For the last several years, I’ve been a devoted listener of “This American Life,” a radio show that showcases stories of “regular” people and topics in amazing ways. I’ve consistently listened to it during my commutes, whether I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or walking a mere 20 blocks to the office.

Imagine my surprise when this week’s episode – a rerun – was all about … conventions! As association professionals, whether you work with a large or small organization – conventions and conferences are a way of life.

I think anyone who works in the association industry would get a kick out of listening to the podcast of this radio program. They aptly point out that focusing so much on one aspect of your life at a conference can make for an interesting few days.

When you attend ASAE, or host your association’s conference, do you notice your own habits changing? When you’re surrounded by people with whom you share one dominant interest, how does that affect your frame of mind?

Download a free mp3 here, and let us know what you think!

In March, we gave four brand new Apple iPads away to four lucky winners. As the winners, each association agreed to be featured on the blog and check in with us every so often to let us and our readers know how they’re using the iPad in their operations. Today, we’re checking in with the National Urban League Young Professionals and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

NULYP just concluded its National Conference celebrating 100 years of empowering communities and changing lives. Barton J. Taylor, the president of NULYP, said the organization used the iPad in multiple ways throughout the conference, including verifying NULYP memberships, during the NULYP business meeting and during a major plenary session to access data about young professionals.

PCPA also just finished its annual conference and now the staff is “taking a deep breath and relaxing again,” Ashley Crist told me. They incorporated the iPad into conference activities for both learning and pleasure! The organization’s technology coordinator held a conference seminar on both the services MemberClicks offers that attendees should take advantage of, as well as a tutorial on how to sign in, send mass e-mails and other tasks. They plugged the iPad into the projector and used it for the tutorial part of the seminar, which worked quite well.

Ashley also told me PCPA kept it plugged in with their website open after the seminar and anyone who wanted to try signing in using the iPad could do so. “I feel it was a big hit!,” she said.

Additionally, PCPA featured live entertainment and a DJ for much of the after-hours activities, but for those without formal entertainment, they loaded music into iTunes on the iPad to pipe music through the banquet hall and reception areas. This provided entertainment while also keeping costs down. They used the iPad for two different nights of activities and “it worked out perfectly.”

Ashley said it was “extremely convenient having the iPad to use during the conference ” and said she thinks it kept attendees more engaged during tutorials (including the one on MemberClicks!) than a regular laptop would have been. The opportunity to play with a “new toy” kept attendees engaged and eager to learn.

Be sure to check back in soon to see how our other winners are using their iPads!

Images via NULYP.

With so many technology and social media options, it’s hard to know where to get started, or, depending on your membership, if you even need to. However, when I find out about a cool new application that could be really beneficial to organizations, I can’t help but share it.

You may have heard about FourSquare or Gowalla – two location-based applications intended to share with other users where you are at any given time. However, using these applications at your conference or event can be difficult because there’s no easy way to break down exhibit halls or conference centers into even smaller venues for easier and more accurate check-ins.

Enter DoubleDutch. This application allows users to create their own branded check-in application designed specifically for their use case, such as conferences. Exhibitors’ booths, session rooms and hotel bars will all be distinguishable using the application, so attendees, vendors and other participants can all check in at their exact locations and share it with other users.

Although the application is only available for iPhone users right now, I definitely think it’s worth keeping an eye on this one for your future conferences. I know others have written about using FourSquare for events (see Maggie McGary’s take and Maddie Grant’s, and see my recap of Foursquare here), and there’s a lot of potential for location-based applications to grow, especially with more people buying iPhones, Androids and Blackberrys.

If you’re wary of using mobile applications to check in to different places and sharing your location during your everyday life, I totally get that. But when you’re at a conference, it can be difficult to keep track of people you want to spend time with. Checking in to different locations can help attendees find one another, meet new people and have a more fulfilling conference experience. Helping attendees keep in touch is what events are all about, and applications such as DoubleDutch only enhance the connections.

DoubleDutch has several cool features, including a points system, venue photos, reviews and ratings, friending, Facebook and Twitter integration and achievement stickers (akin to FourSquare’s Mayor and Explorer badges).

Stay on the lookout for more applications such as this one. I have a feeling more will start popping up, and that they’ll become much more mainstream in the next year or so.

Pollen, pollen everywhere!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week, and hopefully you guys all have exciting weekend plans! If you live in an area that gets hit with pollen this time of year, I feel you — my car is almost completely yellow! Hope no one has any crazy allergies. No fun. However, there have been some great posts in the association world this week, so let’s get right to ‘em!

1. Shelly Alcorn wrapped up her awesome series with the fifth installment of How the Mighty Fall: Associations at Risk. This thoughtful series on how associations can avoid falling from prominence. This post offers several options (mergers, bankruptcy) and looks at the next step for associations in trouble.

2. Although Amber Naslund’s blog isn’t directed specifically toward associations, it’s worth reading for anyone involved in social media, marketing or communications. One post from this weeks asks if our conference expectations are bent, and reexamines the current conference model. Definitely take the time to read the comments, too.

3. Reporting live from Digital Now, Acronym’s Joe Rominiecki discussed some examples of “free” in action at associations. There are some great ideas for different membership models and webinar pricing – there are some great actionable ideas that could be implemented without too much hassle!

4. Over at Association Zen, Ann Oliveri wrote about responsible advocacy and asks association professionals how they stand up for the members they serve. How does advocacy fit into your organization?

5. David M. Patt discussed governance at the Association Executive Management blog. Governance is a huge part of association management, but it’s often not discussed or written about on blogs. David wrote about the real purpose of a strong governance structure, and will be writing more on governance in the future.

Have a great weekend!

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Ah, baseball season. Outdoor stadiums, peanuts, tailgating, city rivalries … Not for nothing is baseball called “America’s pastime.” Since I like to find parallels between sports and associations, I thought I’d use the beginning of the season to reflect a bit on associations and baseball.

What does baseball have in common with associations, you may be wondering. Well, it took a little thinking, but here’s my take.

Now, this may not be true for everyone, but personally, I find it a little difficult to concentrate on a baseball game if I’m watching it on TV. Baseball doesn’t share the fast pace of my favorite sport (football), so I much prefer attending baseball games in person.

And honestly, the same principle applies to conferences and events. Although many associations are making more efforts to include and encourage virtual participation, it’s still a fairly passive activity for many people. They can share their thoughts and reflections via Twitter and blogs, but without actually being there, they’re still missing that special something that makes in-person attendance so special.

For all the talk about virtual attendance and participation, it’s hard to deny that actually going to a conference is more fulfilling, just like attending a baseball game in person is usually more fun.

So what can your organization do to ensure virtual participation is as engaging as possible?

Many advertisers air commercials encouraging people to follow then on Twitter, send a text message to donate money to a cause or send a text to receive mobile updates. I think a lot of conference organizers and sponsors have similar offerings – mobile, especially, is important right now, and will hopefully continue to gain traction among associations.

Does your association announce an official hashtag for its conference or meeting? Twitter users can follow the updates in real-time, and not only can they see what other participants have to say, they also can meet new people with similar interests. Is there an official blog or online hub for all attendees — in-person and virtual — to share feedback, reactions and thoughts?

The Internet and mobile technologies allow people to participate in events from a distance, but there’s still a certain something that in-person attendance gives us.

The more associations can replicate an in-person event for virtual attendees, the higher participation will be. (I’m thinking non-dues revenue here…) In the past, baseball franchises could rely on fans’ emotional attachment for television ratings, but with more and more media channels vying for people’s attention, it’s difficult to capture viewers now. However, new revenue sources and advertising opportunities are opening up as more Web sites (such as ESPN.com) begin live-streaming games and showing online “gamecasts” for those who pay for premium memberships.

Associations can do something similar — offer reduced rates for virtual attendance and stream sessions and keynotes live. I’m sure some organizations do this already, and I’m curious about their results, especially if your organization is a small-staff. Have people participated virtually? What feedback have you gotten?

Most of us probably agree that there’s nothing like experiencing an event in-person, but with a little bit of ingenuity and technology, associations can create a meaningful virtual experience, allowing people can participate and receive valuable information from afar.

Play ball!

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