Professional Development
General Information
Event Planning and communication Resources
General Resources
Event Planning
Event communication
Using social media to virtualize your events
Sample chapter professional development/member surveys
Sample chapter professional development calendars
IABC HQ Events
Responsibilities of the Professional Development Chair, VP or Director
- Define members' needs for education and training through surveys,
focus groups, and/or other market research. Segment your
audience to meet needs based on such demographics as industry,
function, issues, years of experience, geographic location.
- Develop goals and objectives for professional development including
attendance, content, profit and success measures such as relevant
content, new information, speaker delivery, etc.
- Create annual budget for professional development based on needs
and goals.
- Incorporate diversity in programming such as regular (monthly)
programs, special programs (seminars, workshops), accreditation,
awards programs and volunteer recognition.
- Develop a six to twelve-month program plan defining content, format,
location and time based on needs, critical professional issues
and IABC mission.
- Assemble a strong professional development committee to support
annual plan and goals.
- Promote chapter's program calendar and individual programs through
strategic, creative marketing.
- Create a friendly and welcoming environment, with ample networking,
to recruit and retain members.
- Evaluate each program's success based on attendance, financial
results, publicity and success measures.
- Maintain records for your successor.
- Actively support the IABC accreditation program.
- Promote and support participation in other IABC professional
development including regional conferences, international
conference, seminars, webinars, awards programs, Leadership Institute
and others.
- Expand professional development opportunities through partnerships
with other organizations.
- Acknowledge members' professional achievements.
- Inform IABC staff and your regional director of your
chapter's program successes.
- Prepare your chapter's professional development entry for the
Chapter Management Awards.
- Help identify and train your successor.
Define Success
How do you recognize success? Consider these factors:
- Are you serving the diverse needs of your membership? Are your programs meeting audience expectations?
- Are you reaching your attendance goals?
- Are members receiving maximum value from chapter programs?
- Are your programs contributing to the chapter’s financial stability and/or growth?
- Is your programming enhancing your chapter’s image and brand?
Meet audience needs
"It is not the responsibility of the member to understand the organization,
but the organization's responsibility to understand the member."
Planning begins and ends with market research. Survey members
and nonmembers regularly to understand your audience and
focus your efforts. Most specifically, ask about:
- Career advancement plan and support
- Education and training needs
- Critical professional issues
- Experts they'd most like to hear
- Most convenient locations for meetings
- Best meeting times to fit their schedules
- Preferred meeting formats and delivery
Set standards for evaluation (i.e. every program to be rated in
top 80th percentile or higher), and use evaluation results
for continuous improvement.
Meet attendance goals
"Build a good program, and they will come."
An excellent program and solid marketing are required to meet attendance goals. IABC's award-winning chapters offer a menu of diverse programs that appeal to a range of communication professionals in their community. Cutting-edge topics and respected experts are essential to drawing registrants and meeting audience expectations. Follow IABC/Houston’s example in setting attendance goals for each of your programs, marketing the event and tracking your results.
IABC/Houston set a goal to increase participation in chapter activities by 20% with specific attendance targets for monthly programs and strategic interest groups, then tracked the results.
IABC/Houston Professional Development Narrative
IABC/Houston
2006 Meeting Statistics
Maximize the value of membership
IABC/Toronto is an award-winning chapter that ensures that members receive special value from its programs. One of the chapter's professional development goals is to maximize the value of membership.
The following is this goal, as outlined in their Chapter Management Award entry.
To maximize the value of IABC/Toronto membership:
- Provide cost-effective options for learning events
- Offer post-event value and options beyond attendance
- Offer marked distinction between member and non-member rates
- Facilitate a forum for members to integrate IABC events with client meetings/lunches
- Showcase resources available through IABC International and leverage opportunities to profile offerings through initiatives
- Build and facilitate beneficial alliances between IABC/Toronto and IABC Research Foundation
IABC/Toronto Chapter Management Award work plan
Promote membership at every event
Spend a few minutes at the beginning of each event to promoting the benefits of IABC membership and encouraging non-members to join your chapter.
- Ask the host to make a 60 second pitch highlighting a different member benefit at each meeting.
- Invite non-members to join at the end of the session.
- Have membership brochures available at your meetings.
- Ask your chapter board members to greet new people and introduce them to members at the meeting.
Meet expectations for financial stability and growth
IABC’s award-winning chapters align chapter goals and objectives with professional development goals:
One of IABC/Houston’s goals and objectives is to maintain chapter profitability. The chapter’s professional development team set a financial goal for profitability to achieve at least a five percent margin on all events and made this goal.
IABC/Houston Professional Development Narrative
IABC/Calgary, 2007 Chapter of the Year, incorporated a goal to work with the volunteer event team in creating and maintaining accurate budgets for chapter events, with all programs breaking even or making a small profit. The result – all events in the 2005/06 year broke even or made a small profit. Overall, workshops, teleseminars and webinars generated revenue, but luncheons lost money due to high catering costs and venue fees. 2006/07 budgeting adjusted for this and a fee increase for events was implemented, eg. from CDN $30 to $35 for members attending luncheons.
IABC/Calgary 2007 Chapter Management Award Professional Development Plan
Develop and monitor your professional development budget:
Develop a budget for professional development that incorporates
individual budgets for every chapter meeting and event, and is part
of your overall chapter budget. Professional development
should be a profit center for your chapter. While select programs
may be designed for the sole purpose of member value, these should
be supplemented with solid revenue generating programs. Here are some formulas to use in budgeting.
Set your event fee: Use the following formula to determine
your registration fee (but be flexible):
Fixed Cost +
Variable cost (per person) +
Profit
= Registration Fee
Expected attendance Expected
attendance
Example: Your fixed costs are US $1,000 (room
rental, flyer, postage, audiovisual), the variable cost per person
is US $20 (food and beverage).
1,000 + 20
+ 500 =
$ 50 per person
Know your breakeven: Use the following formula to
determine the number of registrants required to breakeven for each
event:
Fixed
Costs =
Number of registrants (breakeven)
(Per person) price - Variable Costs
Example: Your fixed costs are US $1,000 (i.e. room
rental, flyer, postage, audiovisual), the per person fee is US $40,
and variable costs are US $20 per person (food & beverage, handouts).
1,000 = 50 Registrants
(40-20)
Event Budget Breakeven Template
Enhance IABC's image and brand
- Offer credible and respected speakers on relevant, timely topics (tap IABC’s Speakers Bureau)
- Achieve 80% or higher favorable audience ratings on all events
- Build alliances with sponsors that are ethical and will positively affect IABC’s brand
- Partner with other organizations and associations that are respected and share IABC’s values
- Incorporate IABC’s brand guidelines in your marketing materials and event
LIablity Insurance for US and Canadian Chapter and Region Events
To obtain a certificate of Insurance for US and Canadian Chapter and Region Events
Please contact Bill Bergstrom at bbergstrom@pennbrookins.com with the date of the event and the name and address of the event location.
|
