ASAECenter Annual 09 Top Five Take-Aways

5.   Toronto definitely is green not just in
terrain.  The greater Toronto public spaces and private facilities,
e.g., hotels, operate multiple green initiatives.  See my blog "No Green Washing in Toronto" www.adbpartners.net/blog. 

4.  F2F experiences
must be extremely compelling to attract conference goers. Why?  Multiple factors now conspire to quash
meeting attendance:  economic
limitations, travel restrictions, prior commitments both professional &
personal, digital access to content & interactions. 

3.  ASAE & The
Center jumped into the digital deep-end with the Toronto conference.  From guest bloggers to video interviews
conducted by staff to active Twitter hashtags to Annual Hub to Engage Your Career
& more, digital tools were engaged & engaging.  See all of my #asae09 vlogs at http://www.youtube.com/adbpartners#play/uploads.
or some of them at http://www.asaecenter.org/ResultsBatson.cfm. 

2.  Digital divide was
alive & well.  Although there was an active virtual scene at Annual 09, it seemed that many attendees lurked more
than participated in the digital activities. As the digital tools grow into the
ASAECenter core and more member embrace the tools, user activity will increase.

1.  Content remains
king (as it should) especially reflected in keynote speakers and audiences
drawn to hot topic sessions.  I enjoyed
two of the keynote speakers and heard great feedback about the third.  Charlene Li, Altimeter Group, and Fareed Zakaria, Fareed Zakaria, both delivered
research-based, association-relevant, thought-provoking presentations.  Could they have been as effective viewing on
YouTube rather than sitting in the third row? 
Not for me.  The body language of
the presenter, energy between speaker & audience, pre & post chatter
among attendees really required f2f. 

Will you be in LA for #asae10?