h “content is king,” it’s important to consider
ments that contribute to the
m, such as location,
c.
as many of your members may be certified by other organizations. Developing
programs that meet recertification criteria provides added value and another
reason for members to attend.
don’t always have event planning experience, make sure they talk to their colleagues in the meetings industry. Not
only will this contribute to the success
of your program, but it also may save
you money, as meeting planners often
will supplement tips on planning with
tips on procurement.
way reinforces learning for members
who attended the program. It also provides new information for members who
missed it and can serve as promotion
for future programs.
6. Deploy Supplier
members
Supplier members can be a great
resource. No matter what industry
they’re in, these companies tend to do
a great deal of research and writing.
Some professions have strict guidelines
about suppliers providing educational
programs. Even if your industry does not
have such regulations, when you work
with your supplier members clarify that
programs are to be educational and not
commercial. Whenever possible, presen-
tations involving a supplier should also
include a practitioner point of view.
10. Evaluate Your
Success
8. Go High-Tech
If your organization is not currently
offering online programming, it should
be. Although technologies are changing,
online programming is here to stay. A
simple webinar with slides accompany-ing a teleconference is a good place to
start thanks to its relatively low cost.
Because not all tools are appropriate for
all associations, ask your members what
technologies they prefer.
7. Embrace meeting
Fundamentals
Although “content is king,” it’s impor-
tant to consider other important ele-
ments that contribute to the success or
failure of a program, such as location,
time of day, venue, seating, technology,
etc. Because education professionals
9. recycle Your Content
To reduce your investment in program
development, without reducing program
quality, consider repurposing content
whenever possible. Live programs can
be recorded for presentation on the
web, for instance, and lectures can be
distributed as podcasts or transcribed
into articles. Reusing content in this
Don’t forget to evaluate all your programs. For some programs, HRMAC
uses online evaluations; for others, it
uses paper forms, the benefit being that
people typically complete them before
they leave the program. The association uses the same general questions
on each of its evaluations so that it can
more easily compare different programs
and create a long-term collection of
longitudinal data. Over time, patterns
emerge, which takes some of the guesswork out of planning new programs. It
may seem obvious, but be sure to read
your evaluations and share the information with committee members, presenters and others involved in program
planning.
As associations work to find new
ways to engage their members, as well
as new sources of revenue, education
will continue to be of the utmost importance. The next great blockbuster event
comes along every now and then. But
with careful planning and execution, all
your educational offerings can provide
sound professional development for your
members while positively impacting
your organization’s bottom line.
Daniel Mendelson, MS, is director of professional
development at the Human Resources Management
Association of Chicago. He may be reached at
dmendelson@hrmac.org.
