Join Naylor's Senior Director of Partner Development Kim Davies at 12:30 p.m. Monday in the SHAPE Theater in the Expo Hall for 5 Tips to Manage Advertising Operations to Earn More NDR. Kim will walk session attendees through actionable tips that can help associations transform their teams and ensure they're in lockstep to improve ad operations efficiencies in managing ad inventory, drive additional revenue through ad sales, and more. 

Kim is a strategic-focused professional with 20 years of knowledge and experience consulting associations to identify member engagement and management solutions, while increasing value and non-dues revenue. 

Are you an association executive looking for a quiet spot to get some work done or connect with a colleague? Stop by the CEO Lounge in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom 1. The Lounge will be open the following days and times:

Monday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tuesday, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. 

The CEO Lounge is sponsored by Naylor Association Solutions.

Purpose can be easy to define, but it's not always easy to execute, Daymond John told ASAE Annual Meeting attendees at Sunday morning's Keynote. John tied together the theme of this year's Annual Meeting - Shape Your Purpose - to his own story.

He shared how he went from starting a clothing company in mother's living room to a $6 million hip-hop fashion brand to one of the stars of the business reality TV show Shark Tank.

His five guiding principle, which he calls his "Shark Points," are what have led to success throughout his life. "Every time I've succeeded, they've all been there. Every time I've failed, I've been missing at least one," he said.

• Set a goal. Know what you want and go after it.
• Homework. There are no new ideas, so you have to understand the change people need and are looking for.
• Amore. Love what you do and who you do it with, including yourself.
• Remember you are the brand. How would you describe yourself or your association in just a few words? How would others describe you?
• Keep swimming. Don't give up. (Sometimes that means putting yourself first. John, who is now cancer free, urged attendees to prioritize early screenings.)

Life is a series of pitches, but John recommended investing in people over companies. People who have passion and purpose can take a good idea and go further, he said, especially when they have an association behind them.

Getting started with business intelligence and analytics doesn't have to come with a high cost. As Chantal Almonord, CAE, of ISPOR - The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research noted in her session at the ASAE Annual Meeting Expo Hall's DEFINE Theater, there are a number of free or low-cost programs that an association can use as an entry to gain knowledge or leadership buy-in before embarking on a larger analytics program.

Almonord explored the pros and cons and compared features of four platforms - an AMS, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, and QlikView - but she emphasized that no matter the program your association is using, you must evaluate it based on your own needs, including pricing, scalability, user interface and visualization, data sourcing capabilities, training and resources, and security. With your requirements in mind, she recommended following these four steps:

1. Determine your association's goals and objectives.
2. Check your current AMS offerings and capabilities.
3. Understand your current tech stack and any new platform's compatibility.
4. Plan for growth and scalability.

Before entering into any business intelligence or analytics program, it's important for your association to understand where your data comes from and how clean it is. With strong data as a foundation, and a champion staffer or department to lead the charge, your association can make better informed decisions in no time.

Mid-career professionals in their 40s are at the most employable they'll ever be, plus they have the benefit of being agile in a multi-generational workforce. That's why 40 is the new 30, according to a panel of association leaders, including Andrea Mitchell CAE, FACHE, of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Nathan Chamberlain CAE, of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, Haley Jones, CAE, of the American Staffing Association, and Liz Jones, CAE, of the Online Lenders Alliance.

Still, a range of challenges face this age cohort. A lower net worth than previous generations, later homeownership, lagging retirement preparations, and the dichotomy of family life - these adults are often referred to as the "sandwich generation" - all impact career planning and advancement.

There is and will continue to be more opportunity for those professionals who plan the next steps in their career with purpose. That can range from always asking, "What's next?" to formalizing a five-year (or even 10-year) plan.

The panel recommended professionals in their 40s, or those in their 30s already looking ahead to the next decade, complete a career gap analysis. It will lead you to evaluate your current state, desired future state, and the knowledge, skills or relationship "gaps" in between the two. You can then take action by setting SMART goals with the intention of filling that gap. Along the way, resources like an executive coach or mentors provide formalized resources, expertise and coaching.

Round out your purposeful approach to career growth with a financial plan that leads you toward more stability and flexibility, along with a new outlook on networking. Aim toward creating relationships, not contacts, and "say yes" with what the panel calls generous networking, which focuses on genuine curiosity and connection.

More than half of association professionals who took the 2023 Association Benchmarking Report said their organizations are appropriately staffed in most areas, an increase from last year. This is not a surprise with record employment levels in the past year. While COVID-19 is at a lower level of concern, full-time employees still prefer to work from home some of the time. This year, respondents report that 11% are fully in-person, 26% fully remote and 63% are hybrid. As noted last year, the hybrid model allows associations to hire the best team members for jobs regardless of their location. This flexibility means the right team members in roles that ideally correlates to the association’s long-term success with their annual member engagement and non-dues revenue plans.

To see all the top challenges facing associations plus much more, download the 2023 Association Benchmarking Report today!

The 2023 edition of Association Adviser magazine is now available. Pick up your copy at Booth 918 or read it online today. Inside, you'll find articles and advice from Naylor Association Solutions experts and industry leaders on how your association can achieve more in the years to come, including:

• Is It Time to Revisit Your Mission, Vision and Values?
• Building a Future-Proofing Strategy for Non-Dues Revenue
• 3 Ways to Boost Attendance at Your Next In-Person Event
• How Association Content Creators Can Unleash AI's Potential
• Today is the Day to Clean Your Association's Database

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Naylor is proud to be a strategic partner of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).