails (what's safe and what's not), and standards (what good looks like). You'll place your own organization on the AI adoption curve, work each call at your table with peers, and watch a live demo of a leader using AI to manage adoption itself, thinking through decisions instead of drafting documents. You leave with a one-page framework and the first move you'll make back at the office. Learning objectives: • Separate the AI use cases worth backing from the pilots that just demo well, using a simple three-part test • Identify where AI is already in use across your organization and which of those uses have no guardrails behind them • Decide who holds the quality bar for AI-assisted work, and commit to the first move you'll make back at the officeread more
John HuismanCOO, Blue Cypress
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 1:45 PM - 4:30 PM
Coaching Session - Lori Bruhns
● General
3 individual appointments — all SOLD OUT
Room not listed on conference website
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
AGI CEO Series: Stop Pretending the CEO–Chair Relationship Is Easy
● Governance
📍 107-110
Every CEO knows it: your relationship with the board chair can be the engine that powers your association forward or the anchor that quietly drags it off course—and, when mismanaged, the very thing that can sink the CEO’s tenure.Every CEO knows it: your relationship with the board chair can be the engine that powers your association forward or the anchor that quietly drags it off course—and, when mismanaged, the very thing that can sink the CEO’s tenure. With the guidance of the most respected governance experts in our sector, we candidly address CEOs and dig into the real dynamics of the CEO–Chair partnership—what it is, what it should be, and why it so often teeters between high-trust collaboration and polite dysfunction. Leaning Outcomes • Diagnose the underlying dynamics of the CEO–Chair relationship. • Apply proven governance and leadership frameworks. • Identify practical strategies for navigating conflict, power shifts, and transition points.read more
Glenn H. TeckerChair and Co-CEO, Tecker International LLC
Mark EngleDir, Association Management Center
Joanna PinedaCEO, Matrix Group International, Inc.
Jon C. HockmanPrincipal, McKinley Advisors
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Catalyst: Unexpected Power of Boundaries: Rethinking the Rules, Risks and Real Drivers of Innovation
● General
📍 500 Ballroom
What if your association does not need a new strategic plan to innovate, but a practical way to move ideas forward within the constraints you already have?What if your association does not need a new strategic plan to innovate, but a practical way to move ideas forward within the constraints you already have? In this entirely new Catalyst experience built exclusively for ASAE Annual, TEDx speaker, innovation expert, and award-winning wildlife photographer Sheri Jacobs challenges the advice to “think outside the box” and reveals how well-designed boundaries help leaders and their teams take smarter risks, focus resources, and move bold ideas forward. Blending vivid storytelling, stunning original images, association-specific case studies, and more than two decades of research, Sheri introduces The Creativity Code™, a practical model for understanding what keeps teams stuck and creating the conditions where innovation can thrive. You will leave prepared to distinguish risk capacity from risk tolerance, decide which rules to protect, move, or remove, and turn one idea from Annual into action. This experience will not end when the applause does. Everyone in the room will receive something unique, meaningful, and individually numbered to help carry the experience back to their organization.read more
Sheri L. JacobsPresident and CEO, Avenue M Group LLC
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Destination Canada's Walk n' Talk
● General
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Elevating Board Performance Through Strategic Governance Practices
● Governance
📍 232-233
Discover how associations can strengthen governance, leadership, onboarding, and decision-making by adopting a future-focused, strategic approach.Discover how associations can strengthen governance, leadership, onboarding, and decision-making by adopting a future-focused, strategic approach. Drawing on a real-world case study and the ASAE Foundation’s ForesightWorks research, you will examine how one association modernized its governance systems, refined board culture, and aligned leadership development with long-term organizational needs. We highlight a multiyear journey that integrated environmental scanning and structured learning for new directors, and redesigned governance processes to support clarity, accountability, and adaptability. Learn practical ways to embed future-focused thinking across governance structures and leadership pathways to build more resilient and responsive organizations. No special expertise is required. You will leave with tools, frameworks, and practical questions you can use immediately to elevate board discussions, strengthen decision-making, and build leadership capacity within your own organization. Learning Outcomes • Integrate structured modern onboarding and leadership development practices to build future-ready leaders. • Strengthen organizational decision-making using future-focused governance practices and practical strategic tools. • Apply simple environmental scanning techniques to identify emerging issues and spark strategic conversations inside your organization.read more
Dallas Ann TomlinGovernance Manager, American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
Jennifer Maxine McNellyCEO, American Society of Safety Professionals
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Future-Ready Connection: Reimagining How Members Find Their People
● Governance
📍 Sagamore 6
What if the future of components doesn’t look anything like we have now, but a purpose-first portfolio of communities where geography plays a role only when it truly adds value?What if the future of components doesn’t look anything like we have now, but a purpose-first portfolio of communities where geography plays a role only when it truly adds value? Drawing on insights from the 2025 Chapter Performance & Benchmarking Report, this session brings together a panel of association executives who are redefining roles and structures to reflect what members actually value to build flexible component models that serve modern member needs. The discussion raises key questions every leader must ask to evaluate whether the design and strategy of your components portfolio center belonging and high-quality connections and continue to drive engagement as communities evolve. Whether the future model is local, digital, identity-, or interest-based, prepare your association to meet members everywhere they are. Learning Outcomes • Evaluate where meaningful engagement and strategic value converge, and how to organize people and structures around what matters most to members. • Understand the shift from transactional engagement to belonging-based community design and how this impacts the components structure. • Assess governance and operational readiness for a components portfolio approach that flexes with member needs rather than defaulting to geographic boundaries.read more
Lindsay CurrieExecutive Officer, Council on Undergraduate Research
David JohnsonCOO, NAFA Fleet Management Association
Chuck WillmarthVP, Health Policy and State Affairs, American Occupational Therapy Association Inc
Diana Lee TuckerFounder & President, Gr8 Measures Strategies
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Mastering Mental Fitness for Purposeful Leadership - Integration Lab
● Health & Wellness
📍 Sagamore 7
This session builds on the Mental Fitness for Purposeful Leadership pre-conference workshop and focuses on applying the work in real time.This session builds on the Mental Fitness for Purposeful Leadership pre-conference workshop and focuses on applying the work in real time. Throughout the conference, you will have the opportunity to notice how your saboteur patterns show up in conversations, decisions, and reactions. This session provides space to reflect on those moments, deepen awareness, and explore how to shift more intentionally. You will leave with greater clarity on how these patterns impact your leadership under pressure and one practical way to lead more effectively in real situations. Learning Objectives • Recognize how saboteur patterns show up in real time and influence conversations, decisions, and interactions • Understand how these patterns impact leadership effectiveness under pressure • Apply practical techniques to shift from reactive responses to more intentional leadership, identifying one specific action to implement immediatelyread more
Amy YipCEO, Amy Yip LLC
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
One CFO’s Blueprint for AI-Powered Association Operations
● Artificial Intelligence
📍 Sagamore 2
No new headcount. No massive software budget. No dedicated IT team. Just strategic AI adoption and a willingness to rethink everything.No new headcount. No massive software budget. No dedicated IT team. Just strategic AI adoption and a willingness to rethink everything. One CFO shares how he reclaimed 15+ hours weekly through hands-on AI experimentation while simultaneously leading his small team to unify data from their AMS, finance systems, conference platforms, and operations into a single source of truth. The result: automated KPIs, self-updating dashboards, and leadership-ready insights—built with the resources you already have. This isn't theory. It's a working blueprint for associations of any size. You'll see the specific tools, prompts, and integrations that eliminated manual reporting and transformed decision-making. Then we'll tackle your challenges together—bring your data bottlenecks, reporting headaches, and workflow frustrations for live problem-solving. Leave with a prioritized implementation plan, practical templates and the confidence to modernize your operations immediately. Learning Outcomes • Apply AI prompt engineering and data integration techniques to solve real association challenges through interactive exercises including automating KPIs and building self-updating reports. • Identify which tasks are prime candidates for AI automation and recognize the characteristics that separate quick wins from strategic investments. • Develop an implementation roadmap that sequences personal productivity gains alongside organizational data unification—creating momentum without overwhelming your team or budget.read more
Andy StegglesInsight Guide, LLC
Gregory CohenChief Financial and Operations Officer, American Socieety of Landscape Architects
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Stick It: A Brain-Friendly Approach to Member Learning
● Learning & Professional Development
📍 234-235
Associations often invest heavily in learning programs that inspire in the moment but fail to produce real behavior change back at the office. We introduce a practical research-backed model for designing strategy sessions that drive measurable impact.Associations often invest heavily in learning programs that inspire in the moment but fail to produce real behavior change back at the office. We introduce a practical research-backed model for designing strategy sessions that drive measurable impact. Drawing from instructional coaching, curriculum design, and cognitive science, explore how to build learning experiences that activate prior knowledge, create clarity, reduce cognitive load, and increase retention while supporting neurodiverse learners. Using case examples from association programming, we demonstrate how well-designed strategy sessions can deepen member value, strengthen engagement, and translate organizational goals into member action. Leave with a replicable blueprint for turning any idea—operational, strategic, or member-facing—into an effective learning experience that sparks commitment, not just participation. Learning Outcomes • Construct session flow and activities that support neurodiverse learners, deepen participation, and move members from insight to action. • Design strategy sessions using adult learning principles, cognitive load theory, and Bloom-aligned outcomes to increase retention and engagement. • Apply a replicable framework to transform organizational goals into member learning experiences that produce measurable behavior change.read more
Meghan PavelkaDir of Education, Radiology Business Management Association
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The AI Takedown Playbook: Stress-Testing Your Association’s Future
● Strategy
📍 238-239
A venture-backed AI competitor targeting your association just launched, with unlimited scale and zero overhead. How vulnerable is your business model? How long do you have to survive?A venture-backed AI competitor targeting your association just launched, with unlimited scale and zero overhead. How vulnerable is your business model? How long do you have to survive? A panel of strategists and tech experts systematically challenges and attempts to dismantle a fictional association’s business model using potential AI disruption scenarios. Attendees will actively participate as "attackers," identifying vulnerabilities and proposing potential attacks as the panel evaluates these threats in real time using AI tools and experience. This isn’t theoretical doomsday talk. This real-time red team exercise gives you a playbook for thinking differently about competition in the AI era. You’ll leave with a threat assessment matrix, documented disruption scenarios specific to associations, and tools for facilitating your own red teaming exercises. The best defense starts with crowdsourced competitive intelligence. Learning Outcomes • Evaluate attack scenarios using real-time assessment techniques to distinguish between hype and genuine existential risks. • Identify the top AI-powered threats that could disrupt your association’s business model, membership value, and competitive position. • Learn how to apply a red teaming framework to conduct your own threat simulation exercises within your organization.read more
Tori Miller Liu
Tim HopkinsManaging Dir, McKinley Advisors
Karim GuirguisCOO, American Bankruptcy Institute
Juan SanchezChief Digital Officer, Inteleos
Katherine BaylessSr Dir, Data & Analytics, Consumer Technology Association
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The Association’s Secret Weapon: Maximizing CVB Value in the Sourcing
● Meetings & Events
📍 236-237
Transform how meeting planners approach destination sourcing by revealing the immense, often-overlooked value of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Discover how to leverage CVB resources from the earliest stages of the planning cycle.Transform how meeting planners approach destination sourcing by revealing the immense, often-overlooked value of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Discover how to leverage CVB resources from the earliest stages of the planning cycle. Learn how a strategic partnership with a CVB can significantly reduce staff time, lower costs, and enhance the overall attendee experience, directly contributing to ROI enhancement. Key areas covered include moving beyond transactional requests to a collaborative partnership, uncovering free CVB services in advocacy attendance building and community engagement, and using the CVB's destination insight to empower planners to secure better terms and concessions. Learning Outcomes • Identify and integrate three distinct non-sales-related CVB services – advocacy, attendance building, and community connection—to measurably reduce your internal staff workload and event costs. • Design and implement a CVB engagement strategy that leverages the CVB as a strategic planning partner beyond basic RFP submissions during the destination sourcing and selection phase. • Apply CVB-provided destination intelligence to negotiate more favorable contract terms, concessions, and community support packages with hotels and vendors.read more
Deirdre ClemmonsSr Dir of Meetings and Sales, American Association for Justice
Rhonda L WalkerDir of Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales, Destination Cleveland
Jerrine LeeCDME, STS, Chief Growth Officer, Visit Richmond, VA
Eric KincaidVP, Sales & Business Development, Bermuda Tourism
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Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The Executive Compensation Gap: How 457(b) and 457(f) Plans Help Associations Compete For and Keep Top Talent
● Finance
📍 Sagamore 1
Associations compete for senior leaders against private sector employers who routinely offer equity, supplemental retirement plans, and deferred compensation arrangements that go far beyond a standard 401(k) match.Associations compete for senior leaders against private sector employers who routinely offer equity, supplemental retirement plans, and deferred compensation arrangements that go far beyond a standard 401(k) match. Fewer than 1 in 5 associations offer a 403(b), only a fraction offer any non-qualified plan, and most CEOs are evaluated on benchmarks that measure base salary while ignoring the total rewards gap. 457(b) and 457(f) plans are specifically designed for tax-exempt organizations — they are low-cost, flexible tools that allow associations to offer executives meaningful deferred compensation tied to tenure and performance. This session breaks down exactly how each plan works, when to use one versus the other, and how to build a total compensation philosophy that lets your association attract, retain, and reward the executive talent your mission depends on. Learning Objectives: • Distinguish between 457(b) and 457(f) plans — how each works, who it’s designed for, the key tax and vesting differences, and when each is the right tool for your executive compensation strategy • Assess your association’s current total compensation gap using ASAE benchmark data — identifying where your executive offer falls short against peer organizations and private sector competitors • Design a total compensation narrative and plan structure that combines your qualified plan, a 457 supplement, and non-cash benefits into a retention-focused offer you can present to your board and candidates.read more
Shelly HorwitzManaging Dir, World Investment Advisors
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Mon Aug 17 · 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Walk ‘n Talk: Explore Fresh Perspectives and Redefine What’s Possible
● Organizational Leadership
📍 105
Leave the conference walls behind for a Walk ’n Talk session featuring a special audio experience with Dr. Shawna Pandya, Canada’s first named commercial female astronaut.Leave the conference walls behind for a Walk ’n Talk session featuring a special audio experience with Dr. Shawna Pandya, Canada’s first named commercial female astronaut. Drawing on stories from space exploration, astronaut training and space medicine, Shawna explores what happens when communities come together to solve problems that once seemed impossible. Through fresh perspectives, curiosity and human connection, she reveals how breakthroughs happen and how leaders create the conditions for others to succeed. Participants will be invited to reflect on how they bring people together, create trusted spaces where ideas become action, and help their communities push the boundaries of what's possible. Return to the conference with a refreshed perspective, renewed inspiration, and one powerful question: What future are you helping your community create? All attendees are welcome to attend; you can sign up here > https://join.canadawalkntalk.com/read more
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
The Talking Point: A Model for Building Community and Content
● Marketing & Communications
📍 PIT - Partner Impact Theater
Marketing and communications teams are constantly challenged to create authentic content, build deeper member connection, and demonstrate strategic value—all while managing limited time and resources.Marketing and communications teams are constantly challenged to create authentic content, build deeper member connection, and demonstrate strategic value—all while managing limited time and resources. We will share how the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) created The Talking Point—a fully replicable onsite conference engagement hub that delivers all three. We will walk through how a simple idea became a high-impact destination that elevated the attendee experience and produced high-quality content for social media, newsletters, and publications. Discover how intentional space design, interactive elements, and cross-team collaboration turned conference attendees into active storytellers, ambassadors, and contributors. Walk away with actionable strategies, activity ideas, templates, and workflows that can be adapted to any association—no matter the size or budget. Learning Outcomes • Transform attendee interactions into high-value, year-round content for social media, web, and publications. • Design a member-centered, onsite engagement hub that strengthens community, encourages participation, and elevates the attendee experience. • Implement staffing models, workflows, and ROI metrics that support real-time content capture and demonstrate measurable value.read more
Jackie ColeDir, Creative Services, American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery
Katherine Sigety ReddingDir, Marketing and Strategic Messaging, American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery
Most association executives understand that AI matters. Far fewer are actually using it in ways that make them more effective. This session is designed to close that gap in 60 minutes.Most association executives understand that AI matters. Far fewer are actually using it in ways that make them more effective. This session is designed to close that gap in 60 minutes. ASAE's AI Coalition has partnered with Stellis AI CEO Trent Gillespie to deliver a clear-eyed view of where AI stands right now, including the shift to AI agents that is already changing how the most productive executives work. This session demonstrates practical AI tools you can begin using immediately and guides you through building an AI roadmap for your organization using a structured exercise you can complete on your phone and take with you as your starting point. This isn't a keynote about AI's potential. It's a working hour focused on what you can do with it, starting now. Learning Objectives: • Understand where AI is headed, including the rise of AI agents and what that means for association leadership and operations • Learn practical approaches for using GPTs, workflow standardization, and AI-enabled process improvement within organizations • Develop a personalized AI adoption roadmap during the session that can serve as a starting point for implementationread more
Trent GillespieCEO & Co-Founder, Stellis AI
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Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
ASAE Fellows Situation Room: Navigating the Future of Associations
● General
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Beyond the Ask: Transform Donors from ATMs to Mission Partners
● Fundraising & Non-dues Revenue
📍 Sagamore 5
Most associations treat fundraising like a vending machine: donors put money in, organizations say thank you, repeat when funds run low. This transactional approach leads to donor fatigue, fundraiser burnout, and unsustainable revenue cycles.Most associations treat fundraising like a vending machine: donors put money in, organizations say thank you, repeat when funds run low. This transactional approach leads to donor fatigue, fundraiser burnout, and unsustainable revenue cycles. Introducing transformational fundraising—an approach that treats supporters as mission partners rather than funding sources. Learn practical strategies to shift organizational culture from extraction to engagement, including how to lead with curiosity instead of organizational needs, communicate authentically about challenges, and create meaningful involvement opportunities beyond check-writing. Drawing from real case studies and 40+ years of fundraising experience, we provide actionable frameworks for building donor communities that sustain organizational work long-term. eave with specific techniques you can implement immediately regardless of organizational size or current fundraising sophistication level to create relationships that honor everyone's commitment to creating change. Learning Outcomes • Learn to apply the curiosity-first framework to donor conversations, demonstrating how to lead with questions about donor interests rather than with organizational needs, resulting in more authentic connections. • Analyze your current donor engagement practices to identify transactional patterns and design three specific interventions to shift toward relationship-based fundraising within your organization. • Develop a 30-day action plan for implementing transformational fundraising practices, including specific communication strategies, engagement opportunities, and metrics for measuring relationship depth rather than just dollars raised.read more
Mark DoboszVP of Philanthropy, Mozaic Senior Life
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Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Crack the Code to Smart Global Growth
● International/Global
📍 Sagamore 4
In today’s uncertain global environment, being strategic about international outreach is more important than ever. Ready to unlock your association’s full growth potential? This session will help you crack the code to targeted, intentional, and sustainable global growth.In today’s uncertain global environment, being strategic about international outreach is more important than ever. Ready to unlock your association’s full growth potential? This session will help you crack the code to targeted, intentional, and sustainable global growth. Drawing on proven methods featured in ASAE’s Associations Guide to Going Global, we will unpack the essential steps needed to identify and prioritize your highest-impact international opportunities and steer away from high-risk ones. Through a real-world case study of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), you’ll explore critical decision points and techniques that led to measurable international results. Walk away with a customized market-prioritization framework you can use immediately to evaluate global opportunities, guide stakeholder conversations, and plan for strategic expansion. Whether you’re beginning to explore global growth or refining an existing strategy, you’ll gain actionable insights, practical tools, and a clear path forward to accelerate your association’s global reach and impact. Learning Outcomes • Assess and prioritize international markets by selecting criteria best aligned with your association’s mission, capacity, and strategic objectives. • Analyze global growth opportunities by evaluating operational and resource considerations to determine where your association has the strongest potential for impact. • Design an initial plan that outlines the operational, cultural, and governance preparations needed to support successful and sustainable global expansion.read more
Sylvia GonnerPresident and Owner, CultureWiz
Leah MisbinSr Dir, International Operations, Institute of Real Estate Management
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Culture Authority and Continuity: Insights From Women CEOs
● Organizational Leadership
📍 236-237
Leadership transitions in volunteer-led associations are constant but their impact is anything but. For women CEOs these transitions often collide with inherited cultures, invisible power structures, and governance habits shaped long before they arrived.Leadership transitions in volunteer-led associations are constant but their impact is anything but. For women CEOs these transitions often collide with inherited cultures, invisible power structures, and governance habits shaped long before they arrived. This candid all-women CEO panel will explore the unspoken realities of guiding organizations through board turnover, strategic resets, and cultural transformation while sustaining momentum in the midst of change. Through lived experience and a practical continuity framework, panelists will examine what stabilizes progress, what disrupts it, and how women navigate authority, relationships, and expectations in complex association ecosystems. Gain practical tools you can use immediately to strengthen culture, align leadership, and protect organizational clarity ensuring that continuity becomes a shared responsibility rather than a personal burden. Learning Outcomes • Apply practical continuity rituals and leadership guardrails that sustain momentum across volunteer turnover cycles. • Identify cultural and governance dynamics that uniquely impact women leaders during board and executive transitions. • Reframe legacy as a collaborative living system rather than an individual achievement,strengthening resilience through shared ownership.read more
Alison TeitelbaumFounder & CEO, AST Strategies
Jennifer HedrickCEO, Women In Trucking, Inc.
Mary J. WheatleyCEO, National Scleroderma Foundation
Amy BurkeCEO, Solid Waste Association of North America
Magdalena N. Nowicka-MookCEO, International Coaching Federation
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
From Scattered to Strategic: Transforming Member Engagement
● Membership
📍 Sagamore 7
Most associations try to engage members through breadth—more programs, more content, more touchpoints. Resource-limited associations can't compete on volume.Most associations try to engage members through breadth—more programs, more content, more touchpoints. Resource-limited associations can't compete on volume. We reveal how two associations serving opposite demographics (Gen Z students and senior executives) transformed engagement by strategically doing less and achieving dramatically more. Through parallel case studies, senior leaders learn a three-phase transformation process—reformulating member data collection to build evidence-based business cases, simplifying delivery by eliminating low-impact activities that drain staff capacity, and hyperfocusing limited resources on member-defined priorities. Discover how to navigate board expectations when proposing strategic elimination, develop business plans that guide leadership priorities rather than react to them, and address strategic debt across governance technology and operations. Explore an engagement audit survey, redesign frameworks, and board communication strategies. Learning Outcomes • Conduct an 80/20 engagement audit to systematically identify and eliminate low-impact activities that contribute to strategic debt, then develop board-ready business plans that reallocate limited resources toward the 20% of initiatives driving 80% of member value. • Understand how to build evidence-based business cases using a reformed member data collection framework that identifies true member priorities and the specific jobs they hire your association to perform, enabling strategic resource allocation decisions grounded in member voice rather than staff assumptions. • Navigate board and staff alignment using the FOCUS framework to manage expectations when eliminating programs, addressing staff morale during strategic shifts, and creating self-sustaining engagement systems.read more
Alexis RedmondSr Dir, NSSLHA, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Carla LochiattoDir, CSO Center for Leadership & Development, ASIS International
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Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Jumping Ship? Staff or Consultant—Why You, Why Now?
● Business Operations
📍 Sagamore 1
Reveal the pros and cons of being an association consultant or a staff member. This strategic conversation is aimed at full-time consultants who wonder about returning to staff as well as staff members pondering a career as a consultant.Reveal the pros and cons of being an association consultant or a staff member. This strategic conversation is aimed at full-time consultants who wonder about returning to staff as well as staff members pondering a career as a consultant. We’ll share stories from both sides as well as dig into topics including leveraging individual strengths and weaknesses, the impacts of organizational culture, and the areas of expertise associations rely on consultants for most often. Audience questions and participation are essential. Learning Outcomes • Assess which career roadmap makes the most of your existing skills and personality, and identify reskilling opportunities that might shift your future direction. • Evaluate the pros and cons of staff and consulting. • Compare solo consulting vs. being part of a larger team.read more
Hilary MarshPresident & Chief Strategist, Content Company, Inc.
David GammelExecutive Dir, AAPM
Carlos CardenasSenior Strategic Consultant, DelCor Technology Solutions
Norma G. CastrejonVP, Information Technology, American Osteopathic Association
Gregory J. FineAdvisor, Gregory J Fine Advising
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Lawful Inclusion: Managing DEI Risk in the New Enforcement Era
● Legal
📍 232-233
Associations and nonprofits are navigating intensified federal policy shifts, agency enforcement, and private litigation following the Trump administration's executive orders on DEI.Associations and nonprofits are navigating intensified federal policy shifts, agency enforcement, and private litigation following the Trump administration's executive orders on DEI. We translate those orders and related legal authorities into practical, defensible action for associations—particularly those with federal grants, higher-education partnerships, scholarships, and sponsor relationships. Practice real-time risk triage on common scenarios and convert assessments into compliant redesigns, documentation, and internal/external communications. Leave able to map programs to risk and brief stakeholders with clarity. Learning Outcomes • Apply insights from federal enforcement actions and private lawsuits to conduct real-time risk assessments using a traffic light framework. • Understand the key legal authorities that underpin federal enforcement actions, including the Executive Orders the False Claims Act and the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University—and identify how they apply to association programs. • Formulate best practices to modify and rebrand DEI programs to convey lawful inclusion objectives while mitigating legal risks.read more
Dorothy DengPartner, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP
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Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Life After Clicks: The New Discovery Model
● Marketing & Communications
📍 Sagamore 6
Search engines are no longer just directing people to websites—they are increasingly answering questions directly through AI-generated overviews and summaries.Search engines are no longer just directing people to websites—they are increasingly answering questions directly through AI-generated overviews and summaries. As a result, traditional performance indicators like pageviews and sessions no longer fully capture how visible or influential an association truly is. Association professionals need to rethink what visibility means in an AI-driven discovery environment. Explore how zero-click search and AI-generated answers are changing how members, prospects, and stakeholders find information. Using a practical leadership-friendly framework we will walk through how to assess whether your organization is appearing accurately, credibly, and consistently in AI-powered results. Learn how to reframe performance discussions with leadership when traffic declines but influence may not. Walk away with a clearer understanding of modern visibility, how to evaluate it, and how to explain these shifts with confidence inside your organization. Learning Outcomes • Evaluate whether your association is accurately and credibly represented within AI-generated search summaries. • Identify how AI-generated search results and zero-click discovery are changing how people find association content. • Apply practical steps to improve AI-driven visibility and clearly communicate these changes to leadership.read more
Lee VidaAssociate Dir, Optimization, Interactive Strategies
Chelsea LaMastraAssociate Dir, Data & Analytics, Interactive Strategies
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Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
The AI-Ready Culture: Leading People Through Transformation
● Organizational Leadership
📍 234-235
Instead of focusing on AI tools, we focus on people. AI transformation doesn’t fail because of technology— it fails because organizations aren’t culturally ready.Instead of focusing on AI tools, we focus on people. AI transformation doesn’t fail because of technology— it fails because organizations aren’t culturally ready. Teams fear change, boards hesitate, and leaders struggle to build alignment in a world moving faster than their governance models. This advanced Leadership Learning Lab helps executives diagnose their organization’s cultural readiness and learn what it takes to lead people—not just systems—through AI-driven change. Using a practical culture framework, real-world association scenarios, and facilitated peer dialogue, explore how trust, communication, and experimentation create the conditions where AI can thrive. You will identify hidden cultural blockers, uncover organizational habits that slow innovation, and learn leadership behaviors that replace fear with clarity and momentum. Leave with a personalized action plan for shaping a bold, resilient, AI-ready culture that supports transformation without losing sight of mission, values, or people. Learning Outcomes • Identify leadership behaviors and communication strategies that build trust and reduce resistance to AI. • Diagnose cultural strengths and vulnerabilities that influence AI readiness. • Develop a personalized action plan to cultivate and sustain an AI-ready culture within your organization.read more
Sherry BudziakFounder, .orgSource
Kevin OrdonezPresident, .orgSource
Kevin MartlageSr Consultant, .orgSource
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Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
The Discovery Mindset: Designing Events With Intention
● Meetings & Events
📍 Sagamore 3
The Discovery Mindset explores how to design events with intention. This involves aligning business goals, audience needs, and experience design to drive measurable outcomes.The Discovery Mindset explores how to design events with intention. This involves aligning business goals, audience needs, and experience design to drive measurable outcomes. The session introduces a strategic framework for creating “moments that matter,” partnering with production teams as co-designers, and using data to evaluate engagement and impact. Attendees leave with practical tools to plan, measure, and communicate the true value of their events. Learning Objectives: Design events with intention and impact by aligning business objectives, audience needs, and key outcomes using a structured event strategy framework. Create meaningful attendee experiences by identifying moments that matter and intentionally mapping the end-to-end attendee journey. Measure and communicate event value by applying data and insights to evaluate engagement, learning, and behavior change.read more
Jorge UrdiainGroup Dir, The Creative Content Studio
Aaron MillerVP, Group Creative Dir, Hargrove, Inc.
☆
Mon Aug 17 · 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
When AI Gets Clever: Unmasking Dark Patterns in EdTech Platforms
● Ethics
📍 Sagamore 2
Discover the hidden ethical risks of AI-driven education platforms by exposing dark patterns and manipulative design choices that influence learner behavior under the guise of personalization and engagement.Discover the hidden ethical risks of AI-driven education platforms by exposing dark patterns and manipulative design choices that influence learner behavior under the guise of personalization and engagement. The goal is to help educators, policymakers, and technologists recognize how these patterns erode trust, equity, and autonomy in learning environments. Learn what dark patterns are and how they manifest in EdTech (for example, forced continuity, scarcity, nudges, pay-to-play features). How does AI amplify these manipulations through algorithmic optimization and opaque personalization? Delve into real-world case studies highlighting regulatory actions and systemic consequences for learners and institutions. Learn ethical frameworks and design principles (such as transparency, equity-by-design, and data minimalism) to counteract these risks. We will discuss the global regulatory landscape (GDPR EU AI Act), practical guardrails for responsible AI adoption in education, and the call to action for building bright patterns that prioritize trust and human dignity. Learning Outcomes • Develop strategies to implement ethical design and responsible AI practices using the T.E.D.I.O.U.S. framework (Transparency Equity-by-Design Data Minimalism), embedding ethical guardrails into procurement, vendor selection, and internal product development processes. • Learn to identify and audit dark patterns in EdTech platforms by gaining hands-on skills to spot manipulative design elements such as forced continuity, scarcity, nudges, and opaque personalization and apply audit checklists to evaluate platforms used in your organization. • Acquire tools to create policy and governance frameworks for AI in learning and leave with actionable steps to draft AI usage guidelines, compliance measures, and accountability standards that protect learners and uphold trust within your institution.read more
Why AI Isn’t Your Most Important Technology Decision
● Strategy
📍 238-239
Associations are navigating funding uncertainty, political shifts, economic pressure, and rapid technological change.Associations are navigating funding uncertainty, political shifts, economic pressure, and rapid technological change. Many feel pressure to adopt tools like AI and modernize quickly while being asked to reduce costs and improve efficiency without the clarity to make those decisions strategically. The most important technology decision an organization can make is not about AI. What matters more is whether the technology strategy aligns with mission, people, and operational realities. We reframe technology as a strategic driver of impact and resilience rather than a set of tools implemented reactively. Explore why technology partners need a seat at the strategic table, how misalignment creates financial and security risks, and how to evaluate technology decisions through a mission-first lens. Gain a practical framework for responsible modernization, see where AI really fits into the conversation, and learn how to ensure technology investments strengthen outcomes instead of distracting from them. Learning Outcomes • Identify when and how to include technology partners in strategic planning to strengthen decision-making and support responsible modernization. • Evaluate technology initiatives using a mission-first framework that clarifies alignment, organizational readiness, and potential financial or security risks. • Apply practical criteria to determine whether tools—including AI—meaningfully advance mission outcomes rather than create distraction, inefficiency, or unintended risk.read more
Rob SheltonVP of Business Development, designDATA
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
The pace of AI innovation and the sheer number of possible AI use cases can leave association leaders stuck in decision paralysis.The pace of AI innovation and the sheer number of possible AI use cases can leave association leaders stuck in decision paralysis. This hands-on workshop helps participants cut through the noise, avoid tool-first adoption, map a priority member journey, identify friction points, and layer AI enhancements intentionally to create a pilot-ready roadmap. Too many teams respond by grabbing shiny AI products before clarifying the member problem, leading to pilots that don’t move the needle. This interactive 90-minute workshop helps leaders regain momentum by starting where value lives: the member journey. Participants will map a high-value journey (onboarding, renewal, event-to-membership, support), pinpoint top friction points, and redesign those moments before adding AI. Then, using a practical “AI enhancement menu,” they’ll match capabilities (smarter content support, personalization, proactive nudges, intelligent service triage) to real member needs. Attendees prioritize via impact/effort, define success metrics, and outline a small, safe pilot. You’ll leave with an AI-annotated journey map and a clear 60 day next steps plan. Learning Outcomes • Design AI enhancements that align to member needs and organizational strategy, not hype. • Map a priority member journey and diagnose the highest-impact friction points. • Create a pilot-ready AI opportunity brief with scope metrics and guardrails.read more
Leo MofunanyaSr Dir of Digital Strategy & Operations, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors Inc
Jason KingPresident, Accella
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Tue Aug 18 · 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Partner Connect Lounge Open + Appointments
● General
Room not listed on conference website
Formerly known as Business Connection Lounge
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Tue Aug 18 · 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Unlearning for Impact: Personal Shifts That Strengthen Team Performance
● Organizational Leadership
📍 Sagamore 4
Association work relies on people—how they think, collaborate, lead, and respond to change. Yet many association professionals carry outdated habits that unintentionally limit both their own impact and their team’s effectiveness.Association work relies on people—how they think, collaborate, lead, and respond to change. Yet many association professionals carry outdated habits that unintentionally limit both their own impact and their team’s effectiveness. In a landscape defined by shifting member needs, rapid change, and increasing workload, real progress doesn’t come from adding more to everyone’s plate. It comes from unlearning what no longer works. Explore unlearning at two levels: the individual shifts that increase clarity, adaptability, and capacity and the team-level behaviors that create healthier, more collaborative work environments. Through interactive exercises and real association scenarios, examine patterns and assess how these behaviors impact team communication, trust, and decision-making. Leave with practical, repeatable strategies to release unproductive habits, strengthen team dynamics, and create more aligned, resilient, and future-ready organizations. Learning Outcomes • Apply an unlearning framework to improve communication collaboration and decision-making across teams and volunteer groups. • Identify individual habits that limit leadership presence and negatively influence team dynamics. • Develop new practices that enhance personal effectiveness while creating more aligned, resilient, and high-performing teams.read more
Ethics at Work: A Day at the Galactic Cosmetics Association
● Ethics
📍 232-233
Use real-world inspired scenarios to help address ethical situations in the workplace.Use real-world inspired scenarios to help address ethical situations in the workplace. Guided by three content leaders from the ASAE Ethics Committee, we will use a fictional association to frame ethical decision-making from the C-Suite, to the board of directors, to staff. We will include the ASAE Standards of Conduct and the ASAE Ethical Toolkit as reference points for handling the scenarios. Using role playing will create an engaging dynamic and interactive hour of ethics-in-action. Learning Outcomes • Understand the role of everyone in ethical decisions and create and ethical culture. • Assess situations and apply an ethical mindset. • Maintain a culture of integrity.read more
Cecilia SeppPrincipal, Rogue Tulips Nonprofit Consulting & Association Management Services
Cindy ZieglerDir of Governance and Special Initiatives, APIC - Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Shawna StricklandChief Learning and Engagement Officer, American Epilepsy Society
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Tue Aug 18 · 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Financial Storytelling: Engage Boards and Prove Your Impact
● Finance
📍 234-235
Your financial statements are much more than compliance documents—they're chapters in your association's strategic story.Your financial statements are much more than compliance documents—they're chapters in your association's strategic story. We will teach you how to take your balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow reports and turn them into compelling narratives that, engage boards, inspire staff, and demonstrate mission impact. Through our three-part framework you'll learn to interpret financial statements as storytelling tools, actually practice turning data into impact narratives using real examples, and master contextual framing techniques that give your numbers meaning in front of nonfinance stakeholders. Walk away with practical tools including a Financial Storytelling Framework worksheet and data visualization guide. Whether you're presenting to your board, communicating with members, or reporting to funders you'll gain immediately applicable skills to connect financial performance to mission outcomes. Learning Outcomes • Create mission-driven narratives that translate financial data into stakeholder-friendly impact stories. • Analyze the statement of activities financial position and cash flows to identify key performance indicators and organizational health metrics. • Design simple visualizations that transform complex financial ratios into accessible insights for nonfinance audiences.read more
Jackie McLaughlinTechnical Reviews & Training Manager, Chazin
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Tue Aug 18 · 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Mission-Driven Inclusion and Integrity: When Your Values Face Political Headwinds
● Conscious Inclusion
📍 Sagamore 2
When the language intended to bring people together becomes politically charged, how do associations continue removing barriers and creating access to the value they bring for all members?When the language intended to bring people together becomes politically charged, how do associations continue removing barriers and creating access to the value they bring for all members? The 2025 political shift around DEI initiatives left many associations navigating contradictory pressures. Boards question inclusion investments while members increasingly expect belonging. Legislation restricts associations’ efforts amidst increased demand for responsiveness to a diversity of needs. Move beyond reactive crisis management to proactive mission-aligned strategy. Through case analysis and small-group application exercises, you'll examine how associations are adapting to advance inclusion work through the lenses of member value, barrier removal, and mission delivery. You'll develop decision frameworks for evaluating vulnerability, communication methods for diverse stakeholders, and implementation plans for strategically maintaining inclusive practices. Though times may be complex and difficult to manage, a values-driven pathway to embed conscious inclusion across your organization is possible while managing external risks. Learning Outcomes • Analyze your individual context to consider relevant opportunities and challenges to advancing conscious inclusion in a values-aligned manner. • Examine the challenges and opportunities of navigating language related to conscious inclusion (diversity, equity, and inclusion). • Develop strategies to adapt with integrity to remove barriers and increase access for stakeholders.read more
DeLa DosSr Dir, Leadership & Transformation, Association of Research Libraries
Hassana HoweVP, Membership, American Physical Therapy Association
Tim HopkinsManaging Dir, McKinley Advisors
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Navigating the Hidden Operational Costs of Today’s DEI Landscape
● Conscious Inclusion
📍 Sagamore 1
Associations are uncovering the hidden operational costs emerging across today’s DEI landscape, including increased staff workload, heightened risk-management considerations, and disruptions to member engagement.Associations are uncovering the hidden operational costs emerging across today’s DEI landscape, including increased staff workload, heightened risk-management considerations, and disruptions to member engagement. While no single organization has all the answers, we offer a transparent look at one association’s member-driven work focused on supporting collegiate communities navigating anti-DEI pressures. Grounded in internal research, listening sessions, and pulse surveys the case study illustrates how a phased framework rooted in communication, data gathering, and strategic support helped strengthen clarity and provided assistance to both members and staff experiencing uncertainty and burnout. We highlight what worked, what proved challenging, and how the organization’s long-standing mission and values shaped each decision. Walk away with adaptable strategies for supporting vulnerable member groups, preserving trust, and sustaining DEI commitments amidst ongoing change. Learning Outcomes • Analyze a phased communication and research-informed framework used by one association and consider how similar approaches could be adapted to support your own operational and member needs. • Summerize the key hidden operational costs emerging within today’s DEI landscape as illustrated by the association’s case study. • Identify and select at least one strategy from the case study that could be applied to strengthen trust or support vulnerable member groups in your own organization.read more
Nicola MohanSr Mgr, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Society of Women Engineers
Roberta RinconDir, Research and Impact, Society of Women Engineers
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Tue Aug 18 · 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The Brain-Based Blueprint for Stronger Membership
● Membership
📍 236-237
Associations often assume members make clear and rational decisions—renewing because of value, engaging because of interest, or drifting away because they are busy. But the brain doesn’t work that way.Associations often assume members make clear and rational decisions—renewing because of value, engaging because of interest, or drifting away because they are busy. But the brain doesn’t work that way. Membership behavior is driven by subconscious cognitive forces: identity and belonging, risk perception, emotional relevance, and the brain’s struggle to process information under overload. Uncover what’s really happening in the member's mind and why traditional strategies often fail to create the loyalty associations expect. Learn why satisfied members still disappear, why messages get ignored, and how uncertainty subtly disrupts the renewal pathway long before a member ever leaves. Through science-backed tools and real-world applications, you will learn how to design communications, experiences, and environments that align with how the brain actually makes decisions. The result: deeper engagement, stronger retention, and associations that members feel connected to on a cognitive and emotional level, not just a transactional one. Learning Outcomes • Learn how to craft messages, experiences, and touchpoints that align with how the brain processes information, evaluates risk, and decides what’s worth attention. • Understand the brain-based forces (belonging, identity, cognitive load, and emotional relevance) that determine whether members join, renew, engage, or drift away. • Apply cognitive tools to reduce friction, strengthen emotional connection, and design organizational environments where members feel understood, valued, and compelled to stay.read more
As organizations accelerate their use of artificial intelligence many, are discovering that weak data management and unclear governance are the greatest barriers to success.As organizations accelerate their use of artificial intelligence many, are discovering that weak data management and unclear governance are the greatest barriers to success. We will provide executive leaders with a practical playbook for building the data foundations required for responsible, scalable, and high impact AI. Explore how to move from fragmented data environments to governed, trustworthy, decision-ready intelligence. We address how to prioritize investments, avoid costly missteps, establish effective data leadership and accountability models, and maintain control across complex vendor and integration ecosystems. You will also learn how to connect data and AI investments to measurable business and mission outcomes, including efficiency, growth, and risk reduction. Learning Outcomes • Identify the leadership structures, accountability models, and investment priorities required to support scalable and responsible AI adoption. • Assess organizational data management and governance maturity in relation to AI readiness and enterprise risk. • Apply practical methods for measuring the business and mission impact of data governance and AI investments.read more
Daniel ElacquaCEO, Strategico Consultants
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The Value Proposition Playbook: How Associations Grow in 2026
● Membership
📍 238-239
Associations face increasing pressure to prove the value of membership, especially as expectations differ across generations. We pair a strategic marketer with an association practitioner who revitalized her organization’s engagement strategy, including high-touch tactics like onsite new member visits.Associations face increasing pressure to prove the value of membership, especially as expectations differ across generations. We pair a strategic marketer with an association practitioner who revitalized her organization’s engagement strategy, including high-touch tactics like onsite new member visits. Together they will walk through a practical framework for defining a member value proposition rooted in member psychology, engagement behaviors, and digital experience design. Then they’ll show how to grow the association by activating that value across the member lifecycle, taking into consideration varying generational preferences and career stages from early-career professionals to late-career and retired members. Through short case examples and guided exercises you will map your own value proposition to key touchpoints, identify gaps in how you communicate value today, and outline a 90-day activation plan that blends digital and in-person outreach. Learning Outcomes • Map value proposition across the member lifecycle and key digital and in-person touchpoints, including different generational segments. • Define a clear, concise member value proposition grounded in member motivations, outcomes, and engagement behaviors. • Develop a 90-day activation plan that uses engagement data and simple experiments to test, refine, and communicate value more effectively.read more
Sarah SchnettlerSr VP - Member Experience & Executive Director - NAMIC Mutu, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
Devin TimbrookDir of Sales Enablement, Higher Logic
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
AGI CEO Series: Learning from Each Other: A Peer Exchange for Association CEOs
● Organizational Leadership
📍 107-110
This interactive, 60-minute session is designed as a highly engaging, peer-driven workshop—built for connection, not presentation.This interactive, 60-minute session is designed as a highly engaging, peer-driven workshop—built for connection, not presentation. Rather than sitting and listening, participants will actively engage with fellow leaders across organizations of varying sizes, structures, and focus areas to exchange ideas, challenges, and practical approaches. Through a series of facilitated “lightning rounds,” participants will self-select into small groups to explore a curated set of timely, high-impact topics facing association leaders today. Each topic will be briefly introduced with key framing insights and guiding questions before groups dive into discussion, sharing real-world experiences, strategies, and lessons learned. Participants will rotate at least once, ensuring exposure to multiple perspectives and expanding their network of peers. Conversations may explore areas such as strengthening the board-chair partnership, shaping organizational strategy, fostering board culture, or addressing emerging leadership challenges—grounded in both strategic thinking and practical application. This session is intentionally designed to be flexible and responsive. Participant input gathered earlier in the conference may inform one of the discussion topics, ensuring relevance to the most pressing issues in the room. Come prepared to contribute, share openly, and learn from others. This is a space for candid dialogue, collective problem-solving, and meaningful connection with peers navigating similar opportunities and challenges. LEARNING OUTCOMES Exchange practical strategies with peer CEOs Explore approaches to key leadership challenges Expand perspective through diverse peer interactionread more
Beyond Networking: How Associations Cultivate Trust, Shared Purpose, and Results
● Strategy
📍 238-239
Associations face higher member demands while resources shrink. Still, most rely on broadcast communication, episodic conferences, and traditional networking that rarely build the trust needed for lasting relationships.Associations face higher member demands while resources shrink. Still, most rely on broadcast communication, episodic conferences, and traditional networking that rarely build the trust needed for lasting relationships. Hear two community builders from different ends of the association ecosystem come together to offer a new model—community as intentional relationship design. Drawing from lived experience building peer-to-peer communities, designing strategic alliances, and supporting organizational partnerships the presenters will offer a roadmap any association executive can use to build trust quickly and intentionally; form alliances that last beyond one-off collaborations; close the listening gap with members and stakeholders; identify missing connections and underutilized strengths; create engagement systems that feel human—not performative; and reduce the need to be omnipresent by focusing on deeper, more meaningful connections that drive real impact. This is community building grounded in strategy and designed for today's association realities. Learning Outcomes • Practice using a trust-building and deep listening framework and leave prepared to implement it in conversations with members, partners, and internal teams to immediately strengthen engagement. • Apply the right intentional community-building model (peer communities, strategic alliances, or member networks) based on your association’s goals and context. • Map your current relationship and partnership landscape, gaining hands-on experience identifying gaps, over-connected areas, and opportunities for strategic alliances you can advance back at the office.read more
Paula Douglas SeidelGlobal Strategic Partnerships Executive, Powerful Partners
Catalyst: One Move Away: Everyday Actions that Build Trust
● General
📍 500 Ballroom
On every team, people get stuck. A staff member goes quiet. A board member starts to drift. Someone stops showing up the way they used to. The real question is never whether it happens.On every team, people get stuck. A staff member goes quiet. A board member starts to drift. Someone stops showing up the way they used to. The real question is never whether it happens. It is what the people around them do next. Do they look away and protect themselves? Or do they stop and turn toward them? In this Catalyst talk, Justin Patton makes one thing clear. Trust is not built in the big moments. It is built in the small ones. It takes Relational Courage™, the choice to turn toward each other when turning away would feel safer. But turning away keeps people playing small and quietly tears organizations apart. Through an unforgettable story, real laughs, and five trust moves, Justin gives every association leader a practical way to lead from where they sit. Because every team, every board, every relationship is just one move away from the kind of trust where people show up for each other and keep coming back. What move will you make?read more
Driving Certificant and Revenue Growth Through Credentialing Strategy
● Fundraising & Non-dues Revenue
📍 Sagamore 5
Learn how a mid-sized credentialing organization transformed its certification program into a scalable revenue-generating engine. Through operational modernization, DEI-focused outreach, and strategic product diversification, the organization significantly expanded its certificant base and nearly doubled revenue.Learn how a mid-sized credentialing organization transformed its certification program into a scalable revenue-generating engine. Through operational modernization, DEI-focused outreach, and strategic product diversification, the organization significantly expanded its certificant base and nearly doubled revenue. We break down the key elements of this growth: digitizing certification workflows; broadening access and affordability; embedding equity in outreach strategies; and building nondues revenue beyond exam fees. Whether you manage a credentialing body or an association exploring certification, you’ll walk away with a practical, replicable framework to scale your program or integrate credentialing into your broader value proposition. We include real-world metrics, strategy insights, and a takeaway tool to help you apply the lessons in your own organization. Learning Outcomes • Gain actionable ideas to expand reach and participation through scholarships, liaison networks, and accessible digital infrastructure that support both equity and sustainability. • Learn the strategic and operational steps to scale a credentialing program covering workflow modernization, equity-focused outreach, and diversified revenue streams. • Walk away with key performance indicators (KPIs) and governance practices needed to measure success and maintain momentum—whether starting a new program or enhancing an existing one.read more
Theresa Field-BobroskiAccount Executive, Association Headquarters Inc
Sandra DelackExecutive Dir, NBCSN
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
From Awareness to Action: How to Build a Culture of Workplace Well-Being
● Health & Wellness
📍 Sagamore 6
A thriving association doesn't just need talented employees — it needs those people to be at their best, to reset quickly, and adapt to pressure. Most leaders know well-being matters, but it can feel like an unaffordable or overwhelming priority.A thriving association doesn't just need talented employees — it needs those people to be at their best, to reset quickly, and adapt to pressure. Most leaders know well-being matters, but it can feel like an unaffordable or overwhelming priority. The good news: the evidence is compelling. Organizations that invest in employee well-being are measurably more resilient and more successful. This hands-on session brings that evidence to life, starting with real data. We'll share findings from an ASAE Pulse Poll on workplace well-being, drawn directly from association professionals describing the pressures they're facing today. From there, we move from insight to action: practical strategies for making well-being a real priority in your organization, even amid external uncertainty. We'll get specific, exploring the communication strategies and well-being practices that don't just help employees get by but help them genuinely thrive, and how to weave those into your workplace culture in a way that is relevant and actually sticks. Learning Objectives: • Learn about workplace well-being trends among association professionals, based on a June ASAE Pulse Poll. • Assess existing well-being practices in your organization to identify opportunities for growth. Identify low-effort, high-impact practices that you can readily implement to prioritize well-being in your workplace.read more
Tara DavisSr Dir, Internal Communications & Staff Wellbeing, American Psychological Association
Dennis StolleExecutive Lead Psychologist, Applied Psychology, American Psychological Association
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Is Your Association More Blockbuster or Netflix? Moving Beyond Surveys
● Membership
📍 234-235
Blockbuster surveyed customers who said they loved browsing video stores. Meanwhile Netflix observed that people actually hated late fees and leaving home. One listened to surveys; the other watched behavior. We all know who won.Blockbuster surveyed customers who said they loved browsing video stores. Meanwhile Netflix observed that people actually hated late fees and leaving home. One listened to surveys; the other watched behavior. We all know who won. Your members may say they love the conference, but only 30% attend. They request more content, but don't consume what you create. There is a critical gap between stated preferences (commonly revealed through surveys) and actual behavior (revealed through workplace visits and sustained outreach). We reveal the detective work that helps uncover what members truly value. Through compelling stories and hands-on activities, learn about empathy interviews, behavioral analysis,and member shadowing. You'll leave with the capabilities to design pilots that surface hidden value and build innovative programs that your members will actively engage with. The outcomes are perpetual value, deep member loyalty, and sustained growth. Learning Outcomes • Use participatory observation to uncover opportunities that traditional data collection may miss. • Engage in design thinking to explore your members’ true needs. • Learn how cocreative member programming can build serial belonging,read more
James B. YoungFounder, Product Community
Leah KralOwner and Principal, Two Larks Consulting
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Modernizing Nominations & Elections: From Strategies to Systems
● Governance
📍 Sagamore 2
Associations are reimagining their nominations and elections processes to build stronger leadership pipelines, improve transparency, and ensure governance keeps pace with evolving needs.Associations are reimagining their nominations and elections processes to build stronger leadership pipelines, improve transparency, and ensure governance keeps pace with evolving needs. Modernization requires more than procedural updates—it demands aligning strategic intent with the structures, competencies, and systems that determine how leaders are identified, assessed, and developed. Discover how one trade association and one professional society approached this work through strategic design and operational system-building. Speakers will share how their organizations evaluated legacy practices, engaged stakeholders, introduced structural refinements such as sunsetting special elections, strengthened competency-driven evaluation systems, and created clearer, more consistent pathways to leadership. Together these changes demonstrate how associations can modernize without losing fairness, rigor, or member trust. Learning Outcomes • Apply principles of competency-based evaluation, streamlined nomination pathways, and structural refinements to strengthen fairness, clarity, and consistency within your own nominating and elections processes. • Understand the strategic drivers behind modernizing nominations and elections systems and describe how evolving organizational needs shape leadership pathways and governance structures. • Analyze the impact of governance system redesigns by assessing how changes to competencies, evaluation methods, and appointment processes influence leader readiness, stakeholder confidence, and long-term leadership pipeline development.read more
George A. MillerPractice Dir, McKinley Advisors
Kim McDowellChief Engagement Officer, American Society of Safety Professionals
Dallas Ann TomlinGovernance Manager, American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
Delia MurphyVP, Membership, Specialty Food Association
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Navigating Neuroinclusive Events: Beyond the Checklist
● Conscious Inclusion
📍 232-233
Associations bring people together to learn, connect, and grow - but not everyone experiences events in the same way.Associations bring people together to learn, connect, and grow - but not everyone experiences events in the same way. This session invites anyone involved in your association’s event planning to look past the basic checklists and reframe your event design and delivery through a neuroinclusive lens. We’ll explore what neuroinclusion means in the events space and how to apply best practices to every step of the event planning process, opening doors to all learners while boosting your event’s overall success. Participants will learn how to implement a neuroinclusive event across design, development, delivery and debriefing, from venue selection to program structure, attendee communication, and onsite support. We’ll also discuss how these adjustments improve the event experience for everyone - and how to evaluate impact after the event. You’ll leave with a roadmap that you can apply immediately, including real-world examples and practical tools to help you embed inclusion throughout your event. Learning Outcomes • Identify at least three neuroinclusive practices for each stage of event planning: design development, delivery, and debriefing. • Define neuroinclusivity and its impact and application in the event planning space. • Apply insights to your own events, identifying actionable areas of improvement for each of the planning stages in our take-action worksheet.read more
Bradley DavisVP, Learning Strategy, International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training
Navigating The Strategic No: Protect Your Capacity, Credibility, and Cashflow
● Organizational Leadership
📍 Sagamore 1
Stop overcommitting and start leading strategically. This interactive session helps association professionals evaluate requests against priorities, communicate clear boundaries, and protect organizational impact.Stop overcommitting and start leading strategically. This interactive session helps association professionals evaluate requests against priorities, communicate clear boundaries, and protect organizational impact. Through real scenarios, live coaching, and immediate frameworks you’ll practice and acquire three tools for how to say no in ways that build trust, strengthen credibility, and advance your career—without damaging relationships. Learning Outcomes: • Evaluate requests using decision-making frameworks aligned with strategic priorities and organizational impact • Communicate clear, confident, and strategic “no” responses that maintain trust, strengthen relationships, and reinforce leadership credibility • Recognize how overcommitment affects performance, capacity, and mission and member value delivery—and apply strategies to protect focus and resultsread more
Lori BruhnsCEO, Lori Bruhns, LLC
Mariama S. BoneyCEO/Executive, Achieve More LLC
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Responsible AI: Privacy-First Workflows for Associations
● Artificial Intelligence
📍 Sagamore 4
Many associations already have AI policies and a chosen tool like Copilot, but adoption lags. Teams feel blocked by restrictions, get stuck summarizing emails, or buy expensive point solutions that don’t fit every department.Many associations already have AI policies and a chosen tool like Copilot, but adoption lags. Teams feel blocked by restrictions, get stuck summarizing emails, or buy expensive point solutions that don’t fit every department. Is it possible to respect your organization’s privacy posture and still get real work done with AI? We will show you how to turn privacy constraints into design rules for effective workflows. You will classify common association data into simple risk tiers then use a redaction-and-restore pattern to run realistic tasks—such as board, reports event recaps and member communications—in tools like Copilot without exposing sensitive information. You will also design a 90-day privacy-first AI pilot that fits your existing stack and staff capacity so managers and individual contributors can finally move beyond “trying AI” toward dependable, measurable value. Learning Outcomes • Apply a step-by-step redaction-and-restore workflow to run common tasks (board reports, event summaries, member emails) in tools like Copilot without copying sensitive data into prompts. • Classify core association data into low, medium, and high-risk tiers that guide when and how AI tools may be used. • Design a 90-day privacy-first AI pilot that sets clear goals, guardrails, and roles for managers and front-line staff in at least two departments.read more
Trevor SookrajAI Educator, Trevor's Tech Talk
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
VIP Q&A Session with Closing Keynote Speaker
● General
By invitation only
Room not listed on conference website
☆
Tue Aug 18 · 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
When Dashboards Deceive: Leading Beyond the Numbers
● Organizational Leadership
📍 236-237
Nonprofits increasingly rely on dashboards and KPIs to guide decisions, but leaders often mistake simplified metrics for objective truth.Nonprofits increasingly rely on dashboards and KPIs to guide decisions, but leaders often mistake simplified metrics for objective truth. Neuroscience shows that people make intuitive or emotional decisions first and then use data to justify them, making data-driven leadership far less rational than it appears. We challenge the assumption that dashboards provide clarity and explore how KPIs embed value judgments, hidden biases, exclusions, and blind spots that can distort mission priorities. Examine how dashboards can unintentionally mislead, why data often becomes a risk-management shield rather than a decision tool, and how to interpret analytical outputs with ethical and mission-centered discernment. You will leave with practical skills to partner effectively with analysts, identify misleading metrics, and make decisions that elevate purpose over convenience—leading beyond the numbers rather than being led by them. Learning Outcomes • Differentiate between data-supported rationalization and genuine mission-centered decision-making using behavioral science insights. • Analyze KPI structures to identify hidden assumptions, exclusions, and misleading interpretations. • Apply practical strategies to collaborate with analysts and interpret dashboards in ways that strengthen ethical judgment and preserve nonprofit mission integrity.read more
Randy BowmanPreisdent and CEO, International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
🤖 Let AI help you determine which sessions to attend
Download the full session list and paste it into Claude (claude.ai).
Then paste a prompt like the example below — it gives the AI a role, context about the data, and a clear task.
Tip: This is a large session list. Claude (claude.ai) handles the full file reliably. Other tools like ChatGPT and Gemini may silently cut off the data — the verification step in the prompt will catch that.
Example prompt:
ROLE: Expert conference advisor for ASAE 2026 Annual Meeting & Expo attendees CONTEXT: I'm pasting over 200 sessions for the ASAE 2026 Annual Meeting & Expo.
I'm an association executive. I want practical uses of AI for association management, sessions on membership growth and non-dues revenue, and good networking with other association professionals. GOAL: Pick the top 10 sessions for me. OUTPUT FORMAT: List in chronological order. Do NOT number them sequentially.
Instead, start each entry with its relevance rank in bold, like: Rank #3 of over 200 — Session Title.
Follow with the day and time, then 2-3 sentences on why it fits my goals. VERIFICATION: Before answering, confirm how many sessions you received.
You should have at least 200. If you received significantly fewer,
tell me immediately — my paste was probably truncated.
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Which sessions are right for you?
Describe yourself and what you want from ASAE 2026 Annual Meeting & Expo. The more specific you are, the better this works.
You can also say how many you want or when you're free — “just my top 3”, “give me 20”, “only Friday afternoon”. You get 10 unless you ask for more.
There's a daily limit on the phone version, so it can stay free for everyone at the event. You can run it as many times as you want using your own AI account at home: scroll down, tap Copy prompt, and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini — free or paid account, the same session list, no daily limit.
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