From the CEO: Around the Association
A Strong Start to 2026
As we progress into 2026, it’s exciting to see the momentum that has been building across FSAE since the start of the year. From strong membership renewals to growing participation in our educational programs, the energy and engagement within our FSAE community continues to reinforce the value of what we do together.
One of the most encouraging indicators of that momentum has been our annual membership renewals. Renewals have been coming in strong, and our new website and association management system, Novi AMS, has already made a meaningful difference in the member experience. The platform has simplified the renewal process and made it easier than ever for organizations to add staff members as additional FSAE members during the renewal process. This improvement supports our broader goal of expanding engagement within member organizations and ensuring more professionals across Florida’s association community can take advantage of FSAE resources and programming.
February brought the return of the Membership & Marketing Summit, which once again proved the value of focused, niche education opportunities. Attendance grew from last year’s inaugural event, and the feedback from participants reinforced the impact of the program. One attendee shared that “the content was extremely relevant, and each speaker gave us tools we could take back to work and implement immediately.” Perhaps most simply put by another participant: “FSAE’s Membership & Marketing Summit was time well spent—practical sessions, useful takeaways, and ideas I can put to work immediately.” In fact, over 90% of those surveyed said they learned something that they are able to take back and implement right away! Hearing that members are leaving with actionable ideas is exactly the outcome we strive for when developing new educational programs.
Looking ahead to March, we are excited to host the 8th Annual Women’s Summit, which continues to grow each year. Demand for this program has been so strong the last several years, we have moved the event to a larger venue—the FSU Conference Center—to accommodate increased
attendance. With a fantastic lineup of speakers and attendees traveling from across Florida, the Women’s Summit promises to be another inspiring day of leadership, connection, and professional growth.
In April, we are hosting another valuable learning opportunity to members with the Leadership & Management Summit in Jacksonville. This program is specifically designed for current and emerging C-Suite Association Executives who want to sharpen their leadership, management, and HR skills. Participants will learn from industry experts and other peers while gaining practical strategies for organizational growth and staff retention. This is a great opportunity to bring your management skills to the next level!
The FSAE Foundation is also off to a strong start this year. We received an impressive number of grant applications, and soon we will be awarding more than $14,000 in professional development grants to support members pursuing professional development opportunities such as attending the Annual Conference, the AE-MBA program, CAE and CMP certifications, and other educational programs.
Lastly, March 1st brought the launch of the 2026 Annual Conference: Mastering the Art of Associations, and the excitement is already building. This year’s conference is shaping up to offer a dynamic collection of deep-dive sessions, insightful programming, and opportunities for innovative idea sharing among association professionals from across the state. At the time of writing this article, registration had been open for just five days and we had already surpassed 100 attendees—and counting—a strong early indicator of the enthusiasm surrounding this year’s event.
The first few months of the year have made one thing clear: our community is engaged, growing, and eager to continue learning from one another. I’m excited for everything still ahead in 2026 and grateful for the continued support and participation of our members, volunteers, and partners who make FSAE such a vibrant professional community.