Guest Author: Samantha Whitehorne, Associations Now
A look at how three associations came to decisions related to their group’s largest event and often biggest revenue maker: the annual conference.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced associations to make difficult but critical decisions that often come with significant financial implications. One piece of association business that’s been greatly affected is conferences and tradeshows.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to either speak with or listen to a number of association executives describing the critical decisions they’ve had to make around their events. While each situation is unique, the reasons why they made the decisions they did are sure to resonate as you consider your own meetings. Here are some of their stories.
BE FLEXIBLE
The International Trademark Association was planning for its 142nd Annual Meeting to take place in Singapore at the end of April. More than 10,000 attendees and 160-plus exhibitors were expected, but as the pandemic spread through Asia and Singapore was becoming a focal point of the outbreak, INTA decided on February 15 it would move the meeting to a location in the United States in May or June.
