The Big Picture

Thanks to Hammock Publishing for hosting an unofficial Blog-U-Clump Get-Together

Thanks to Rex Hammock and his staff at Hammock Publishing for hosting an unofficial ASAE blog-u-clump get-together our first Saturday night in Nashville. I got to the party late, because I was lost - and introducing myself to all tables of men at the Palm (right next to Eddie's, where the actual get-together was - this is what happens when you don't right these things down and just say "It's a restaurant next to the Hilton Hotel - how hard can that be?"). Rex and I are standing on the right.

And Rex shared with me that night at dinner that he did have some "official" ties to the ASAE conference this year. Hammock Publishing designed Conferon Global Services: The CGS Guide to Room Block Management, a 64-page resource guide detailing the best practices of the industry’s leading meeting planning firm, which was distributed at the conference. Hilton Hotels, sponsor of the Guide, shares cover billing with CGS.

Still recuperating from ASAE 2005 annual meeting

I went on vacation the first week of August. When I got back, we had an Open House & Dedication for our new MHA building on a Thursday and I flew to Nashville on Friday. My Inbox will never be the same - even after trying to slug through some of it at the conference. Even after getting through the e-mail, I haven't even started on the news feeds. (I'm still trying to decide whether to dump them all or not.)

But at least it was all worth it. I am proud of the job that we association blog-u-clumpers did at the conference - and I am proud to be associated with such a great conference. ASAE really outdid themselves this year.

And I think the blog accomplished what we set out to do - enrich the learning experience for those who could attend and give those who could not a taste of the experience. Rich of The Westerfield Group complimented our group on the blog and explored the question of how blogs are changing conferences, specifically attendance levels.

I understand the why-would-I-come-if-I-can-read-about-it-on-the-blog worry, but if a blog is done right (and a conference too - we have to have something to write about), it should make a reader want to be there even more. In other words, mabye it won't affect attendance that year - but it could very well affect attendance the following year.

A blog also gives you a chance to delve deeper into topics than the typical hour-and-a-half session (with generally very little interaction). If you start blogging beforehand, like we did, you can peak interest in speakers and sessions by referencing Web sites and excerpts from books. Of course, you should blog during a conference. But I also think you should keep blogging for a while after a conference. I think you could turn a conference blog into an everyday affair - talking about ideas from last year's sessions, previewing possible speakers (maybe even letting attendees vote on session choices on the blog), linking to articles from past and future speakers, talking about next year's locations (things to do, etc.) and getting possible attendees convinced now that they should mark their calendars and allocate funds to visit.

Let the Xtreme fun begin!

With only a few weeks to go before the ASAE Annual Meeting in Nashville, the association blogo-clump has been readying the XtremeASAE Blog for everyone in our association community. This year, the blog is being stewarded by a small volunteer group of association bloggers with the support and guidance of the ASAE & The Center staff. Here's the roster of the primary authors so far:

▪Scott Briscoe of ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership
▪Jeff De Cagna of the Association Innovation and Association Renewal blogs, as well as the Associations Unorthodox podcast.
▪David Gammel of the High Context Weblog
▪Kevin Holland of The Association Blog
▪Shawn Lea of The Big Picture blog
▪Benjamin Martin of the Certified Association Executive blog
▪Jamie Notter of the Get Me Jamie Notter and Association Renewal blogs.

If you think you might want to be a contributor to this blog either before or during the Annual Meeting, please send us an e-mail. You can write entries, volunteer to share notes from sessions or volunteer to take pictures. All help is welcome and appreciated!

This year, the XtremeASAE Blog will have an audioblogging feature, in part so that we can speak with you about the meeting, but also because we want to receive your comments through our audio comment line at 1-206-222-1606. You can also comment using the blog's email address, which is xtremeasaeblog@gmail.com. We hope you'll share your views on the blog and the meeting in the weeks ahead, and we really look forward to what you have to say!

Watch this space...

I'll be a volunteer contributor to the XtremeASAE Blog, the official blog of the 2005 Annual Meeting & Exposition for ASAE & the Center for Association Leadership, which goes live on July 18. (Let the countdown begin!) The link to the XtremeASAE blog will be available here beginning Monday.

Read more about the XtremeASAE Blog.