May 14, 2012 — 150+ of Your Peers Are Registered -- Are You?

Feature Article

Early-Bird Annual Meeting Rates Expire Tomorrow
Time’s running out for you and your colleagues to receive the early-bird rates for Annual Meeting 2012 on Tuesday, June 19. Register by tomorrow, May 15, for $369, and then bring a colleague for just $215 (a 40+ percent discount). More than 150 association professionals already have registered, and more than 500 total attendees are expected. Don’t miss out!

Featured Member: Jose Segarra, CAE
Jose Segarra, CAE, recently joined the American Board of Medical Specialties as manager, government & external relations. A 2007-2008 workforce diversity scholar, Jose graduated last Saturday, May 12 with a Masters of Nonprofit Administration from North Park University. If you’d like to connect with Jose, you may do so through our MyForum member community.

Getting to know Jose:

My favorite place to travel is Spain. After researching my genealogy and finding the place where the name Segarra comes from, I have been fascinated by the culture, people, and with finding out more about my heritage. In particular, finding the place where my great grandmother was born. Her family moved to Puerto Rico (where I'm from) in 1898, just prior to Spain turning over Puerto Rico to the U.S.
A famous person I would like to have dinner with is Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS. After reading his book Start Something That Matters I found him to be a source of inspiration and pioneer in the social entrepreneurial field.
My favorite book is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. While the book is mostly read in middle school, it has a message applicable to everyone. It is the story of Jonathan. He tries to perfect his flight and go beyond what is expected of a seagull even when others do not understand why he can’t just be happy living the same mundane life as the rest of the flock. I read this book at least once a year to remind myself of what great things one person can achieve.
My favorite holiday is Christmas because I get to travel back to Puerto Rico to visit my family. Additionally, and maybe most importantly, I get to eat Puerto Rican food nonstop from the moment I get out of the plane until the moment I get back to the airport. It is the one week of the year where I don’t have control over my eating habits.
What is the top thing you’d like to learn from the Chicagoland association community in 2012? Sharing case examples and lessons learned from past experiences are a great source for peer-to-peer education. I’d like to learn more from my peers that way.

Purchase Honors Gala Table & Tickets for Best Rates
Reconnect with your industry and celebrate these leaders at Honors Gala on Thursday, June 21. The evening includes dinner, entertainment and a grand-prize raffle, proceeds from which benefit the Friends of Marlene Hetzel Palmerson Fund, and the Association Forum Foundation, which supports the mission of the Association Forum. Purchase your table or tickets by tomorrow for best rates.

Choose Chicago
Chicago offers something for everyone – world-renowned restaurants, premier shopping, dynamic theater, vibrant nightlife and much more. Come experience Chicago, and find out why it’s truly in a class by itself.

Participate in Annual Meeting Benchmarking
If you want to strategically manage your annual meeting, participate in InSight, the association industry’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool. This new resource will contain real-time data provided by your association peers. Complete the first survey on your annual meeting, then gain access to information to drive knowledge based decisions for your annual meeting.

Attend Mobile Apps Unplugged
You might have an annual meeting app, but are you tapping into the next level of the mobile experience? There’s still time to join us for Wednesday’s session and learn how to plan a 2.0, leverage existing content for a mobile experience, identify creative funding solutions and more.

Creating and Implementing a Public Policy Agenda
Register now for this complimentary session to learn from your peers how to best develop and operationalize a policy agenda for your organization. Attendees will understand how to engage its volunteer leaders in a policy agenda, learn what type of public relations or other communications strategies work to get the policy agenda's message out to key stakeholders and more!

Virtually Participate in Annual Meeting
Can’t make it to McCormick Place on Tuesday, June 19? You still can participate virtually in the Annual Meeting. Gain access to all three general sessions, including interactive participation in audience polling — and all Annual Meeting conference recordings for 90 days following the event for only $119!