As a company, we belong to several industry associations; MPI, ISES, PCMA, ILEA, NACE to name a few. I attended my first association meeting last month and had a great experience. I attended the South Florida MPI Education Event for March, which focused on Trends in Event Technology.
I had an idea of what to expect based on conversations I have had with others regarding association meetings as well as from viewing the photos that we take every month, however my experience far exceeded what I had in mind.
Upon Arrival, I spoke with several board members for the association, many of whom I have emailed previously, so it was great to put a face to a name. I chose a seat near people I had not met yet in theh opes of making a few new connections, pulled out some business cards and a notebook, then got ready to be educated. Dahlia Gazzar from the Meeting Pool was the speaker and she was fantastic! She spoke about all sorts of different ways to incorporate technology into an event – including Oculus VR Goggles, Microsoft Hololens, Myo – gesture based wearable technology, Cicret Bracelets and so many more.
I definitely walked away from the meeting with more knowledge regarding technology and I also was able to make a few of those new connections I was hoping for.
I look forward to my next association meeting as I believe that they are important to any industry – for several reasons. Associations allow for sharing of ideas, resources and making connections that can ultimately make a difference for a person as well as the company that they are associated with.