ASSOCIATIONS’ FEATURE - GROWTH OPPORTUNITY
RELEVANCE – VALUE – GROWTH: THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ASSOCIATIONS Author IAPCO Member: Alexander John, MCI Middle East
In a world where Digital Innovation is brandished as the next big opportunity, the question of growth, value and relevance are arguably the top three concerns that Associations are challenged with in this new digital, “information free” world! Whilst on the surface, the current paradigm, i.e. the digital economy, will be the new normal going forward, there is an opportunity for Associations to strategically innovate, cleverly manoeuver themselves, become relevant, accelerate growth and provide immeasurable value to their audiences and, in some cases, to the entire world. Building a strategic direction with clear goals is the number one investment Associations need to make. Whilst this may be simple to define, the questions that the board and the executive need to answer are:
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• Who are our audiences? • What are they looking for? • Are we adding value? • If so, what is that value proposition? • What differentiates us from the rest? • With these differentiators, are we able to attract new and retain members? • How do we communicate this? • Is the communication reaching the right audiences? • Where and how do we fund this? • Finally, can we define a vision of growth from the above?
