Life is a journey with ups and down, so we all need to be able to adapt. Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed and knocked down, but it is possible to get back up and dust ourselves off if we give ourselves the tools to adapt, said ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting Closing Keynote Michele L. Sullivan.

 

Sullivan is a Fortune 100 business executive with Caterpillar, strategic business advisor, motivational speaker, and author of the book Looking Up: How a Different Perspective Turns Obstacles into Advantages. She was born with a rare type of dwarfism and, despite being looked down upon by others, grew up learning to look up. That unique perspective has taught her to lead with an elevated view of others, a philosophy that landed her at the helm of one of the world’s most prominent philanthropy organizations. 

How do you define happiness? 

 

Is it career success? Your next vacation? Extra time with family? A good night’s sleep? A home-cooked meal? A long run or yoga session? A kiss goodnight from a loved one? The list could go on, said Poppy Jamie in her Game Changer session at the ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting, because the truth is happiness has many definitions and is different for everyone.

 

Jamie, an entrepreneur, influencer, and rising star in the mental health and mindfulness space, is also the founder of the brand Happy Not Perfect. She shared research on behavioral science and her own real-life experiences to show how flexible thinking can help you move beyond your past and unrealistic expectations to live your best life.

Are your virtual events healthy? Or are they delicious? At first, associations’ reasons for going virtual were more focused on being healthy: virtual events are cost-effective and, in general, more inclusive. But Beth Surmont, CMP, CAE, and Arianna Rehak note that virtual events could be incredible catalysts for specific, delicious outcomes such as:

 

Now that the global association community has gotten to see what works, and what doesn’t work thanks to a pandemic that forced us all to go on a virtual diet with our events, what makes virtual events delicious? We need to make the main entrée, side dishes, and dessert tasty and filling for everyone! Surmont and Rehak invited attendees at the ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting into their virtual event design kitchen for a peek at their event cookbooks.

The influx of change of the past 18 months extends to the marketing department, and there are plenty of tools and opportunities to engage more effectively with your audiences. Robynne Parkington, a marketing specialist at Mighty Citizen, outlined five digital marketing trends of note for associations. 

 

As association marketers begin drawing up marketing plans for the next year, there’s usually a pull to look at what’s hot in terms of marketing trends and apply at least one trend to your plan. But, Parkington warns, don’t jump onto a cool idea without buy-in from your team!

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, associations forced to cancel or severely downsize their events were most often seeking legal advice about using force majeure clauses to release themselves from expensive event contracts. Now, said Jeffrey Tenenbaum, Esq., and Nisha Thakker, Esq., both of the Tenenbaum Legal Group, PLLC, associations focus on:

 

Tenenbaum and Thakker answered some common questions associations currently have about navigating in-person workplaces and events during the ongoing pandemic.