A recent policy change exempts business event organizers from charging sales tax to their exhibitors. The move, applauded by hospitality leaders, also ensures the state can continue to compete for convention business that employs tens of thousands of Kentuckians. The Kentucky General Assembly and Gov. Andy Beshear have exempted business event organizers from charging sales tax to their exhibitors, a move applauded by the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) and hospitality leaders in the state. As of January 1, a wide range of services in Kentucky had been subject to a 6 percent sales ..read more

If you need more onsite staff support for an upcoming conference, consider looking to your members. Last year, the North American Vascular Biology Organization enlisted a group of postdoc members to serve as session facilitators at its international conference to great success. Last year, Bernadette Englert, executive officer at the North American Vascular Biology Organization found herself in a tough spot when it came to staffing NAVBO’s 22nd International Vascular Biology Meeting. “Our large international meeting happens once every six years,” she said. “We had 54 sessions with six sessions ..read more

A recent survey from Professionals for Association Revenue finds that many groups are falling short of budget goals. Substantial proportions of associations are struggling to meet revenue targets, according to a new survey, and lack the budget strategy infrastructure that might improve their fortunes. The Association Business Development Landscape Report, released last month by Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR), reports that less than half of association executives said they will meet their budget targets for membership (48 percent) and nondues meeting sponsorship (48 percent). Even ..read more

All associations have some members on the fence about renewing. How can you recognize these individuals and then convince them to stick around for the long term? One membership professional shares strategies to help turn at-risk members into more engaged participants. Associations must care for and support their members, no matter where they fall on the engagement scale. However, at-risk members require a careful approach as they teeter between whether to renew their membership or leave the association. According to Kevin Jacobs, membership manager at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC ..read more

Leaders aren’t in charge because decision-making is easy. But they can create a culture where everybody feels comfortable weighing in on tough calls. Associations are in a bind. Last week, I reported on a new survey from content firm Omnipress showing that many organizations are still working through how to host their meetings. Associations have eagerly returned to in-person conferences in the past year because attendees say they want them, and because they’ve traditionally been top revenue drivers. But the pandemic era has also made attendees more skeptical about the value proposition of the ..read more

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we asked readers to tell us about the women leaders they appreciate in the association industry and beyond. March is Women’s History Month. In honor of that, we asked readers to share some of the women leaders in their lives who have made an impact and inspired them. From being champions for staff to serving as role models, read on for some women inside and outside the association space who have made a difference. Tom Herron Senior Director, Market Transformation, National Fenestration Rating Council I admire Deb Callahan, CEO of the National Fenestrati ..read more

The quiet hiring trend is on the rise. Though it may seem like it only benefits employers, quiet hiring can also be good for staff if it’s done right. Two HR experts share best practices to help associations take an ethical approach to quiet hiring. Quiet hiring may sound like the newest buzzword to explain the ever-changing workplace, but it’s not a new concept. One way to describe it is this: organizations that are unable to hire new staff will disperse the responsibilities to internal staff or hire part-time or contract employees. While on the surface quiet hiring sounds like more work for ..read more

According to an Omnipress survey, many meeting planners are sticking with hybrid and virtual formats, while they also work to bring more attendees and exhibitors to in-person events. In-person conferences have bounced back from the doldrums of COVID-19. But a new report finds that the return to in-person has not been as robust as hoped, and many leaders are concerned about their value proposition. According to Omnipress’ 2023 Conference Industry Report, released last week, an increasing percentage of organizations held in-person conferences in 2022: 49 percent, compared to 37 percent in 2021 ..read more

Some association pros have found that their members are returning to larger in-person conferences but not to local chapter events. To pull members back to local gatherings, organizations should consider training for their chapter leaders and putting more emphasis on creating welcoming environments. While members may be willing to travel to attend an annual meeting, they may be less willing to drive to a local chapter event, according to association pros who commented on a recent conversation in ASAE’s Collaborate online community [member log-in required]. Cynthia D’Amour, MBA, mentor and leade ..read more

Intense focus on meeting your goals has its virtues—and its drawbacks. Better leadership, experts say, means diversifying leadership styles. There’s no one wrong way to be a leader—except, perhaps, being overly committed to the idea that there’s one right way of doing things. Consider the case of Elon Musk, who since taking over Twitter last year has worked to institute a productivity-focused, “hardcore” workplace culture at the social media platform. There’s no need to restate the various ways this has backfired on Musk. I’ve written about Musk before, but I don’t mean to pick on him; he may ..read more