How Thriving Associations Are Embracing Innovation and Blazing a New Trail to Relevance

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Learn How to Blaze a New Trail to Relevance

After two years since the start of the pandemic, it’s tempting to want to “get back to normal.” But going back to pre-Covid ways of working would be a huge mistake for association leaders. Associations that are thriving today have one thing in common: they are not going back to “normal”.

How are they doing it? We invited Mary Byers and Harrison Coerver, authors of Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes For Associations, to join Michael Hoffman, co-founder and CEO of Gather Voices, for a live conversation about the radical shifts needed to build stronger organizations in 2022 and beyond. They discussed:

  • The fundamental differences between associations that are thriving in the current environment and those who aren’t
  • How to rigorously and honestly evaluate where your organization can successfully compete and where it cannot
  • How to build today’s business and invent the future simultaneously by prioritizing experimentation

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Featured Presenters

Michael Hoffman is the co-founder and CEO of Gather Voices, a technology company that automates the creation, management and publishing of video content. He is also the founder of See3 Communications, a digital marketing agency in Chicago and founder of the DoGooder Video Awards which honors the best social cause video on YouTube each year. Hoffman teaches marketing at the University of Chicago and is an internationally sought-after speaker and trainer who is a trusted advisor to association leaders on engagement strategy.

Through highly interactive programs and carefully choreographed retreats, Mary uses compelling questions and thought-provoking techniques to encourage participation and allow associations to gain the input they need from stakeholders. Mary’s presentations and facilitated events strike a chord with audience members and she’s asked back by clients repeatedly.

Mary has worked with over 300 associations (both individual membership and trade groups) and helps associations remain relevant in an increasingly competitive environment. The author of Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations and Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations, Mary is a trusted advisor who helps volunteer leaders and staff alike create a viable and sustainable future.

Mary is the host of The Successful Associations Today Podcast and is an association CEO coach and private MasterMind facilitator.

Harrison Coerver, President of Harrison Coerver & Associates, is an internationally-recognized consultant, speaker and co-author of the bestselling books Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations and Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for the Competitive Association. Since 1985, Harrison has consulted over 1,200 associations in strategy, planning, governance and management. He is known for his group facilitation skills, straightforward style and innovative approaches to association governance and management. 

Harrison is an honorary member of the Texas Society of Association Executives and an Allied Member of the Year at the Kansas City Society of Association Executives. He has been recognized by the Tennessee Society of Association Executives for his contributions to association management, and he is the recipient of the Association Forum of Chicagoland's Organizational Service Award.