The COVID-19 crisis has affected organizations around the globe and pushed them to utilize technology to adapt quickly. Meeting in different environments and managing the absence of human connection are just some of the challenges they faced last year.
As various groups continue to transition through change, organizational preparedness through strategic planning is essential.
To help your association become more resilient and innovative during and in the post-COVID-19 era, we recently launched the webinar “Outlook 2021: Preparing Your Association for the New Year.”
Learn what top association leaders have to say about what to expect this year.
Associations Must Stay Relevant With the Use of Technology
Building relationships with stakeholders and government is a must for an association to remain at the forefront of change. By putting technology in strategic planning, we can modify how we’re doing things to stay relevant and obtain better results. It will include creating a good action plan, developing policies, data collection, prioritizing data privacy, providing membership value, and recruiting association volunteers.
Virtual Events Will Be Big
The event industry continues to evolve from online to offline to online. Organizations have learned to adapt quickly, but they should be future-ready. Seamless technology will make it possible to further boost membership engagement during virtual events. Therefore, strengthening efforts in determining the suitable channels, the right tools, and the best platform will be essential in creating more opportunities for members. 2021 will be a year of transformation and realization to get specific about getting to the core of what's most valuable to associations and why.
The Rise of Webinars and Online Training
As organizations begin to plan and hold in-person events this year, the development of valuable webinars and production of the best online courses will continue this year. Not going longer than an hour for every session will keep members engaged. Plus, a webinar content should be crisp and to the point, for it to be beneficial to the larger audience. Association leaders can opt to identify the key points and include them in their daily newswire or monthly magazines. As for online training, there should be a greater understanding of what the target audience's needs for it to be truly effective.
Creation of Attendee Experience Strategy
Organizations will still face the biggest challenge to getting more members to participate in online events this year. Launching a pre-event on a high note can build the right framework for joining the actual event. For example, we launched a fitness session and a speed networking event before the actual virtual event. In this way, we were able to recreate the experiences for people to enjoy. When people find events useful and enjoyable, they will come back for more.
Assigning Group Roles to Members
Instead of having a hierarchical organization, association leaders will need to encourage members to lead projects this year. They can create topics and form small communities out of them. Another option is to assign roles wherein they can contribute to the community. When this is put into practice, they give them ownership and a sense of belonging as they become more involved in the organization. It's also beneficial in succession planning as it lets them quickly identify members who can lead the group to the next level.
CONCLUSION
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a devastating blow to many industries, but associations have shown great resilience and agility.
We hope you find the insights from top associations leaders on how organizations can continuously thrive during and after a pandemic inspiring.
Now that you know the trends and predictions for 2021, we hope that you are more than ready to navigate your association's future to success. Good luck!
