Associations UK Congress
Programme
Each session of the Association Leadership and Conference & Events Strategy streams will take the format adopted at the previous congress, which had excellent feedback. The Session Leader will present and facilitate discussion and delegates will contribute to the discussions and case studies.
- Introduction and challenges facing associations in the topic area
- About the delegates's specific challenges - from input provided by delegates
- Discussion among delegates on the issues and how to address them
- Case studies (x 4/5) by delegates, presented to the room of how the have addressed issues
- Presentation of other case studies by delegate's around their tables
- Exercise (subject to time available)
- Conclusions
Wednesday 31 May |
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18:30 |
Welcome ReceptionWelcome reception is the ideal time and place to get to meet fellow delegates, session leaders and association experts and suppliers. |
19:30 |
DinnerDelegates that stay at Yarnfield Park and are arriving in time for dinner, have the option of choosing dinner in their accommodation rate. |
Thursday 1 June |
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08:30 - 08:50 |
Plenary: Opening Session |
09:00 - 12:00Including a |
1. Critical challenges to sector-leading associations: Identifying and solving threats & taking advantage of opportunitiesWe have been adjusting our business, services and member offering in the face of disruptions over the last few years. While normality has mostly returned, we haven't always taken advantage of the opportunities presented. Do we know all of the opportunities we face and how we can capitalise on them? How do we become leaner, add value and become more agile in a more complex environment of new online communities, publishers or others expanding into our territory? During this facilitated session, delegates will consider what threats are a danger to their association's position in the sector, revenue and membership, the opportunities that others have taken, and how to ensure they are in pole position for success. 
Managing Director
Andy is an experienced association CEO who set up his own consultancy to share the knowledge and expertise he has gathered over the past 25+ years. Wanting to add value to all associations, Andy believes in creating long term relationships and sharing best practice.
Twitter: @BDAandyburman
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2. Conference Successes and Challenges - for a robust & growing futureIt’s been a rollercoaster – but what have we learnt? We went to online, to hybrid, and back to in-person, or in-person plus. We struggled with which audience to privilege. The challenges of budgets, diversity, sustainability, accessibility, increasing delegate numbers, decreasing delegate numbers – happy sponsors, less happy sponsors – we’ve heard it all. And boy did we learn fast. Learning about online delivery, pricing and marketing online events. Hybrid was expensive, technology was developing rapidly but not always effective, too often members naïvely demanded or we naïvely gave them free or very low-fee online attendance, and sponsors and exhibitors couldn't get enough out of them. In this session we bring together all that experience and learning, share what we discovered, what worked and what didn’t. During this facilitated session, delegates discuss the core new challenges, hear from each other about successes and learning moments, and how to overcome the costs and mindsets that prevent expansion, growth and greater revenue. 
Managing Director
Sasha has over twenty-five years' experience of creating conferences and summits, starting her career in the commercial conference industry. She is skilled at curating and shaping events – product development, market mapping, sponsor research, speakers and marketing. Sasha is Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing, The Royal Society of Arts, a visiting lecturer in event management at The University of Westminster, London and judges industry awards.
www.thebusinessnarrative.com
LinkedIn: sashafrieze/?originalSubdomain=uk
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3. Coaching for Growth: Conversations that enable discovery and innovationHow you serve as a leader has changed. Today, being a good leader does not mean having all of the answers. It’s about harnessing the potential of others to create them. Your job is to work collaboratively To get to this place requires a shift in how you communicate with your people. Today’s high performing leaders are using a coaching skillset to support their people to reach their full potential. In this interactive session, ICF credentialed coach John Scarrott PCC, will share the principles and a practical guide to coaching. He will share the skills and qualities you need to unlock more of the
Trainer and Coach
John Scarrott is a Trainer and Coach working with association professionals on their approach to speaking, chairing meetings, presentations, communication and influence. John is a former Membership Director, with over 25-years’ experience of making presentations. He is the retained trainer in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills for the AAE and also for the Institute of Data & Marketing. John is a professionally qualified coach with a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Credential from the International Coach Federation. He has spoken in the UK and internationally working with association professionals across Europe and in India and Australia.
LinkedIn: /johndscarrott/ |
12:15 - 13:30 |
Appointments SessionThis session is for four appointments with strategic suppliers. |
13:30 - 14:30 |
Lunch & Networking |
14:30 - 17:30Including a |
4. Member Engagement - What is it and how to measure itEngagement with members, capturing the transactions, interactions and experiences associations provide their members, providing a personalised experience and automating processes are vital ways to encourage member loyalty, increase participation, reduce costs and grow and thrive as an association. During this session we will look at each of these three aspects, examining what are the most advanced approaches, what they are most suited to, and how they can deliver value.
Head of Membership Engagement and Marketing
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5. Association Data AnalyticsData and analytics is essential to driving success. This session will help you understand the usage of data in your association, key technologies, what to measure and how to forecast. In this session, you will gain and understanding of:
Consultant
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6. Re-examining the Conference Creation Process – a framework for an effective event strategy and designHow do we meet post-pandemic? How do we hardwire purpose and outcomes into our event design? How do we sort through conflicting information - Back to live? Hybrid? Accessibility? Diversity? Sustainability? Responding to millennial and Gen Z desires? Now is the time to reimagine your conference, congress or summit creation process – from those very first building blocks. This session is designed to help you develop both your flagship Event Strategy and Event Design so that you and your teams have clear frameworks that you can reference throughout your event lifecycle. The session will take delegates through the Event Narrative Framework (ENF), help you articulate a great question around which to frame your event's objective, and give you the building blocks to explore designing events with a clear purpose, based on these seven questions:
The session will also show you how to take your Event Narrative Framework and take it to the next level – event design; a process to help you shape your content, experiences, showcase your associations services and benefits, and hardwire diversity and accessibility into your event design plan.
Managing Director
Sasha has over twenty-five years' experience of creating conferences and summits, starting her career in the commercial conference industry. She is skilled at curating and shaping events – product development, market mapping, sponsor research, speakers and marketing. Sasha is Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing, The Royal Society of Arts, a visiting lecturer in event management at The University of Westminster, London and judges industry awards.
www.thebusinessnarrative.com
LinkedIn: sashafrieze/?originalSubdomain=uk
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17:45 - 18:30 |
Appointments SessionThis session is for two appointments with strategic suppliers. |
19:15 - 21:30 |
Congress Drinks & DinnerThe dinner takes place at Yarnfield Park. |
Friday 2 June |
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08:30 - 11:30Including a |
7. Successful Technologies & Adoption StrategiesAssociations need to adopt effective technologies for their: membership management, email communications, website content, accounting, event management, event registrations, online events, video hosting, community forums, awards management, directories, eLearning, underlying CRMs and more. In this session you will get an understanding of what technologies and function are most critical to the success of your association. With scene setting by the session leader, discussion threads on your most important issues, and leading case studies of innovations.
Managing Director Founder of Chrysalis Digital, Ben has worked closely with Membership organisations for over 20 years. He has created and led the digital strategy for many, including British Dietetic Association, Association of Commonwealth Universities and TAMBA . Ben is a board director at the British Grooms Association.
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8. Pricing & revenue for online conferences & online contentAssociations are under pressure to provide online services for free or heavily reduced price. Whether its online delegate places at low or no cost or access to online events for suppliers at heavily reduced fees. Monetising online content is challenging but critical to sustaining associations. When publications go from physical to digital, when the demand is for video and audio, when there is short form and long form versions of pieces. This session will address:
Chief Executive Officer Rennie Schafer has been in association management for most of his working life, starting with the Australian Meat Industry Council in 1998. He has been the CEO of the Federation of European Self Storage Associations for the past 6 years in which time the association has doubled in turnover. Rennie has worked with a range of associations in 3 continents, often assisting them in developing their strategic direction. He has also been a board member of several charitable organisations, mostly in the early childhood education sector. He has an MBA from Deakin University and is a member of the Oxford University High Performance Leadership Programme. |
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9. Take to the Stage: Speak with confidence and highly effectively when it matters mostAn association leader is expected to be a comfortable presenter. Speaking and presenting during meetings is a frequent occurence, but then there are the bigger occasions. The audience is larger, the
This session will support you to make the most of these opportunities. ICF credentialed coach and experienced trainer and speaker, John Scarrott (PCC) will share his proven approach to success. This session will support you to create a step change in your approach to speaking, look forward to your next opportunity to speak, and be ready harness the occasion to raise the profile of your association.
Trainer and Coach
John Scarrott is a Trainer and Coach working with association professionals on their approach to speaking, chairing meetings, presentations, communication and influence. John is a former Membership Director, with over 25-years’ experience of making presentations. He is the retained trainer in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills for the AAE and also for the Institute of Data & Marketing. John is a professionally qualified coach with a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Credential from the International Coach Federation. He has spoken in the UK and internationally working with association professionals across Europe and in India and Australia.
LinkedIn: /johndscarrott/
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11:45 - 13:00 |
Appointments SessionThis session is for four appointments with strategic suppliers. |
13:00 - 14:00 |
Lunch & Networking |
14:00 - 16:00
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10. Association 3.0: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Deliver, Repeat...Communities are no longer what they used to be. People don’t stay in the same place, in the same job, or even in the same sector, for very long – or some of us do, and some of us really don’t. We live half our lives online, in a constant flood of information, our attention being pulled in a hundred different directions at the same time. In the middle of all this, associations are in a flux. Are we sure we know what’s the purpose of our association? What do our members really want? How frequently do their needs change? How can associations keep their finger on the pulse and then keep up with member's needs? In this session we examine the factors that are pulling associations in different directions, how we can rapidly and better understand our members' wants and needs, from us. And then we project what Association 3.0 looks like. 
Chief Executive Officer Raisa steers the UK’s Association of Translation Companies, representing the voice of over 200 language service companies providing translation, interpreting and other language services to clients across the world. As the ATC’s CEO, Raisa’s focus is on supporting a community of language service companies, collaborating with external stakeholders on best practice, policy and sustainable development of the language services industry. She is also the association’s Lead on Standards, driving adoption and certification to ISO standards. Raisa is an experienced language services production, training and quality manager. She holds an MA in Translation & Interpreting from her native Finland. |
11. International Growth: Opportunities for UK associationsUK associations are among the most experienced and professional in the world. Some have successfully transferred their knowledge and experience to other English speaking countries where association work is in its infancy. This can quickly bring increased membership, influence and revenue if successfully implemented Tim Whiteman, an expert in international growth, will introduce the critical aspects for success. He will lead the discussions and case studies, and present his own experience of growing associations and businesses, while facilitating an exchange of ideas and best practice. The session will address:
Chief Executive Officer
A successful entrepreneur and CEO with a proven track record in growing the presence of organisations internationally, with the recruitment, retention and development of multi-cultural and multi-lingual staff, many of whom worked remotely but were highly motivated and loyal. Particularly skilled at communication and brand reinforcement in commercial and non-profit organisations. Tim’s company Lüminic provides project and part time work to organisations growing internationally.
His work is typified by a can-do approach to projects, deadlines, aspirations and targets which motivates staff and customers and has contributed to the successful growth of previous organisations. He is particularly skilled in finding low cost ways to professionally expand into new countries and markets which can subsequently be grown.
Experience of utilising new technologies to deliver information in education including eLearning, blended learning and the adoption of Virtual Reality and Simulators. Imaginative use of Public Relations, social media and events has always allowed Tim’s businesses to grow fast and instil confidence.
Tim is at ease with challenges and thrives in multicultural, multilingual situations. He grew up in Nigeria, Ghana and the UK and has been settled in Basel, Switzerland since 2000. He recently completed a 3 year project for a Chinese manufacturer setting up its Europe subsidiary in The Netherlands. Tim has spent much of the last 10 years developing markets in Latin America, central Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Tim is a published author and former journalist who has launched 11 successful trade magazines. He has spoken at countless industry events around the world in English, German and French.
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16:00 |
Congress Closes |