Archive for February, 2012

Registrations by Numbers

February 27, 2012

Meetings and conferences registrations may not be the hottest ticket item on our To Do lists as associations, but they certainly can say a lot about what and how we are doing.  Registrations for conferences and meetings play a varied role in our work.  It’s not just about how many people are attending our events.  Registration numbers tell us how well we’re doing in everything from enticing participation from new members, exhibitors, and sponsors to meeting and accomplishing our goals on time and under budget.  It’s not just about low or high numbers, either.

Every week we examine our registrations.  For example, our client the Association of Language Companies, is currently monitoring registrations for it’s 2012 Annual Conference in New Orleans this May.  We take into account how each week is growing in comparison to our past history.  Our registration records provide metrics.  Metrics to be able to appraise our members’ participation.  Metrics for understanding where we’ve been and where we’re headed and what is needed to get us there.  And metrics to guide us in our future budgeting and planning.

Each year our client teams want to surpass the registration numbers of the last.  Registration numbers can motivate, inspire, and encourage us to set the bar higher year after year.  Although as associations a lot of the work that we do is not always easily evaluated by standard metrics, we can be proud of our registrations.  Of course we don’t simply measure the success of a meeting or conference by the number of registrations.  It is an immeasurable joy to hear “Thank you” or “Well done” or “I really enjoyed this…” from our members at our meetings.

But our registration numbers remind us of the big picture: we, as an association, are looking to grow and do more for our members and our communities.  Registrations provide the feedback needed to continue to accomplish our goals, the metrics to understand what needs improvement, and the encouragement to set higher goals in our future meetings and conferences.

Posted in Meetings | Leave a Comment »

Face to Face Isn’t the Issue

February 15, 2012

I had a good time at the AMC Institute Annual Meeting last week in Palm Springs. It was my first time, and I enjoyed my interactions with the participants. In one of my conversations about social media, someone mentioned that he had heard that there was research showing that the younger generation was moving back towards valuing face-to-face interactions, rather than virtual ones.

I can’t speak to that research (I haven’t seen it), but I think the whole question is missing the point. I don’t think Social Media brings with it a de-valuation of face-to-face. It never has. I am connected to a lot of people who are deep, deep fans of social media. We are “in the bubble.” And guess what: we all LOVE face-to-face interactions. We’ve all been engaging in face-to-face interactions our whole lives. And if anything, social media has led to MORE face-to-face interactions (or at least more satisfying ones) than ever before.

I know I hear complaints of how people sit at a conference all staring at their phones rather than talking to one another. This does happen, and before social media/smart phones, it didn’t. I get it. But here’s the rub. That’s just one moment when they are not talking to each other. Just because you spotted a moment when people aren’t talking to each other, doesn’t mean that “talking to each other” is declining. I know in “your day” that was a moment when people would be talking to each other, but it’s still just one moment. It’s just that the pattern has shifted. But face-to-face is absolutely necessary for deeper relationship building, and deep relationships are just as needed in today’s society as they were before computers. We just build these relationships using different patterns now, but I don’t think face-to-face ever went away, nor will it.

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Posted in Marketing and Commmunications, Meetings | Leave a Comment »

Member Retention Through Better Orientation

February 7, 2012

It’s a well known fact that one way to dramatically increase member retention statistics is by getting members involved in the association right away—joining a committee, attending the annual conference, etc. Another way is by ensuring members start using, and seeing the value of their benefits from the start.

But let’s face it, many members are shy about jumping into a well established organization. They feel like everyone already knows everyone else, so they hang back, don’t get involved, don’t see the value in the membership, and then don’t renew. So how do you turn this process around? How about with a more personalized member orientation.

One of our association, the Association of Language Companies clients recently started making personalized member welcome calls. Here’s how they work:

  • Once a new member joins the association, we email the welcome committee with the person’s contact information.
  • The committee then identifies a couple of people—a board member, a committee member, etc—to contact the new member through a conference call.
  • Once on the phone, the new member is asked about why they joined, what they hope to get from their membership, and what industry concerns they have. While the member is answering the questions, they respond with what the association is doing to address those issues and point out benefits that can help get them the answers they need. They also invite them to join specific committees, attend the conference, etc.

The point is they make the member feel wanted in a very personal way. And, at the same time, give the new member everything they need to have a successful and beneficial relationship with the association—increasing the chance of them renewing when the time comes.

Image credit.

Posted in Membership | Leave a Comment »

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