It’s never too early to plan, and seeing as how 2015 has already met it’s halfway point, now is the perfect time to start thinking about success in 2016. In fact, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) is already planning a conference, set for April of 2016, to help you do just that. The Great Ideas in Association Management Conference, Asia-Pacific, is designed to assist professional organizations and associations to learn more about management styles, techniques, and updates. This conference will feature leaders from various professional associations and organizations that operate not only throughout the Asia-Pacific region, but also across the Americas and Europe as well as the Middle East.

Why Continuing Education is Important

When it comes to running a professional organization or association, learning never stops. Each day, month, and year, new trends develop in member retention and recruitment. You’ve likely noticed the large uptick in social media trends over the past decade when it comes to achieving these goals. Attending a conference, such as the Great Ideas in Association Management Conference, Asia-Pacific, is just another tool in your arsenal that will provide you with added strength when looking at advanced methods of attracting qualified professionals to get on board.

SEE MORE: Polls, Yes, Polls(!) Can Increase Audience Engagement

What to Expect in the Future

Professional associations have thrived for decades on personal meetings and conventions, but today, they are starting to recognize the value of social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are used more and more by professionals who are seeking to increase their professional credentials, meaning your association needs to be involved. With this stated, social media can’t be treated as a backseat option. When you create a social media profile for your association or organization, it needs to be updated regularly with relevant content that adds true value to your subscribers. This can be accomplished by linking to stories, but in general, it would be a good idea to provide original content on a more regular basis and encourage sharing or such content in order to attract potential members.

Is Offline Networking Still Relevant?

With all of the hype over social media and the Internet, you may be wondering if traditional recruiting and retention methods are still relevant. The answer: YES! Absolutely! The key is to marry online and offline campaigns together. You can promote your association or organization through social media, but you also need to continue to have face-to-face interactions with members or potential members. It’s important to find a true balance between social media and real-world activities. Doing so will give your association or organization a better chance at connecting with professionals on both a digital and tangible level. To explain in a nutshell, you can reach potential or current members 24 hours a day where they live or work through social media, but you can then extend that relationship further and make it more concrete through real-world conferences and events. Mixing the two will help your association or professional organization to form lasting bonds that can be curated and maintained, even after an event or conference is over.