The 2013 Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives (MASAE) mid-year meeting was all about technology. Technology is changing at a rapid pace and we need to immerse ourselves in the change. This advice came from the opening keynote, ASAE’s CIO Reggie Henry.
The Rise of Mobile
Henry used his iPad to wirelessly present a slideshow and his iPhone to move between slides, a great example of how technology has changed the way we perform in our daily lives, both personally and professionally. Henry predicted that by 2014, which is only about 6 months away, most communication will be conducted through mobile devices. It is imperative that websites have a responsive, mobile-friendly design. Henry has also observed over the last few years that many tools being used in the office are not supported by IT departments anymore; the tools used are often mobile apps that can be found on our personal devices, supported by the app developer only. This is a growing trend in technology that companies and organizations of all sizes need to start adapting to.
Online Marketing Tools
Bob De Stefano of SVM Marketing Solutions hosted a breakout session focused on the best tools available for online marketing. De Stefano emphasized the importance of content marketing and making your content available in several different mediums: blogs, news articles, social media posts, e-books, podcasts, etc. In this fast-paced world, we need to make our content readily available to our clients in several easy-to-find places. De Stefano also talked about what makes up a great website, the importance of SEO, social media, and email marketing. This online marketing toolbox was made available to all attendees and similar content can be found at De Stefano’s website.
Tight Budget
In the latter part of the day, AH Meeting Manager Kristin Brammel presented a session that many association professionals can relate to: Tech Tools for a Tight Budget. She shared many free, online tools she uses that also assist her meeting hosts, attendees, presenters, and vendors. Brammel suggested using polleverywhere.com to use in membership meetings for surveys and voting purposes. This replaces the need for printing, mailing, and time to collect and evaluate results. Another tool that can be utilized by association professionals is activepresenter.com. This site allows you to record a webinar from any application, along with a voiceover, and send it out to as many recipients as needed. This free, easy-to-use tool replaces the need to have multiple people on a call at a time that works for everyone around the country or abroad.
Improve Productivity and Simplify Your Life
The closing session was presented by everyone’s nerdy BFF, Beth Ziesenis of AskBethZ.com. Ziesenis is known for her fun and unique way of presenting tech tools to the association industry. Each week she sends out a newsletter with more than a few new (and usually free) tools that she researches and tests for productivity and ease of use. In her presentation, Ziesenis presented over a dozen of her newest finds with much enthusiasm. Ziesenis let her passion come through in the short presentation of each tool. She also had the audience laughing at and writing down everything she was saying. You can check out some of the must-have tools and subscribe to her amazing weekly newsletter at her website. Her closing presentation really brought the idea home that technology is growing at a rapid pace and as professionals, we need to immerse ourselves in and embrace these positive changes.
Karli Horn currently serves as the marketing coordinator for Association Headquarters, Inc. (AH) where her expertise lies in lead generation. She also spearheads the marketing plan for the ASAE Certificate in Association Management Program. Karli earned her certificate in May 2013. Prior to working at AH, Karli gained experience in marketing, lead generation, and event planning with a local parenting magazine as the marketing and event coordinator. She played many roles in this position from writing articles to selling advertising space. Karli earned her bachelor's in english from Cabrini College in Radnor, Pennsylvania in 2007. She currently resides in Riverside, New Jersey, with her husband and 2 dogs, Bernie and Mystik. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and reading on the beach whenever possible.
