DigitalNow: Association Leadership in the Digital Age

In this session, we will explore the implications of the new niche-based matrix. Segmentation - what does it really mean to associations and the way they conduct business? This panel will be moderated by Carla Balakgie CAE, Executive Director, Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), and features keynote speaker Chris Anderson, Bonnie M. Cramer, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, AARP, Katherine Trahan CAE, President and CEO, Safety Council, Louisiana Chapter, and Mark A. Langley CPA, Executive Vice President and COO, Project Management Institute (PMI).

The value of your association's ability to provide its members with networking capabilities is undeniable. In most cases, the role of community has been oversimplified, and their value underestimated. What are the real opportunities for online community? What are the real challenges? How do you identify the kinds of people who activate and accelerate communities? In this session, Karen Christensen, CEO, Berkshire Publishing will present an overview of the three types of online community and highlight five specific strategies for cultivating and nurturing each type. She will discuss both the strategic and practical considerations of implementing communities and demonstrate how face-to-face interactions and online communities can work together to provide the ideal networking platform for your members. Panelists will discuss why and how they have implemented online communities and what some of the challenges and benefits have been.

Learning outcomes

• Learn about the three types of online communities
• Discover how to make your community persistent and sustainable
• Identify the techniques for recognizing and training community activators
• Learn best practices from associations that have successfully implemented online communities

Who should attend?

• Member services professionals
• Chief executives who seek to be transformative leaders
• Executives faced with bringing together diverse stakeholder groups
• Executives who seek to tap much more effectively the expertise, contacts, and vision of leaders within their membership base

Presented by Ellen Wagner, Senior Director of Worldwide eLearning Solutions with Adobe Systems, Inc. Ellen will present on the future of professional development and education. Following Ellen's presentation, a panel will discuss the implications to associations. Panelists include: Beth Perell, Director of Learning Solutions, Goodwill Industries International Inc.; Richard Yep CAE, Executive Director, American Counseling Association and; Kathy B. Trahan, CAE, President and CEO, Safety Council, Louisiana Chapter. This panel will discuss how critical it is for professionals and organizations to be able to perform and compete in a digital world and global economy. What role will associations and non-profits play? Associations that want to remain relevant and growing must learn how to deliver the 3 Cs of value: Content, Connections, and Context - in a world that is connected always and in all ways.

Online collaborative technology used to be reserved for those with the highest technical acumen and largest budgets. Not anymore! Today's Web-based collaborative technologies deliver cutting-edge opportunities to work with volunteers across the globe, at different times, and even all at once. Attend this session, presented by Ben Martin CAE, Virginia Association of REALTORS®, to learn about all the best technologies and discover how to choose the most appropriate solution for you.

Learning outcomes

• Become familiar with up to 25 or 30 free or inexpensive online collaboration tools.
• Understand the five things you need to take into consideration before implementing new technology-based tools.

• David DeLorenzo, National Association of College and University Business Officers
• Wes Trochlil, Effective Database Management
• Griff Harrison, Avectra

• Understanding your organization's concerns, issues and needs around a sound data management strategy
• Identifying options and how to take advantage of them
• What might be a good blend for you?

Presented by Jim Sterne, Founding President, Web Analytics Association

How are your members using your Web site? Where else are they spending their time online and what are they doing there? What does the online community-at-large have to say about your organization?

Web Analytics is not just about hits and clicks. When properly understood and applied, Web Analytics is a powerful tactical and strategic practice that can provide you with valuable insight into marketing, usability, and Internet trends as they affect your association.

Learning outcomes

• Gain a clear understanding of the possibilities afforded by Web Analytics
• Learn what to do to glean the data you need to make more informed decisions about your online presence

Who should attend?

• Web site stakeholders
• Executives who are concerned with the ROI of their Internet presence
• Executives who are concerned with Marketing ROI

While the interplay of social networking on the Internet may be complex, getting in the game is simple. Open source applications and easy-to-use tools are leveling the field for any association that wants to begin to explore the possibilities. But there's a lot of hype around social networking and what value it can bring to your association. Before you commit yourself and your association to a strategy that integrates social networking tools, it is imperative that you take a step back and ask yourself some key strategic questions. What are you trying to accomplish? What are your expectations? How will you measure success? Approaching social networking strategically will help ensure that you employ the right plan for the right reasons, and that you can gauge effectiveness for increased value over time.

This panel is moderated by Ben Martin CAE, Director of Communications and New Media, Virginia Association of REALTORS® and features Rob Wenger, Chief Technology Officer, Higher Logic, David Sabol, M.Ed., PHR, Virtual Communities Program Developer, Project Management Institute (PMI), and Stuart Meyer, Membership and Marketing Officer Emergency Nurses Association.

Learning outcomes

• Become familiar with the objective measures of success for social networking initiatives
• Understand the ambiguity of available metrics
• Prepare your association to participate in this exciting new field

Featuring: Paul Pomerantz CAE, Executive Vice President, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS); Red Cavaney CAE, CEO and President, American Petroleum Institute; Roxanne J. Guy, MD, Immediate Past President, ASPS; Peter J. Moran, Executive Vice President/CEO, Society of American Florists.

Day to day, companies and industries are challenged to make tough strategic decisions during times of crisis. Difficult decisions must often be made rapidly, under difficult circumstances and with limited information. Usually, strategy emerges, not from one overriding decision, but through a series of incremental actions. In some cases the industry/association responds well and maintains or builds support and credibility. In other cases, the results are disastrous.

In this session, panelists will use studies to examine how organizations prepare and respond to crises. Panelists and participants will examine how core messages are formed, how volunteer leaders and staff work together to manage crisis, how internal political issues are managed, how decisions are made, how results are evaluated and what organizational learning takes place.

When you successfully target your members, you drive them to your Web site, but what happens when they get there determines how long they stay, and whether they’re likely to return to or join your association. If your Web site looks like your organizational chart, then – according to presenter Tamara Adlin - your association’s underpants are showing!

Put your best face forward by designing a Web experience that speaks directly to your members. Before you can deliver value to your members online, you must understand them. Who are they? How old are they? Where do they live? What do they do for recreation? What keeps them up at night? Getting to know your members through developing personas brings you one giant step closer to engaging them and helping them find what they need on your site, when they need it.

In this session Tamara Adlin, principal, Adlin Inc. and former Senior Customer Experience Specialist with Amazon.com, will discuss how you can use real member data to create personas, and how those personas can inform you about the design of your Web site. Tamara will be conducting live site usability reviews and using on-the-spot personas to demonstrate how they can be effectively used to improve user experience and, consequently, association value.

Learning outcomes:

• Learn how to explain the power of personas to your association
• Identify persona goals and metrics
• Create a plan for introducing personas into your design and development process

Every association is a publisher. The Internet continues to grow as a medium for the dissemination of all forms of published materials. From basic Web functionality to new hardware devices like the Amazon Kindle, there are more options than ever to choose from. What can you do to roll out your own digital publishing initiative? What's hot in digital publishing? How do social networking tools, traditional technology, and print fit into your digital publishing strategy? In this session, Matt Loeb CAE, Staff Director, IEEE, Gary Rubin, Chief Publishing and e-Media Officer, Group Publisher, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Donn Greenberg, Publisher, Project Management Journal, PMI, and Anne Zender,  Vice President of Communications, American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) will take a look at trends in media. This panel will explore the ways in which "Media 2.0" will serve to engage, shape, and influence the members of your association.

Learning outcomes

• Discover tools and strategies that can be implemented by small, medium, or large associations
• Learn to take advantage of the opportunities that are becoming available
• Discover how other organizations have successfully designed a digital publishing business model
• Have the opportunity to pose your digital publishing questions to the panelists

Who should attend?

Executives who are responsible for driving the strategy for their association's publishing initiatives

It has been said that loyalty is about what people do, whereas commitment is about how people feel. In today's world full of choices, do your members, staff, and volunteers feel committed to your association? In this interactive session, explore Disney's approach to creating life-long "cherished friends" by continuously delivering on the promise of the brand. Discover proven strategies, models, and best practices for delivering "magical" experiences and superior value to the cherished friends in your organization. Presented by Dennis Frare, Consultant, Disney Institute.

The Semantic Web is the next generation in knowledge networking. Twine.com is a new service that helps communities build and share knowledge around their interests through the application of semantics. Twine is a next generation service because it learns from the community of users to improve collective intelligence. Twine provides better personalization and collaboration and enables more user-generated content; it can be thought of as a social network that is designed specifically for Communities of Interest and Communities of Practice.

In this session, Nova Spivack, Founder of Twine.com and CEO of RadarNetworks.com will conduct a tour of Twine, and provide a live demonstration of its features. Nova will discuss the future of The Semantic Web and how it will increase the value of communities.

• Get a first look at Twine - the first mainstream example of The Semantic Web.
• Learn how you can enable members to access the knowledge of the community more effectively.
• See how Twine looks and feels, and how it improves user experience and makes communities more intelligent.
• Learn what The Semantic Web is and how it will make your communities a more valuable resource.

Who should attend?

Executives who are responsible for leading strategies for user experience, member services, communications, or knowledge management

23% of all children aged 6-17 have a login in the virtual world. It is estimated that by 2011, that number will reach 53%. This means that the Internet will be a major vehicle for educating children and for engaging them in social enterprises. This trend represents an opportunity to influence children in a way that wasn't even possible just 10 years ago. Through virtual reality communities such as Whyville, children can be exposed to vocations that are considered economically important. They can begin to develop their civic sense as well as an idea of their responsibility in the world.

Jim Bower, Ph.D., is the Founder of Whyville and currently holds the title of Chief Visionary Officer. Whyville has been used to study how children behave, learn, and interact with information and with each other. In this session,  Jim will discuss what Whyville is teaching us, and what the implications and opportunities are for associations.

Learning outcomes

• Discover what the behavior of today's children is saying about what they will expect from virtual communities 10 years from now
• Explore the principles involved in converting Internet users from passive to active participants
• Gain understanding of the difference between the "push" of traditional Web sites versus the "pull" of the education-based, virtual world model
• Learn how paying attention to online behavior is a powerful strategic activity

Who should attend?

Anyone who has a stake in actively engaging the next generation

Today's students who make up the current K-12 population have never known a world without computers. The availability and development of technology has shaped the ways they learn and behave. Since 2003, over 1.2 million K-12 students, teachers, educators, and parents have submitted their ideas on education, technology, 21st century skills and math and science instruction through annual Speak Up surveys. Project Tomorrow has been collecting data and composing reports on the results.

In this session, Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, will share key findings and then facilitate a panel discussion, exploring how executives plan to appeal to this quickly advancing generation - and their expectations - as they enter the workforce. Panelists include Tom Hood, CPA, Executive Director, CEO, Maryland Association of CPAs, Ronald S. Moen MS, CEO, American Dietetic Association, and Dave Fellers CAE, Executive Director, Radiological Society of North American (RSNA).

Learning outcomes

• Gain critical insight into how technology has shaped the way the next generation of professionals learns and behaves
• Increase understanding of the expectations of this generation, which comprises the pool of future association members
• Explore how your association must interact, lead, engage, and communicate, given the expectation of this population

Presented by Marcia Stepanek, Editor of Contribute media. Cause-related and Foundation Web sites need more than a solid infrastructure and an operational e-commerce system. Emotional engagement of contributors, confidentiality for site visitors, and content are crucial for creating and maintaining value. What are the unique design and usability challenges of cause-related and Foundation Web sites? How have successful non-profits used their Web presence to serve their constituents, raise funds, and advance their causes?

In her session titled, Bringing your Web Site to Life with Personas, Tamara Adlin discusses the importance of creating personas to design a more engaging and valuable user experience. In this session, Tamara will conduct a hands-on experience with participants, creating personas on the spot.

• Gain an experiential understanding of the process of creating personas
• Leave the session with a persona that can used to direct usability conversations with your organization

• Defining objectives and formulating expectations
• Creating a timeline
• Data warehouse management
• Resource allocation
• Technology support

• Identify basic project management skills that are necessary when implementing major IT projects
• Understand the ramifications of project management practices
• Get an overview of how to design a BI system while the technology landscape continues to move and change
• Gain perspective about how can you keep your project on track

Presented by Chris Carr, Director of Informatics, Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Steve Drew, Assistant Executive Director for Annual Meeting and Informatics, RSNA, and Paul Chang, MD, RSNA.

The old mantra that “content is king” is reassuring to associations like the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) that have been successful in providing content to their members through traditional channels like journals and meetings. But, in the avalanche of information made available by the Web, there is a danger that Web content can get lost. In order to establish your position as the primary valued source for information for your members, it is imperative that you leverage Web 2.0 techniques in order to customize the Web experience for your members, and provide them with easy access to the information they need.

RSNA has been able to provide a premium user experience through the integration of:

• AJAX programming to create pages that are more vibrant and richer in content
• XML encoding of information assets to enable advanced search capabilities and re-purposing of educational materials
• Content personalization based on detailed profiles of members’ activities and interests
• Customizable Web portal* to organize the available content into selectable modules and increasingly smart search engines to provide precise results from RSNA content and materials available on the broader Web.

In this session, Chris Carr and Steve Drew, and Dr. Paul Chang will share their experiences with delivering Web content in a 2.0 world apprising you of important considerations as well as benefits.

Learning outcomes

• Discover new ways to provide a seamless and simplified interface and a richer and more productive user experience
• Learn methods for gaining greater online utilization of association resources for research and education

Findings from the 2007 CoP survey showed that over 50% of respondents thought a good facilitator contributed to the success of a community. Three associations have agreed to share their case studies on how best to recruit and retain good facilitators. Among topics of discussion are:

• Who are the facilitators (staff, members, volunteers)?
• What is the selection process for facilitators?
• Type of training provided to facilitators
• Challenges faced with recruiting and retaining facilitators
• Recommendations for success

Learning outcomes

• Recommendations on how best to select facilitators and keep them motivated
• Discover common challenges and how to respond
  
• Gain perspectives from three different associations, each one at a different stage in their Community of Practice
• Obtain real-life information that is relevant to your association

Who should attend?

Executives from associations who are planning communities, have recently started communities, or who have substantial experience with communities

Learning outcomes

• Become familiar with the scope and limitations of the available eLearning tools
• Receive practical information on which open-source applications are available to you immediately
• Learn best practices and problem-solving first-hand from other association executives who have successfully implemented eLearning solutions.

Who should attend?

Leaders who are in the process of evaluating eLearning solutions or who are in the process of developing an eLearning strategy

Participation in online social networking and virtual communities is increasing exponentially. The ability to easily form groups of individuals with a common interest has allowed commercial entities to create virtual communities around their brands that resemble traditional membership associations. These communities are not going to go away. Do they then, represent a new wave of threats or opportunities for associations?

Whether social networking represents a threat or an opportunity to your association depends on whether or not you have been offering relevant services that add real value. If you have, then social networking tools provide you with unlimited reach and accessibility for even greater service delivery, brand building, and member loyalty. However, if the core value of your association has been that you're "the only game in town," you should know that social networking is providing your members with more choices than ever before for where to spend their time and attention. Whether you want to establish relevance or increase it, it is crucial that you understand this new medium.

Hear from two commercial entrepreneurs on what the commercial sector is doing and engage in a conversation moderated by an association peer on how to leverage the lessons we can learn from the commercial brands.

This panel is moderated by Gregory Fine CAE, Director of Communications and Marketing, Association Forum of Chicagoland, and features Andrew Hinton, Chief Information Architect, Vanguard, and Paul Rand, President & CEO Zocala Group and VP, Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

Learning outcomes

• Define social media and online communities
• Hear what other organizations have done, and see what is working and not working
• Have the opportunity to ask panel members how to respond to or use social networking tools
• Gain better understanding of the underlying dynamic behind the proliferation of online communities
• Discover how your association's organic sense of community has put you in the perfect position

Who should attend?

Executives who:

• are currently having a discussion about the long term strategic health of the association
• want to learn about what members expect
• are responsible for charting the strategic future of an organization

Have you ever wondered why some members will open and read an electronic communication you send, while others open their Inbox and simply scroll right past it? This is just one example of member behavior that may indicate a need for improvement. Capturing data about member behavior from a variety of sources can help eliminate assumptions and provide solid information about what your members want and need. That information can then be used to help you make operational improvements and can drive your association's operational strategies. Understanding which data to capture and what it indicates is key to adapting your strategy to deliver sustained value.

In this session, Maryjane Wurth, COO Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), CEO HANYS Solutions will examine how HANYS drives culture and operational improvements through integrating fundamental principles, risk-taking, and data mining.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the importance and benefit of capturing and using data to drive association value
• Identify methods to use data for operational improvements
• Link data measures to overall value equation and strategy

Who should attend?

Association management: CEOs, COOs, Membership Directors, CIOs

Competition for members' time, attention, and other resources is fierce. The pressure of that competition is what drove United Way of America (UWA) to undergo a radical transformation in the way it manages customer relationships. Historically, UWA has employed a business-to-business, transaction-oriented approach, but today's members have new expectations. In order to remain competitive, UWA completely transformed their approach to one that is relationship-oriented and that engages the member directly.

As Vice President of Relationship Management at UWA, Jim Yu led the national organization through this transformation in a way that:

• Was scalable according to resources at the local level
• Enabled effectiveness across a range of member organizations of varied size and scope
• Supported standardization of process and performance management

In this session, Jim will provide the UWA case study, which demonstrates the key to successful transformation: Achieving the right mix of people, process, and technology. Through cultivation of culture and change management, a process that is based on solid business requirements, and employing the right technology in the right way, you can learn to lead your organization into a new approach that will meet members' needs and provide a positive, competitive member experience.

Learning outcomes

• Gain understanding of the benefits of a relationship-oriented strategy
• Learn how to communicate the value of such a strategy to stakeholders
• Understand the phases of the transformation process
• Identify critical components for success
• Understand the scope of resources required
• Learn the importance of designing a process that has a solid foundation in business requirements
• Learn how to employ enabling technologies so your organization is well-equipped to execute

Who should attend?

Senior executives CEOs, Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Fundraisers, CFOs, and Technology leaders

Join this symposium to find out how to take your Communities of Practice (CoP) to the next level. As more and more organizations are trying to provide their members with added value through CoPs and professional networking, more empirical data is becoming available. Associations that are interested in exploring this topic can take advantage of the experience of those who have gone before, minimizing their own risk and maximizing ROI. In this session, participants will discuss the stages of online networking through COP. No matter where you are in the process, whether you are just starting out or have been managing an online community for some time, this session will provide you the opportunity to find out what other organizations are doing and discuss successes and failures. Moderated by Sherry Budziak, President, .orgSource and Scott Ludlum, M.A., Director, Communities of Practice, ISPE.

Learning outcomes

• Apply empirical data and anecdotal evidence to understand how you can make your online community more effective and valuable
• Contribute your own experience for the benefit of others in the session

What is it about social networking that the the NET generation finds so appealing? It meets their value model. Once that value model is understood, it can be used to guide your organization through strategic decisions and assist in promoting your organization to current and prospective members.

Susan Gibbons is the Vice Provost and Dean of River Campus Libraries for the University of Rochester (U of R). The U of R has been applying anthropological methodologies to study the student body so they can be better informed for making decisions about how to align their efforts with the needs and expectations of the libraries' user population. The results of this study have helped the U of R dramatically increase service levels and value perception.

In this session, Susan will discuss the unique value model of the NET generation as it pertains to associations. She will also explore how you can take readily available tools and build your own methodology toolkit. Susan will explore how this toolkit can be used to gain understanding of the value model of your membership, and then how to apply that understanding strategically.

Learning outcomes

• Learn to define the value model of your members
• Discover how to meet member value models using available tools
• Conduct usability testing in new and powerful ways
• Engage your members as champions of your association by increasing your value to them

Who should attend?

CEOs, Senior Staff members, Volunteer Leaders who are stakeholders in their association's membership

What is a portal and when would an association want to implement one? In this session, Rick Johnston CAE, Senior Web Strategist, Association Practice Lead, Ironworks Consulting LLC, will examine current trends and provide case studies of associations that are using portals to manage constituent access to Web-based resources. Featured case studies will include Christian Children's Fund, National Association of Convenience Stores, and Edison Electric Institute.

Learning outcomes

• Get an overview of what portals are and how they can add value
  
• Learn who the major technology players are
• Learn the various ways that portals can be integrated into your online strategy
• Identify the keys to successful portal implementation
• Discover portal best practices for associations

It has been said that loyalty is about what people do, whereas commitment is about how people feel. In today's world full of choices, do your members, staff, and volunteers feel committed to your association? In this interactive session, explore Disney's approach to creating life-long "cherished friends" by continuously delivering on the promise of the brand. Discover proven strategies, models, and best practices for delivering "magical" experiences and superior value to the cherished friends in your organization. Presented by Dennis Frare, Consultant, Disney Institute.

Below are the latest updates on DigitalNow workshops. Check for daily updates, or subscribe to the DigitalNow Blog to have DigitalNow news delivered directly to your Inbox!

In addition to our line-up of A-list keynotes, we are excited to announce the following sessions:

The Internet is rife with tools that can help you achieve your association's objectives – and many of them are completely cost free. All you need is a little know-how. For DigitalNow 2008, we’ve extended our breaks and on Thursday and Friday and have incorporated compact, powerful interactive demos, presented by technology experts who know associations.  Get hands-on, first-hand experience with some of the most valuable tools you never knew existed.

The latest research and customer case studies are combined to provide a deeper understanding of what’s driving technology decisions today. Tom Lehman, of Lehman Associates, will present exclusive findings from his latest research – the only independent study of the association management software (AMS) industry – and explore how this research can help organizations make better AMS selection decisions. Representatives of leading associations will then shed light on the values that guided their own process for selecting their new AMS.

Can you search your member data with Google-like ease and simplicity? Do you have the tools to predict where your organization is going or analyze where you have already been? Full text indexing of your data is not just for the Google anymore. Join John Dorman, COO, Texas Medical Association and Grant McInnes, Director, Business Intelligence, Texas Medical Association for information on how you can create a digital dashboard that will optimize your member data for more effective data inquiry and analysis.

Learning outcomes

• Gain an understanding of what new technology offers to aid you in discovering your members
• Take new technology concepts back to your organization to make your data inquiry and analysis more effective
• Discover how to identify problem areas in your membership data

Senior Management and IT staff who want to know more about creative inquiry and analysis of their membership data

MySpace™, FaceBook™, and others have become beacons for social networks, providing on-line platforms for people to interact in a variety of ways. Email, Instant Messaging, sharing calendars, photos, files, etc., are accessible from anywhere that the Internet is available. Join Laurence F. Rutter, Vice President of Sales, BlueTie Inc., for a case study that demonstrates how associations can provide their members with access to these services in a cost-effective, member-friendly manner.

Presented by Darren Guarnaccia, Vice President, Sitecore USA, Inc. Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, with 15 million copies sold, identified critical methods of communicating, which also apply to modern websites. Today more than ever, associations must maximize the effectiveness of their communication through Web sites to stay relevant and achieve their goals. Web site expert Darren Guarnaccia will discuss these effective “habits” and demonstrate some of the most effective Web sites from both the business and non-profit sectors.
Learning outcomes

• How other organizations are leveraging their web properties to drive value and benefit to their membership base and grow their associations
• Strategies and lessons learned on how to leverage emerging technologies to maximize the effectiveness of their Web sites
• Ways to harness the power of global associations that can execute locally