Vanessa LaClair, CMP is vice president of communications and marketing for MPI NENY, and the event coordinator for IPPNY, a trade association in Albany, N.Y. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Our two-day event is over and after a week of down time it’s time to regroup and prep for another event.  A meeting professional’s job is never done!  But, for the time being, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! In February, I wrote about how my company was hosting a tradeshow, otherwise known as the “Showcase.”  So how did we do and what did we learn? Well, it really boiled down to two things: relationships and communication.  I can never stress it enough just how important it is to maintain an open dialogue with your suppliers. Here is the run down:

1. We initially projected to sell 14 exhibit spaces.  Final number: 22

It was a tough sell in the beginning, as this was the first year for this type of event.  Sound marketing and promotion of the event, persistent phone calls, and follow ups to those who expressed interest were all great means to garnering interest and sign ups.  But what was the clincher?  Show them who already signed up; our own form of peer pressure. One of the easiest ways I found to entice potential exhibitors was to show them who had already signed up.  I posted exhibitor logos and links to their websites on the Showcase Event section of our website.  Logos were also reflected in all of marketing materials.  I emailed potential exhibitors an updated list of current exhibitors regularly to whet their appetites!  This caused the, “Well if they are doing it, then we HAVE to do it” mentality.

2. Relationships – Venue

This year we decided to hold our two-day event in a brand new location, one that we weren’t sure was a very popular choice, but had a great facility and the space we needed.  The venue has only been in operation for 9 months (as of this writing); a baby in the industry, but with all the bells and whistles one might need to run a successful event.  As this was a new venue for us, and one we may return to, it was important to build a solid relationship with the hotel staff.  They had as much to learn about my company, as I did about theirs, therefore, it was important to maintain an open dialog and communication stream.  Without good communication and a willingness to work together, a little give and take, this event may not have been the success that it turn out to be.   Kudos to this hotel for being such a great venue to work with; I honestly only have positive things to say about the experience.  As many meeting planners know, if you can hide the bumps in the road during an event so that no one notices anything as gone awry, then you’ve done a great job!

3. Relationships – Exhibitors

It was also important for us to maintain a positive relationship with our exhibitors and ensure that they benefited from this experience.  (I have already received positive feedback from several exhibitors, without prompting them for feedback!)  This event was a first for us and its level of success determines its future as does a positive experience for the exhibitors.  Exhibitors this year will cause a roller coaster affect where they will “sell” future events without being asked, because they will share their positive experiences at this event with other potential exhibitors.

Tip:  Don’t forget — send thank you letters to everyone!

As you may have noticed in my last entry regarding this topic, I did have several “fears” about the project.  How did I do?

• Are there too many on the list?  — We sent marketing materials to over 1,500 companies and individuals, members, and public officials throughout New York State; and no, it wasn’t too many!
• Are we charging enough to cover our costs? — First year, keep your costs lower than the competition; but we will have to review the ROI on this so that we don’t find ourselves struggling to stay afloat.
• Will I have to turn people away? — Of course not! Come one, come all! Over 200 people attended and we had the space to accommodate everyone.
• And the worst case, will no one show up?  — This worst case scenario was dreaded by everyone and so we were all pleasantly surprised by the large turnout!
• What am I doing to make this work? –Relationships, communication, sound marketing materials, and perseverance.

And I quote: Quite honestly, you can accomplish anything by putting your mind to it, working hard and having the right people by your side.

Terrance Barkan, CAE, is chief strategist and business architect with GlobalStrat, providing professional advisory services for the not-for-profit community. Connect with him on LinkedIn or on Twitter at @TBarkan.

Great news! The U.S. reported the third straight quarter of GDP growth with 3.2% in the Jan-March period of 2010.

Singapore however report 10 times that amount with 2010 first quarter growth at 32.1%!

The really great news is that almost every economic signal world-wide points to positive economic growth. The Economist projects that 39 out of 43 of the world’s largest economies will record positive GDP growth this year with the largest projections taking place in developing countries worldwide.

As the world returns to the path of economic growth and recovery, is your organization prepared to take advantage of this clear trend?

Nearly 400 association professionals answered how they expected to do this year. Nearly three times as many answred that they were optimistic for 2010 versus those that held a negative forecast view, with more than half of all respondents reporting that they remained “cautious.”

What many have missed during the most recent economic crisis is that while the most developed countries of the world experience a dramatic and severe decline, the developing countries of Latin America, Asia, Africa and Central Europe have continued to grow. For associations that have an international strategy, now is the time to kick it into high gear, before your competition realizes that growth is back.

For organizations that have not yet implemented an international growth strategy, you might be interested in downloading your copy of “Global Growth Strategies: The International Association.” Just click on http://budurl.com/GlobalGrowth for your free copy.

International business development takes time.  The message is that now is the time for organizations to be proactive and take advantage of the global economic trends so that you can fully enjoy the fruits of your efforts as the global economy continues to expand.

Deirdre Reid, CAE is an association consultant, speaker and trainer focusing on member engagement and social media at Deirdre Reid LLC and Leadership Outfitters. Connect with her @DeirdreReid.

Innovative companies can be a source of new perspectives and ideas about organizational culture and customer (or member) experience. Lululemon Athletica makes hip high-quality clothing for yoga and other “sweaty pursuits” for their 100-plus stores. Last year their sales increased by 50%. Some of this can be attributed to the growing popularity of yoga, particularly among those willing to pay $98 for yoga pants, but there’s more to it.  Lululemon has been very intentional in how they brand their stores as community hubs where customers can learn about fitness and healthy living, take free classes, and, yes, buy cool tank tops. What can we learn from them?

Their marketing message focuses on personal growth yet it’s not just talk; it’s part of the company’s culture. They aspire to be a company that provides a life-changing experience to their employees. Upon hire employees are given training to set personal, health and career goals. They’re encouraged to attend seminars and read about personal development. Lululemon pays for them to attend yoga and fitness classes in their community. It’s not only about developing them professionally but personally as well.

Beyond a paycheck and some professional development, what do we provide to our staff? Do we cross a line if we give them tools to grow not only professionally but personally as well? Who put that line there? What are the consequences of moving it a bit as long as we encourage them to do these things on company time? People often have great potential to grow and live more fulfilling lives but don’t know how to get there, or even if it’s a possibility they’d think to pursue. We do annual performance evaluations based on job-related goals; why not ask them to set goals for their whole life? A Ford Foundation study found that people who write out their goals achieve them 89% of the time. Why not help our staff do this?

It’s not surprising that Lululemon encourages their staff to take yoga and fitness classes, jog, bike and hike – that’s their business. Anyone who works out on a regular basis can attest to its effect on their energy level and outlook on life, a positive effect that influences their productivity and attitude at work. Yet we often make it difficult for staff to find time to fit these healthy activities into already busy schedules. It’s tough to do a yoga class at lunch when you only have one hour to get there, change, take the class (generally an hour to 75 minutes), change and get back to the office.

When’s the last time you reviewed your employee handbook and its rules and procedures? Do we operate this way because that’s how it’s always been done, or because it’s Standard Operating Procedure in our industry or market? Society has changed, technology has changed, our lives have changed — has your SOP and organizational culture changed? Can your culture change enough so that your staff is encouraged to have balanced healthy lives? What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Ryan Alford is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com, a global software provider with its U.S. headquarters in Denver. Ryan is also known for his snowshoeing expertise and owns the world’s foremost online publication for the sport: SnowshoeMagazine.com.  Connect with him on LinkedIn, or via Twitter at @InsightSoftware and @SnowshoeMag.  Read Part 1 in this series.

The B2B segment of the social media world hasn’t been properly tested – compared to B2C.  Soon enough, I found myself employed by a swiftly growing software company in Denver.  They shared my social media vision, with some added kickers.

The company wanted to become the “thought leader” for its audience.  Tooting the InsightSoftware horn would stale quickly.  The audience would eventually ignore our attempts to connect and share.  However, offering news and information that they want to read and examine would pay in dividends.

LinkedIn would become the primary focus.  Employees were already familiar with the site.  In fact, I used LinkedIn to find my job as the Internet Marketing Manager.  I created a customer-centered group, and participating with existing groups proved to be successful.  My mantra centered on influencing others to rewrite their LinkedIn profiles and to expand their network.

Having brand purpose was essential.  Convincing the employees to become brand ambassadors was the next challenge.  For the sales team, the knee-jerk reaction was to use social media to sell and to develop prospects.  As brand ambassadors, it was more about creating relationships and fostering connections.  I felt it was important to listen to the audience first, share information and then invite them into the social network.  (The selling happens later, if engaged properly.)  Without thoughtful participation the audience wouldn’t react and respond.

As time passed, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn became the company’s social media powerhouses.  However, they couldn’t stand alone.  My vision included incorporating new and existing resources…

• e-Books – http://bit.ly/dyOZ7s
• Blogs – http://bit.ly/5EUEds
• Webinars – http://bit.ly/aZceS6
• Mini-sites – http://bit.ly/cMhRcZ
• Internal and external e-mail newsletters (unfortunately, I can’t show these)

I’m still blazing this trail.  And it seems to be in my favor:

According to a study by Forrester Research, 46% of business technology decision-makers have joined a social networking site for business purposes (29% in last year’s study).

It’s a work in progress.  What’s important is that I’ve helped lay a foundation that can adjust as social media changes.  Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have become more mobile and continue to infiltrate the lives of their participants.  This can be an annoyance for some and virtual gold for others (Facebook’s advertising opportunities are not to be ignored).

Remember, social media isn’t a trend.  Social media can be described as a worthy news source, a religion, an addiction and quite possibly the reason you might be hiring an Internet Marketing Manager soon.  If you haven’t already.

Sterling Raphael is an entrepreneur, speaker and the founder & CEO of @NFiStudios, focusing on delivering innovative technology to associations and events around the world.

There are various definitions of the term “digital divide.”  As an overview, Bharat Mehra defines it simply as “the troubling gap between those who use computers and the Internet and those who do not.”  Wikipedia defines the digital divide as the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen. It is the unequal access by some members of society to information and communication technology, and the unequal acquisition of related skills. The term is closely related to the knowledge divide as the lack of technology causes lack of useful information and knowledge. The digital divide may be classified based on gender, income and race groups — or by locations.

In this post, I am addressing the generational digital divide.  For example, association or company boards largely consist of baby-boomers. If the company culture does not embrace information technology as the hub of our modern world economy, organizations will struggle to adapt and may not survive in the highly competitive market place.

To be clear,  it’s not the tools so much that we’re talking about here, but the digital divide between younger generations who are willing and able to understand and access new technology; and the gap created among the older generation who are somewhat resistant to change and struggle to take that next step.

Many of us have grown up with computers. We accept the ever-accelerating pace of technological change. Text messages and tweets are part of our lives. With digital technology embedded in our lives, the predominant question is ‘what can we do to build the bridge that will help to fill the “digital divide?”

New technology could be anything from Webinars, learning management systems, online communities, social media, etc.   For your “empowerment project” to benefit the previous generation, I suggest the following:

• Start with the “why“. Don’t focus on the “what” or the “how” at first.

Being  clear in approach and method, explain ‘why’ by defining the need, purpose and objective of learning and using digital technology.

• Once the purpose is established,  how do you communicate new technology to Baby Boomers?

You could start by using traditional media including newspaper,  newsletters, onsite events, signage and even e-mail. Yes, e-mail is considered traditional now! Examine what may be truly new and revolutionary about digital technology and what may be a continuation of traditional technology or content in diverse formats.

Now the “what.” Keep it simple!  Communicate one feature/benefit at a time so as not to overwhelm your audience.  Use training wheels. Effective training might include a basic             computer skills class. It is a smart idea to survey your learners  and gauge what they know, what they don’t know and what aspect of technology they want to learn. You might introduce an assessment form to pinpoint the level of technology integration is needed.

• Training and tutorials: So they know the “why and what” –  now continue to reinforce the “how.” Using interactive tutorials designed for older users, can be a great “how” learning experience. Use a wide array of information resources that they can seek out on their own. This will enrich their learning through exploration of topics of interest.

• Get input… don’t underestimate the wisdom of age! Get your baby-boomers involved and have them provide feedback. This will make them feel they are being treated and taught in a positive/valued manner.  Be sure to give our older generation more time to learn and find out what it will take for them to be comfortable using these new tools!

Now briefly, we take a look at the other side of this coin. I recently discovered that the existence of a digital divide is not universally recognized. Compaine (2001) argues it is a perceived gap.  He says, “Technology gaps are relatively transient; hence the digital divide should soon disappear in any case. The knowledge of computers will become less important as they get smarter and easier to use. In the future people will not need high-tech skills to access the Internet and participate in e-commerce or e-democracy. Thus Compaine argues that a digital divide “is not the issue to expend substantial amounts or funds nor political capital” Compaine, Benjamin M. (ed.) (2001), The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth?, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, ISBN 0262531933

What do you think?  If you believe there is strong evidence of a  ‘digital divide’, (as I do),  what are some ways you would help to bridge the gap?

Deirdre Reid, CAE is an association consultant, speaker and trainer focusing on member engagement and social media at Deirdre Reid LLC and Leadership Outfitters. Connect with her @DeirdreReid.

Just when I thought I would take a break from writing about volunteers, Robert Egger, founder and president of the DC Central Kitchen, wrote about their new Volunteer Bill of Rights. Some highlights are:

• Be engaged in meaningful work and be actively included.
• Be told what impact your work made in the community.
• Ask any staff member questions about our work.
• Provide feedback about your experience.
• Receive our financial information or annual report upon request.

Nothing too earth-shaking here, right? But do we do this for our members? We have program evaluations and satisfaction surveys, but what about feedback on their volunteer experience? Imagine if your association was listed on the GreatNonprofits website, how would your reviews look?

“We are an open source organization,” writes Eggers. Why not create a place on your website to not only publicize your volunteer opportunities, from committee work to ad-hoc volunteering, but to also have your members review their experience and share how they think it made a difference. Are you ready for that much transparency?

How would your organizational culture and governance have to change to be more open source — more open to the feedback, criticism, questions and ideas from all your members? Does it seem unlikely, impossible or preposterous to do such a thing? Does it mean more turnover on your committees and board? Lessening the financial, time and/or geographic barriers that prevent members from stepping into leadership positions? Being more nimble and responsive to needs for education or networking? Creating opportunities for all members to easily participate in setting the direction of their association?

Eggers writes, “(we) will push our own organizational envelope.” What would push your envelope? What prevents your leadership from pushing it? Maybe they don’t even know the envelope needs to be pushed. This is the time for gentle but intentional education.

Perhaps you’re limited in what you can do because of limited staff or financial resources. What other organizations can you collaborate with? Be creative with bartering or sponsorships. What can others do for you and what can you do for them in return?

One last quote: “It’s about spurring innovation and setting the stage for interaction and purposeful experience.” Isn’t this our goal for the membership experience? Create spaces for your members to share their ideas on how to create a more interactive and purposeful experience. It may take some experimentation to figure out the best ways to do this and some time for members to get used to doing it. But it’s work that deserves to be done.

Maggie McGary is the Online Community & Social Media Manager for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She blogs at Mizz Information.  Contact with her on LinkedIn and Twitter @maggielmcg.

I’m the online community & social media manager for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). I don’t usually write about stuff specific to ASHA but reaching 20,000 fans (like I said in the headline, I cannot bring myself to say “likers”) on Facebook feels blog-worthy, so I thought I’d share some stuff I’ve learned on the way.

We started the page in October of 2009 with no expectations and no real plan. We advertised the page to members in a minimal way — it was more an experiment than anything. We didn’t –a nd still don’t –f eature our Facebook Page on our website in any prominent way. We occasionally mention it in a print publication, but, again, not with a lot of fanfare — or even a direct URL, for that matter. These low-brow promotion techniques are intentional. Our approach with Facebook has been not to shove it down members’ throats; on the contrary, we set up an outpost on Facebook to meet those members and non-members who are on Facebook where they are and engage with them there. Let’s face it — to many people, Facebook is still considered a stupid waste of time and some gentle nudges towards the community there have been met with less-than-enthusuastic responses from members.

Here are some numbers for you ROI-curious people:

• Facebook has become a HUGE source of traffic to our website. Of well over 7,000 sources of traffic, Facebook is consistently between 10 and 15. Of those, about 30% tend to be new visitors.
• 40% of fans are female ages 25-34; the two other largest age groups are 18-24 (about 20%) and 35-44 (about 20%). Our members are predominantly female, btw.
• The growth of the page has been 100% organic–we have not done paid Facebook ads to promote the page or any other kind of “become a fan” promotion. Occasionally we tweet about the page or mention it in a newsletter or some other member communication, but for the most part, I assume people find the page by seeing it in friends’ news feeds.
• Because we have over 10,000 fans the “impressions” feature is enabled. Facebook describes impressions as “raw number of times this story has been seen on your Wall and in the News Feed of your fans.” The number of impressions is usually almost double the number of fans–typically between 35,000-40,000+ impressions per post.
• The types of posts that elicit the most “likes” and comments from fans are videos about stuff related to the professions of speech pathology and audiology or human interest stories from our publications. Resources for students get a lot of interest, too–announcements about awards, volunteer opportunities, etc. But by far, human interest stuff like stories or videos about people get the most positive attention.
• The success of the page is totally dependent on daily tending. During the month-long period when I left to take another job and the page was pretty dormant, traffic to the page and to ASHA website from the page plummeted. Especially if your’e not relying on Facebook ads to direct people to your page, the only way people are going to be aware of it is if they see updates from your company in their News Feed. The only way to make that happen is frequent posts to the page.

I could go on and on but I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say that it’s been extremely gratifying to watch the community grow and see people come to the page to solicit feedback or advice from peers.