Members join your professional organization in hopes of finding solutions for the challenges affecting their day-to-day work lives. Many of your partners – the companies that once bought sponsorships, but lately have been less willing to do so –have answers to your members’ questions about all sorts of challenges. What you need is an education strategy that puts those answers in front of your members; lets your partners pay you for the privilege of being on your stage; and most important, gives your association credit for being the resource your members need.
In this session we’ll talk about how education managers and directors can build an on-ramp into the education program for partners that enhances your reputation with both members and partners. We’ll discuss how to work with the business development team – the staff who meet with partners and persuade them to buy booths, sponsorships, etc. – to create a shared vision of this program so that they can help bring the right partners into the education program. You’ll leave with ideas for generating new revenue from long-time partners while also giving your members what they want: answers and solutions!
Learning Objectives:
- Build relationships with partners based on understanding their goals
- Assess your program for opportunities to work with partners
- Develop a management system for letting good content in, and keeping bad content out
- Determine where partners are already present in your program and build on that engagement