Content Summit 2019 Program

The Content Strategy Summit will be held on Thursday, November 7 from 8:00am-5:30pm at the OLC Education & Conference Center in Rosemont, IL. Educational resources will be provided prior to the event to help prepare you for onsite discussions and activities.

Prior to the Event

Successful onsite discussions require every attendee to be on the same page.

Prior to the event, you will have an opportunity to review a complimentary webinar based on the Association Laboratory white paper, Introduction to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Content Strategy and receive a complimentary copy of the white paper to stimulate strategic and creative thinking in advance of the Summit (a $114.95 value).

Review with your team to identify the areas most relevant to your association’s strategy and come prepared to find attendees who can help address your challenges.

Educational Activities

• Included: Introduction to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Content Strategy Webinar (1 hour)
• Included: Introduction to Content Strategy White Paper

Your Onsite Experience

You will have the opportunity to meet and talk with leading experts in association and content strategy. See the evolving Roster of Guest Instructors.

Welcome and Opening Keynote

Compelling Content Strategy in the Digital Age

Description

In Looking Forward™ 2019, content strategy was identified by association leaders as the #1 emerging strategy for associations interested in growth and for improving engagement with members and other stakeholders. In the opening keynote, Dean West, FASAE and President of Association Laboratory will outline this research and discuss how the environment facing associations is changing and why content  strategy is considered a solution by so many associations.

Educational Objectives

• Identify business drivers creating the need for content strategy
• Identify the competitive environment facing association content strategy
• Identify the primary challenges facing successful content strategy creation and implementation

Morning Session 1: Creating Enterprise-Wide Content Strategy Consensus

Description

One of the most substantial challenge facing associations is developing internal consensus on content strategy so that volunteers and staff agree on where to focus the association’s efforts and allocate resources to sustain content strategy over time.

According to Association Laboratory’s most recent research, association leaders are struggling with the following:

• Lack of organizational buy-in on the importance of content strategy
• Insufficient staff resources or competencies supporting content strategy
• Competing organizational priorities which reduce the focus on content strategy

During the morning you will be led through a process designed to help you create the following.

• Developing a coherent content strategy statement to improve consensus, communication and resource allocation.
• Define and develop an example of a knowledge asset and create a logical price structure for variations in this asset.
• Identify a cohesive internal and external strategy to identify relevant content and customize this content by audience.

Throughout the morning you will listen to case studies outlining how successful associations created the case for content strategy and have opportunities to question association subject matter experts and experienced association leaders with practical experience in content strategy. You will learn what they did to ensure leadership and staff commitment.

You will be led through an immersive instructional design process designed to help you evaluate your content strategy and identify how to improve who is involved in the conversation and how your create a compelling business case to build leadership and staff buy-in and acquire the resources you need to be successful.

At the completion of this morning session, you will have the practical knowledge necessary to lead an internal process creating organization-wide consensus on a sustainable content strategy.

More details below.

Develop Coherent Content Strategy Statement

Without a coherent strategy statement, it is impossible to effectively communicate your strategy and make choices about resource allocation and prioritization.

In this session, you will create a Strategy Statement defining your association’s business objectives, outlining the scope of your strategy and clearly stating your association’s competitive advantage and, for staff teams in attendance, discuss how the overall content strategy needs to be modified by department.

The Strategy Statement helps you develop internal consensus and ensure every member of your volunteer committees and staff departments understand the rationale for the content strategy. The Strategy Statement guides communication and marketing efforts and guides how resources throughout the organization can be coordinated more successfully. 

Educational Objectives

• Define a strategy statement.
• Create a strategy statement guiding content strategy activities.
• Develop a change management strategy to improve internal consensus and content strategy leadership.

Learn to Define and Evaluate the Return on Investment with Content Assets

Content strategy is built on Content Assets, defined yet recognizable forms of information provided in a variety of ways for a variety of price points. They are durable assets, delivering on business outcomes over time.

In this session, you’ll  learn how to define Content Assets and consider the forms of the Content Asset most likely to be viable for your association. You’ll participate in an exercise identifying a 3-year Asset Tree for a Content Asset allowing you to evaluate the financial return on a potential investment in content development.

Educational Objectives

• Define a knowledge asset.
• Identify a high priority content asset and create a 3-year content asset tree identifying content forms and monetization structure.
• Discuss a logical pricing strategy for content forms of the Content Asset.

Producing Relevant, Compelling Content for a Holistic Experience

Understanding how to define and sustain relevant content and customize this content by audience is critical to success.

In this session you will review principal strategies for identifying audience-specific content and discuss mechanisms for using both existing and, potentially, new business models for creating and delivering content specifically designed to meet the needs of different audiences. From passive listening strategies, to active use of events to create a repeatable content circle, participants will investigate the most feasible means of producing high quality, relevant content for their association.

Education Objectives

• Define relevance.
• Define compelling.
• Evaluate and select from different content creation strategies.
• Evaluate and create a portfolio of content delivery strategies.

Afternoon Session 2: Leading Your Content Strategy 

Description

According to Association Laboratory’s recent research in Looking Forward™, the most substantial challenge facing association leaders is content organization, digitization and distribution.

The afternoon session is designed to advise you on leading the implementation of your content strategy and creating Internal buy-in, finding the resources and connecting the operational dots to sustain a successful, holistic content strategy.

Led by digital and content experts from .orgSource you will be introduced to a step by step process to audit your existing content efforts and develop an action plan designed to help you implement your content strategy effectively across multiple departments and domains. Key topics include technology, accounting and other key domains.

Creating and Leading a Successful Content Strategy Core Team

Modern associations are structured around product silos. This structure makes holistic implementation of a content strategy more challenging.

In this session, you will learn about the necessity of establishing a Content Strategy Core Team designed to lead effective, collaborative implementation efforts. Understand who needs to be involved. Their unique roles and discuss techniques to help guide the Core Team and sustain its efforts over time.

Educational Objectives 

• Identify characteristics of a successful Core Team
• Develop criteria guiding Core Team recruitment, selection and orientation
• Understand management technique to improve Core Team collaboration 

Create, Support and Hold Accountable High-Quality Content Producers

High quality, relevant and consistent content is critical to penetrate the noise of the information environment. Without the right people; acting in successful collaboration throughout the year, your content strategy is doomed.

In this session you will learn effective techniques to identify, recruit and orient content providers and other subject matter experts. Ensure the people and organizations that provide content do so consistent with your content goals and association’s brand.

.Educational Objectives 

• Assess and train high quality content producers, authors or subject matter experts
• Create mechanisms to hold content providers accountable and maintain high quality content standards

Develop a Successful Content Format and Distribution Strategy

Research shows that members demand a portfolio of choices when they interact with your content offer. Without giving them what they need in the way they need it; you reduce the overall effectiveness of your content strategy.

In this session you will learn how to create a content format  strategy providing guidance on the portfolio of content configurations that are most appealing to members and most effectively support the content strategy.

In addition, you will learn how to design a complimentary content distribution strategy that allows for effective communication and delivery of your content.

You will create an implementation framework designed to guide a modifications of your association’s operations necessary for content strategy implementation.

Education Objectives

• Determine the optimal content format strategy
• Determine the optimal content distribution strategy

Closing Keynote

Description

You will end your experience listening to a summary of key points to drive home the learning and a lighthearted and inspiring message about the value of association management and the critical role association executives play in making our communities better places to live.

Educational Objectives

• Review key components necessary to develop successful content strategy
• Review key components necessary to successfully implement content strategy
• Leave inspired and excited about leading change at your association

Reception & Networking

Close your day from 4:30pm-5:30pm with a relaxing beverage and some quick networking with your peers before heading home. This is your opportunity to say hi to the guest instructors and tell us how we can make these programs better.

Post Summit Support

Following the event, if you complete the event evaluation will receive a PowerPoint of key take-aways designed to help them present and discuss key findings with their staff or volunteer leadership.

In addition, you will also receive (with permission) the list of attendees allowing you to reach out and discuss content and other strategic challenges with your peers.

Finally, every participant will receive a 10% discount on all Association Laboratory knowledge products for 1 year.

To Register

The Association Laboratory Content Strategy Summit will be a one-day immersive conference experience designed to help chief staff officers and senior association executives develop more effective strategy producing and relevant content, build a successful culture of content within their organizations and customize and monetize the content strategy across multiple audiences.

REGISTER for the November 7 event in Rosemont, IL.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon.