TORYTELLING WAS IF NOT THE FORMAL theme then the practical reality at ASAE’s 2011 Annual Meeting & Exposi-
tion, held at America’s Center in St. Louis on Aug. 6–9 — beginning at the opening gen- eral session, where CAEs from a variety of industries took the stage to explain how their associations had helped make life better for people. Not just for their members, but for everyone. They were followed by ASAE President
and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE, who told attendees that the story of the Annual Meeting itself was changing — in part because of the sharp feedback that the orga- nization received about last year’s meeting. “I can say one thing for you guys — you’re not shy,” Graham said, chuckling. “So I hope you will enjoy some of the changes we have made this year. We’ve sharpened our focus, to put more emphasis on you and the issues impacting associa- tions, and a little less on organizational business.” He added: “You’ll see us telling authentic stories about what you have accomplished, and working to help you tackle the very real challenges that are coming down the pike.” Graham was followed by keynoter Tina
Brown, editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast web- site and Newsweek magazine, who picked up the ball without even realizing it. As she ran through her transformation from a trailblazing editor of print magazines — including Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and her own Talk — into a trailblazing digital publisher, she might have
28 pcma convene October 2011 BEASTLY SUCCESS:
Tina Brown, trailblazing editor-in-chief of The
Daily Beast and News- week, told ASAE
attendees: “You have to make everything as personal and
connected and news- driven as you can.”
been discussing the challenges and oppor- tunities facing associations everywhere. She talked about how the new-media Daily Beast has breathed life into the old-media News- week, how the Beast has helped power “high- touch live events” such as Brown’s Women in the World Summit, and how certain things will never go out of style. “Media is always about telling stories,” Brown said. “You have to make everything as personal and connected and news-driven as you can.” She was echoed at ASAE’s closing general
session, during which business consultant and author Peter Sheahan, addressing how as- sociation executives can incorporate innova- tive practices into their member services, said: “Expectations are going toward narrative and away from facts. … You’re in the business of storytelling far more than you’re in the business of fact-telling.” Between and around
the keynotes, partici- pants attended a wel- come reception under the graceful sweep of St. Louis’ Gateway Arch and a closing-night block party in the city’s Washington Avenue Entertainment District. And a lot of program- ming — three Game Changer sessions and more than a hundred 75-minute Learning Labs, plus discussion forums and workshops.
As for the story of ASAE’s Annual Meet- ing? It was a hit, drawing 5,368 attendees — including 2,669 association executives and 1,715 exhibitors. Happy news for sure, but potentially sobering, considering one of Sheahan’s more resonant insights: “The hard- est thing about staying awesome is the gravity of success.” n