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What’s That Smell?

The opportunity to network with peers is one of the biggest values of association conferences, yet it can be incredibly difficult to start the conversation if you don’t know anyone. Even the most extroverted folks still struggle to break in. Fortunately, there are many ways to start and sustain meaningful conversations. Of course, there are…

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Getting the Most From Association Conferences: an Attendee’s Perspective

By Stephen Brand, Executive Director of Global Learning and Development at Bay Path University During the past Spring, I attended six conferences back-to-back. What an experience! Those months were both exhilarating and exhausting—but extremely valuable. That’s because I went to each event with a plan. You’ve really got to think ahead, especially considering that the…

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Personal Relationships Drive Membership Growth

By Jim Sotiropoulos, TMG Association Executive An association’s success, or lack thereof, can be largely measured by how effectively it grows and retains its membership. Those associations that fail either to attract new members or to provide value to existing members will ultimately cease to exist. Therefore, most association managers are in a perpetual struggle…

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Happy Employees Move your Mission

By Ben Markens, TMG president Whether you’re a trade association, a mission-based nonprofit, or a for-profit, we are all in the business of providing service to others. Outside the walls of the organization, virtual or otherwise, the customer has been and always will be king. But turning our focus inside, there’s another stakeholder group we…

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Harnessing Data: Benchmarking in your Association

By Brian Chaisson, TMG Director of Industry Benchmarking Members typically join associations to network, learn industry best practices, or identify trends coming down the pipeline. However, a lesser-known but equally valuable reason is benchmarking – the study of comparative data in the industry. Industry benchmarking programs collect and compile member data to produce aggregated results, thereby…

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An association’s board of directors has tough decisions to make. The organization’s vision, value proposition, and overall strategy all fall into in the hands of the board. On top of that responsibility, board members have to collaborate to make decisions. That can be a challenge in itself!   If you serve on a board that…

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4 Ways to Keep Your Event Program Out of the Trash

When it comes to association conferences and events, an attractive, user-friendly program book may be the single most important material you give attendees. Done right, the event program will be a valuable resource that attendees will refer to throughout the event and maybe even keep as a guide when they return back to their office.…

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