Planning Chapter Events That Get Members Involved Again

Chapter events are planned the same way now in 2023 as they were in 1993: a committee chooses topics and speakers, sometimes with board or staff input. When the event is announced, members often have no idea how the topics and speakers were chosen and may have differing opinions about their relevance.

If the event design process is more transparent and inclusive, members might feel differently. Give members the opportunity—individually or in focus groups—to suggest locations, topics, speakers, and activities and to provide other event feedback.

Add polls to newsletters about problems to solve, knowledge gaps, worrisome issues on the horizon, or desired skills. Find new resident experts by asking members for a story, challenge, or solution related to a specific topic. Who can share their success at an upcoming event?

Chapters don’t have to take on the heavy event workload alone. Encourage them to collaborate on events with other chapters and local membership organizations. A chapter of the Risk Management Association collaborated with local Bar, CPA, and Marketing chapters to plan and host a young professionals gathering.

Your association and chapters can each leverage your strengths in a hybrid event collaboration. After HQ hosts a virtual event, chapters can host in-person events on the same day or the next day. Provide a chapter activity and discussion guide to help them continue the conversation, dive deeper, and share related success stories.

We’re taking a similar approach with CEX 2.0 this spring. First, we hosted in-person workshops in DC and Chicago. Then, during a follow-up virtual event on May 25th, we’ll share recordings and continue the chapter conversation.

Events are the best opportunity for members to feel like they’re part of a community and build relationships. But you can’t expect this to happen naturally. Chapters must build structured networking experiences into the event design.

Ask attendees to opt in to sharing their name on the attendee list. People are more likely to attend an event if they see friends attending.

Start the event with meaningful icebreakers and group exercises that give attendees an excuse to make a few new connections. Schedule time for informal discussions on hot industry or career topics—one topic per table. Reserve a few tables for personal interests. People are more likely to bond with someone over a love of Italian cooking, dogs, fishing, or homeschooling—things they do (not just like) in common.

On table stanchions, post provocative or unconventional work-related questions to get a lively conversation going during the meal. Help attendees find solutions via stickers on their badge or in a central area: “I’m looking for an X” or “I need help with Y” or “Do you know anyone who’s done Z?”

Sell sponsorships to conversation circles around the venue where people can hang out, enjoy a beverage and snack, and chat.

Networking works best when it’s small and specific:

• Interactive table exercises during education sessions—require them!
• Meetups for affinity groups or birds of a feather
• Solution room sessions
• Ideation sessions or hackathons
• Community service projects—choose an activity attendees can do together in groups, talking while they work

Keep connections going between events by hosting an online community, Slack channel, or virtual meetups. Host small virtual and in-person meetups throughout the year, for example, quarterly meetups for different membership segments, such as career stage or position. In these regular meetups, people start to see familiar faces and get to know each other. Ask a group of members to plan these because the workload can be too much for one volunteer.

For virtual events, open the Zoom or event platform 15 minutes before the start and leave it open 15 minutes after, so attendees have a chance to chat without distraction.

Content is everywhere online. Many members don’t need the chapter for information and education; they can easily find that elsewhere. But some members don’t dedicate time to professional development and rely on chapter events to earn CE credits. Give them content, yes, but make it an effective and enjoyable learning experience.

Teach chapters about the principles of adult learning so they know what to ask and expect of speakers. A “train the trainer” video can help speakers shape the best sessions possible—a skill that many members and speakers can also apply in their day job. Every session should give attendees the chance to recall, discuss, and apply what they’re learning. They should always take away something they can apply at work in the coming days.

Encourage chapters to experiment with new session formats: talk show style, fish bowl, or ask-me-anything. Ask chapter leaders to share their event successes with you so you can share them with others.

People make registration decisions based on whether they see themselves represented in the speaker selection. Chapters can show their commitment to diversity by the speakers they choose.

Members are excited to get back to in-person events, but virtual is still important. Some people would rather stay home and earn credits online than drive across town or state for a chapter event. But what would get them onto Zoom if they already have several other virtual meetings that day?

Gather resources on virtual event design so chapters don’t simply try to replicate an in-person event. Instead of a full day of education, think in terms of two-hour blocks on a series of days. Virtual events are not the same as in-person, but they can provide compelling learning experiences and opportunities to connect with others.

Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” A chapter member’s event experience has a big impact on their membership experience. They want to learn something, enjoy the company of others, and, most of all, feel seen and heard, appreciated, and like they belong.