ontrol is every-
thing, and last
year association
meeting plan-
ners felt like
they were losing
it. Combined,
the recession
and negative
public perception sent the year — and
the industry — into a downward spiral
unseen since the months after Sept.
11. The one comfort: Association
professionals knew that because they
often share the same concerns — they
want to attract and retain members,
for instance, and stay relevant — their
peers at other associations were facing
the same challenges.
C
For meeting planners, one of the
greatest challenges was funding.
Associations generally rely on revenue
streams from three primary sources:
conferences, membership, and products
and services. An association’s budget is
a pie, and meeting professionals ideally
want to see it divided into three equal
parts.
Of course, before they can claim
their slice, meeting planners must earn
it. To do so, they typically use the following formula to produce stellar attendance numbers: Choose an attractive
venue, then add an electrifying theme,
comprehensive learning and sensational
networking. Their goal is to generate at
least 30 percent of their organization’s
revenue in exchange for 30 percent of
its overall budget.
In a good economy, the formula
works. In a tough economy, however,
it must be revisited and refined. Meeting planners must do more than choose
venues and design programs. They must
add value to justify their very existence
— not only to management, but also to
the membership.
The Conference Justification
Toolkit
The American Hospital Association’s
Division of Personal Membership Groups
created the Conference Justification
Toolkit to help members justify atten-
dance at its nine annual conferences.
Building Your Own Toolkit
Any association can create its own
Conference Justification Toolkit to help
members make the business case for
meetings, during economic booms and
busts alike.
The process starts with the question: Why should I be at the conference?
By answering this question, the toolkit
allows members to think about what
they want to get out of the meeting
before they check in to the hotel. Your
kit therefore should hold them accountable by giving them a way to document
what they learn and who they meet at
the conference, and by encouraging
them to share knowledge and implement
best practices back at work.
During the conference, members
should be able to use the toolkit to
track and monitor their expenses, stay
focused on the education sessions
they’ve pre-selected and review a check-
