By Heather Hughes – Marketing Communications Specialist     

As Protech’s event schedule came to a close in 2019, wrapping up with the ASAE Technology Exploration Conference and Association Forum’s Holiday Showcase, our team spent some time reflecting on this year’s amazing events for association professionals. But what’s in store for 2020? 

Our team dug through dozens of events for association professionals to attend in 2020, looking for fresh event experiences and new places to let attendees know about our Microsoft-powered association management platform. As we combed through the list of events, we earmarked five which we deemed “can’t-miss” events for 2020. 

While there are certainly more than five amazing events, here is our list for must-attend association events in 2020. 

5 Amazing Events for Association Professionals 

1 – Xperience Design Project (XDP) by ASAE 

When: May 19-20 

Where: National Harbor, Maryland 

I had the chance to attend XDP in 2019 as both an event planner and vendor, and I was impressed from both perspectives. As an attendee, I was blown away by the innovative presentation format, in which multiple speakers appeared on the stage simultaneously and the audience was given a device to tune into their preferred presenter. 

XDP is full of these types of experimental event formats, giving event planners and marketers a chance to explore their creative side and imagine new experiences for their upcoming events. 

 

2 – AMS Fest – Powered by AssociationTRENDS 

When: June 3-4 

Where: Chicago, Illinois 

Every year, AssociationTRENDS hosts two AMS Fests, one in Chicago and another in Washington, D.C. Regardless of which one you attend, it’s well worth the trip. 

Protech’s Joe Ball discussed some of the trends he learned at the Washington, D.C., iteration of the event (including a shift in focus back from cloud software, which is now the norm in the market, to user adoption and ease-of-use). And while the sessions are great, AMS Fest’s biggest benefit is up close and personal demos from a variety of vendors over the course of two days.  

There aren’t really any other events like this. Whether you’re early on in the AMS selection process, or you’re trying to refine the list down to a few final candidates, AMS Fest is the perfect event to attend. 

Kicking off an AMS selection project? Check out our free webinar, “Behind the Curtain: Insiders Dish on AMS Selection Secrets.” 

3 – Forum Forward – An Association Forum Event 

When: June 17 

Where: Chicago, Illinois 

Tons of great sessions. An opportunity to earn CAE credit. A summer trip to Chicago. What’s not to love about Forum Forward? 

Forum Forward is an incredible event for association professionals aiming to diversify their skill set. 2019’s sessions covered topics ranging from member engagement to content strategy and everything in between. Plus, like many association events, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to network with some of your colleagues. 

Looking to diversify your skill set? Check out these 20 must-read blog posts from 2019 to learn from association experts. 

4 – ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo 

When: August 8-11 

Where: Las Vegas, Nevada 

Of course we had to include the ASAE Annual Meeting, which heads to Las Vegas in 2020. 

The ASAE Annual Meeting offers unparalleled learning sessions, networking opportunities and access to technology vendors and convention & visitors bureaus, making it the premier event for association executives each and every year. 

Missed the 2019 ASAE Annual Meeting? Listen to our recap with partners from ClickDimensions, Results Direct and WBT Systems. 

5 – Associations@Work Business Conference by ASAE 

When: TBD 

Where: TBD 

Billed as “The Intersection of Business Success,” ASAE’s Associations@Work covers a range of topics that don’t always get the most attention at other events.  

ASAE describes the event as, “ASAE’s premier business conference that addresses the interrelated business functions—executive management, finance, development, operations, human resources, and fundraising—in associations.” For training in those subjects and more, there aren’t many better places to go. 

Are you a finance professional at your association? Watch as our Protech Principal Consultant Mary Ann Roberts shares her end-of-year accounting secrets. 

Check Out These Other Great Events for Association Professionals 

We only highlighted a few, but here are some other great events for association pros: 

• ASAE’s Technology Exploration Conference 
• Association Forum’s Holiday Showcase 
• .orgCommunity’s Innovation Summit 
• Higher Logic’s Super Forum 
• Protech’s Fusion Customer Conference 

Looking to meet with the Protech team, or find out which conferences we’ll be attending in 2020? Check out the list here.