2025 Education Expo Program

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Program at a Glance:

Tentative - Subject to Change
8:00 am - 9:30 am Exhibitor Move-In
8:30 am Registration Open
9:00 am - 10:00 am Breakout Sessions
10:00 am - 11:30 am Trade Show Expo & Refreshment Break + Wine Toss
11:45 am - 1:15 pm Keynote Luncheon
1:15 pm - 1:45 pm Desserts & Drawings in the Trade Show Expo + Wine Toss
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Breakout Sessions
3:15 pm - 4:15 pm Breakout Sessions
2:00 pm Exhibitor Move-Out begins

Luncheon Keynote - Blaze Your Brain: Turn Negative Thoughts into Positive Action

Speaker: Jessica Rector, MBA

With 60,000 thoughts a day—and 80% of them being negative—it’s easy to be stuck in a cycle of doubt or stress. It doesn’t have to be this way. In this electrifying keynote, Jessica guides you through her proprietary five-step process that flips negativity into fuel for positive action. You’ll walk away equipped with proven tactics to boost performance by transforming your mindset, increase engagement, and solve problems faster with confidence.

This transformational experience helps you identify your exact thoughts holding you back and practical tools to create real, lasting change in how you lead, work, and live.

Breakout Sessions

9:00 - 10:00 AM Breakouts

Event Scenarios to Strategies: Crafting Association Event Success with AI

Speaker: Rich Vallaster, III, CEM, DES

Every association wants to increase revenue, attendance, and engagement through its events and conferences. Due to the sheer number of AI tools, the need for more straightforward use cases, or simply justifying staff time to explore its usage, AI is underutilized. This session is NOT a history of AI, discussing typical tools or broad-based "concepts." Instead, it's a dynamic session putting theory into action. Attendees will learn how to maximize the best-in-class tools (many at low or no cost) to empower association professionals to enhance all aspects of event planning.

Gain practical knowledge of AI tools, including event-specific toolsets that will allow you to integrate AI seamlessly into all aspects of event planning.
Learn the skills needed to build better queries, optimize prompts, and achieve better results using AI tools
Put theory into practice as attendees collaborate to brainstorm practical AI applications for their events

Reading Financials for English Majors

Speaker: Damian Kavanagh, Ed.D., CAE

For those of you who went into association work for something other than to run a complex business, we have a session that will simplify the major components of nonprofit finance. You do not have to know everything, but you need to know enough to ask the right questions and recognize when you need help. We will cover checks and balances and internal controls, budgeting basics, reading the standard audit reports, and reading the tax filing. We will not cover rate swaps, debt financing, or depreciation – unless you ask us to.

Understand financial fundamentals
Identify key financial red flags
Enhance oversight and control

2:00 - 3:00 PM Breakouts

Redefining Membership: Innovative Approaches to Cultivating Loyalty and Growth in the Association Space

Speaker: Chris Garner, CEM

In an era where members have endless choices and shifting expectations, associations must rethink traditional membership models to remain relevant and compelling. Delve into the transformative strategies that can redefine how you engage with your members, focusing on creating a membership experience that goes beyond transactional value. Explore cutting-edge approaches to membership that prioritize deep personalization, community building, and value-driven engagement. Examine how associations can turn challenges like declining engagement and demographic shifts into opportunities for innovation and growth, ensuring long-term loyalty and sustained relevance in an increasingly crowded market.

Discover how to design membership models that offer tailored experiences for different member segments, using data-driven insights to create a sense of exclusivity.
Learn how to cultivate a vibrant, self-sustaining community within your association, where members feel a deep sense of belonging and purpose.
Explore innovative solutions to common membership challenges, such as reengaging lapsed members, appealing to younger demographics, and navigating economic uncertainties.

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Sponsors

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Wine Toss Sponsor

Marketing Maximizer
ServisFirst Bank

Interested in Sponsoring?
Contact Hester Ndoja

Associations Under Fire: Everything You Need to Know to Mitigate Risk from the Current DEI and Other Legal and Regulatory Threats

Speaker: Jeff Tenenbaum, Esq.

In this time of rapid change in legislation and in the courts, it is critical for associations to keep up with what is happening at both the federal and state levels. From DEI to private litigation to federal agency enforcement actions to new state legislation and executive orders – and everything in between – you'll gain invaluable insights into how these threats and potential future changes may affect your association, as well as practical strategies for navigating the evolving landscape and mitigating risk.

Come armed with your questions and join us for an engaging discussion led by one of the nation’s leading association attorneys, Jeff Tenenbaum, who will break down the most pressing threats, potential implications for associations, what to expect in the months ahead, and, most importantly, what practical steps associations should take now to mitigate their risk.

3:15 – 4:15 PM Breakouts

Jeopardy! ™-Style Ethics Showdown: Test Your Knowledge and Win!

Speaker: Adrienne Bryant, CAE

Join us for an engaging Jeopardy!™-style ethics session that flips traditional discussions on their head. Dive into real and fictional scenarios, assessing your ethical reasoning in categories like "(Bored) of Ethics," "The Ethical CEO," and "Is (IT) Ethical?" Whether you are a seasoned executive or a new manager, this session sharpens ethical decision-making skills. Compete to decide if behaviors are ethical and explore the rationale behind them, while winning (fake) cash and real prizes. It is a fun, interactive experience that prepares you for today’s complex ethical dilemmas!

Enhance your assessment of behaviors in various situations, aligning them with ethical principles, and understand the reasoning behind your conclusions.
Discover how game-based learning makes ethics more accessible, fostering better retention and application.
Apply ethical frameworks to leadership, events, and organizational practices, empowering you to lead with integrity.

Personalization at Scale: Turning Member Data Into Engagement

Speaker: David Jovel & Sarah Spinosa

Your members expect experiences that feel personal and relevant—but delivering that at scale can be a challenge. In this session, learn how to connect data across your AMS, LMS, events, and community platforms to uncover what truly drives engagement. Discover practical ways to segment your audience, personalize outreach, and strengthen member loyalty through data-driven insights that don’t overwhelm your team. Walk away with actionable strategies to turn your member data into lasting connections and measurable results.

Takeaways:

Identify where member data lives across your tech stack—and how to connect it
Turn data insights into personalized communication and engagement strategies
Build scalable personalization that deepens connections and boosts retention