BRAINSTORMS
Virtual Event
Explosion
The number of trade and professional
associations that have hosted virtual
events is set to triple this year, according
to a recent report from e-learning consul-tancy Tagoras.
For the report, Association Virtual Conferences: State of the Sector, Tagoras asked 349
nonprofit membership organizations
about their use of computer-based education and found that only 8.59 percent
have already offered a virtual conference.
Among the 257 organizations that already
are using some type of e-learning, however, 11. 7 percent already have offered
a virtual conference, while another 23. 7
percent plan to offer one within the next
12 months, bringing total adoption to
more than a third of surveyed associations.
“Our previous research has shown that
webinars and webcasts have been a key
part of association professional develop-
ment initiatives for some time now,” says
Tagoras Managing Director Jeff Cobb.
“We’re now seeing an initial wave of orga-
nizations extending and enhancing these
technologies to create full conference
and trade show experiences. And it looks
like that wave could really swell in the
coming year.”
Associations that already have made
the transition to virtual events are
attracting “solid attendance” and “scor-
ing high marks,” according to Tagoras.
More than 70 percent of organizations
that have held a virtual conference found
that registrations either met or exceeded
expectations, it says, adding that sur-
veyed organizations reported an average
attendance rate of 62.5 percent of regis-
trations. Among organizations that have
offered face-to-face events comparable to
their virtual conference, 82.4 percent said
attendees gave “the same or very similar”
evaluation scores for the virtual event,
while 11. 8 percent said attendees gave
“higher” evaluation scores.
“As is often the case, associations have
been somewhat more cautious than their
corporate counterparts in embracing and
implementing the new technologies, but
meetings and education are too fundamental a component of what associations
provide for virtual options not to have a
big impact,” Cobb says. “Every organization that reported already holding a virtual conference says it will do so again.”
The AMC
Advantage
The number of associations seeking
full-service and outsourced association
management services continued to grow
in 2010 — led by demand for meetings
and conventions management services,
according to a new survey from the AMC
Institute.
The AMC Institute, a trade association
for association management companies,
asked its members to report on demand
for services in 2010, as well as expected
growth for 2011, and found that request
for proposals for full-service association
management held steady ( 37 percent) or
grew ( 40 percent) in 2010 for more than
three-quarters of AMCs.
Meanwhile, more than half of AMCs
reported that demand for outsourced
management services either held steady
( 30 percent) or grew ( 32 percent), with
the largest growth areas being:
• Meetings/conventions management
services (61 percent);
• Financial management ( 42 percent);
• Membership services ( 32 percent); and
• Web services ( 32 percent).
Also up in 2010 was AMC employment,
as 44 percent of AMCs hired new staff
last year, up from 33 percent in 2009. Of
those, 30 percent hired for the purpose
of staffing new clients, and 27 percent for
the purpose of staffing current clients.
Finally, AMCs project continued growth
for 2011: 78 percent of AMCs expect to
sign more full-service clients this year,
while 52 percent expect to sign more outsourced management clients.
“As the survey results show, we’re seeing a healthy, growing demand for AMC
services at the outset of 2011,” says AMC
Institute Board President John Dee, COO
and CFO of Bostrom, a Chicago- and
Washington, D.C.-based AMC. “Amid
growing inquiries and an expanding client base, our takeaway is that the Association Management Company model
continues to be an invaluable resource
for associations. By design, AMCs deliver
customized services, senior leadership
and strategic planning for the future,
while being mindful of the ROI.”
