Bonus! Sneak Peek RevUP 2024

What’s in a name? If you’ve ever been tasked with naming a new program, crafting an article title, or coming up with the name of a signature event, you know the answer…. Everything starts with the name.

Hi and welcome to this special bonus episode of Season 1 of the PAR podcast, Association RevUP. I’m your host, Carolyn Shomali, and I’m the Director of Content for the Professionals for Association Revenue.

If you tuned-in for the first 8 episodes, you know that we took a comprehensive dive into association business while using a unique format…all while keeping it to a concise 25-minutes. Today, I’m back with a quick, behind-the-scenes sneak peek into PAR’s in-person conference that inspired this podcast, The RevUP Summit!

I won’t spend the next 10 minutes offering tips on naming your next program (although, I may file that idea away for a later episode), but as our team at the Professionals for Association Revenue prepares for our third annual RevUP Summit, I did find myself reflecting on where we began and how far we’ve come.

Imagine this…The Professionals for Association Revenue Business Development Conference.

Are you intrigued? Googling the name so you can register immediately?

It doesn’t quite ignite your interest, does it? And yet, nearly three years ago, that was the first name on the board when our team gathered to brainstorm PAR’s first ever in-person conference.

It made its way into the meeting notes which I recently revisited, but never any further than that. Because we instantly knew, that name didn’t properly encapsulate what we were attempting to build. So our team, along with our advisory board, got to work on coming up with better options. After several ideas made their way to the white board…Revenue Live, the RISE Revenue Summit, Revenue 360, Revenue NOW, Revenue GO… but ultimately, the RevUP Summit made its way to the top.

And, I’m so glad it did. Because that name began to shape everything about our approach to the event and the experience we wanted for our event attendees, partners and presenters.

Think about it: “rev up” means to become more active or effective. And isn’t that the goal for every attendee leaving a conference? To be just a little more active, a little more effective, or even a little more aware? No matter where you begin, the RevUP Summit is designed to rev up how you approach the business of your association.

And, when it comes to the energy of the event, we make sure to rev that up too – social events, dynamic keynotes, delicious food and drink, a unique hotel in a charming city, and yes, a carefully curated music playlist. We didn’t call it Revenue PARty (also a name on our initial list), but in many ways it is – because it’s a chance to gather with peers, celebrate our wins and build a home for association business.

So to help YOU rev up for the 2024 RevUP Summit, this episode will share previews from some of the voices you’ll be hearing in November. Because, we’ve been conference attendees too…and we too have looked at a conference agenda for the first time just minutes before select which breakout session to attend? Now, you can hear directly from the presenters about how they are pioneering the future of business…and then decide which session best aligns with your goals for your RevUP experience.

If you haven’t registered for RevUP yet, the next few minutes will give you a snapshot of what you can expect – because we get it, your time and financial investments are valuable and you want to ensure both will be maximized. Take a listen, and reach out to me directly if you have any questions.

Lead, Learn, Earn. Those are the three breakout tracks for the Summit. It’s our way of ensuring there are session options for everyone from the experienced C-Suite professional to the newest association team member. As an attendee, you can choose whichever session appeals to you the most, regardless of your role within your association.

Let’s take a look at the three LEAD track sessions.

Michael Tatonetti: hen we are talking about revenue health, we are talking about maximizing the resources that we have, and that includes determining where is the best ROI. What should we be leaning into? What things might we want to pull back from or even sunset?

Determining pricing for your association’s programs and products is a challenge that Dr. Michael Tatonetti will address in his session, Where is the Value: Creating Win-Win Value for Your Organization and Members. He’ll use High-Low mapping to help attendees juxtapose value creation against effort, and show how data – not feelings – is the key to pricing strategies.

Michael Tatonetti: One sneak peak takeaway that attendees can expect to walk away with from our session is not only something that is super practical that you will be walking through during the session, but everyone is getting a copy of our book Pricing for Associations. So that is a very practical tool with templates that you can use for your pricing and value strategy.

Next up, Patricia Ramallo of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards will be joined by Elizabeth Engel of Spark Consulting for a LEAD track session on, Innovation in Practice: Getting Non-Dues Revenue Right. Here’s Ramallo

Patricia Ramallo: The discussion will center around how associations can leverage clean startup methodologies to drive growth in a smarter, more sustainable way. One major takeaway from the session is the exploration of the minimum viable product. This method allows organizations to launch small scale initiatives, quickly gather feedback and refine ideas before committing major resources.
And rounding out the LEAD track will be veteran association executives, Dan Cole and Chris Strong for a session every association leader needs, Sales Skills for the C Suite: How to Land Your Next 6-Figure Deal. Here was Cole during a recent PAR webinar on audacious sales leadership

Dan Cole: Don’t sit in the glass house. Be active. Be in the pits with the salespeople. And that is one part of audacity in terms of setting the example that I’ve always found to be very, very important, not asking people to do what you wouldn’t do yourself.

Moving to the LEARN track, attendees will leave with new ideas surrounding content, data insights, and educational offerings. Beginning with content, Krystle Kopaz of RevMade and Amy Repke of the Association of Corporate Counsel will share How to Turn Content into Cash: What Assocaition Execs Can Learn from B2B media.

Krystle Kopaz: We all know how critical non-due’s revenue is. To grow it, you need the right products, pricing, and sales strategy. And it’s not easy. This session will be full of ideas for you to steal from companies that have already been piloting new approaches to content monetization. And we’ll be sure to include plenty of practical things you can implement immediately to start creating and selling new products at your association.

Moving into data insights, Maneesha Manges of HighRoad Solutions will be joined by Suzanne Carawan of the National Assocaition of Insurance and Financial Advisors for a session focused on How to Use Data and Technology to Surface Potential members and Customers. Here’s Manges on why data and technology is a game changer when it comes to connecting with the right audience…and an important analogy that will bring it all to life.

Maneesha Manges: I think it’s widely acknowledged today that the philosophy of if you build it, they will come doesn’t really work that well. You can push your products and services as much as you want, but it doesn’t result in those big numbers that we used to see way back in the day. So we’re using a fishing analogy to help guide the discussion and make it a little bit more relatable. We’re not going to turn you into fishing experts, but we are going to guide you to think like a sports fisherman does. Let’s say you’re on a boat in a lake, you’ve got your fishing pole in your net, you can see the fish swimming around, and so now it’s time to catch them. So how do you make them jump into your net? How do you make someone buy your product or membership? And the hard reality or truth is, you can’t make them do anything, but what you can do is build ongoing trust on the value of what you offer, so that then when they are ready to buy or jump into the net, you can actually catch them and of course drive up revenue that way. So how do you build up trust and measure it digitally? Well, that’s what we’ll cover in our session. You could influence and nurture the right person to recognize the value of your offer by using data and technology.

And finally, rounding out the Learn track will be David Upbin of the Mortgage Bankers Assocaition as he shares his association case study to show the benefit of Bundling Education Offerings to Generate Revenue and Save Clients Money.

The final track falls into the EARN category and focuses on ideas, strategies and tactics to help revenue producers build their association’s bottom line.

Kierra Tobiere is the Senior Revenue Marketing and Content Manager for the American Chemical Society and will present, The X-Factor in Association Event Sales is Marketing: Here’s How To Make Yours More Effective. She’ll show how associations can modernize their sales marketing approach for annual events and draw on her experience at ACS where her efforts led to 25% growth in exhibitor spending.

Kierra Tobiere: A robust revenue marketing operation is critical in promoting available exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities. It’s crucial to maximize what exhibitors are willing to invest. This synergy is most effective when there is a close collaboration with the sales team who lead critical conversations and build meaningful relationships with potential exhibitors.

Next, Vinnu Deshetty, Joe Colangelo and Barbara Armentrout team up to show how to Transform Your Sponsorship Strategy with Data-Driven Ideas to Boost Non-Dues Revenue

Vinny Deshetty: Now, in the corporate world, you see a lot of this where companies are now identifying what an intent is. When somebody visits a website, they can determine, oh, are they looking for just information? Or are they actually having an intent to buy? And so, as soon as associations can start capturing that type of data points and able to share that, they become even more valuable to sponsors and to exhibitors. So, no longer do you just charge $2,500 for a booth space. You can now double it because your value that you’re giving back is so much more.

And finally, Marcus Maleck of SCRS, Michelle Brien of Matchbox and James Young of the Product Community show us that not every new revenue idea is elusive in their session, Alternative Revenue Opportunities Hiding in Plain Sight.

So take your pick – 9 breakout sessions to help you pioneer your association business forward. Plus, 4 mainstage keynote sessions, and one inspiring panel with the finalists of the 2024 Pierre Awards.

My thanks to our RevUP Presenters… their insights and expertise show why the name “RevUP” was the perfect one for PAR’s annual conference. As you prepare for your time in Annapolis, or you as you consider joining us – remember – as much thought as we put into the naming of the RevUP Summit, even more goes into ensuring it is the best professional development event for association business professionals. We want every session, every song, every interaction from our PAR team to inspire you to revup your work…and the enjoyment of brining your mission to life through your business efforts.

We can’t wait to see you in Annapolis, Maryland – join us November 19 for a preconference workshop geared toward the work of association continuing education and professional development leaders. That’s presented by the wonderful team at Tagoras. Then join us November 20-21 for the RevUP Summit – register today at RevUPSummit.org. Thanks for  reving up with me, Carolyn Shomali – I’ll see you in Annapolis!