AML Team Day 2009 - Thursday Recap

What a great start to AML 2009 Team Day! The staff team of eight began with a revisit of global trends (socio-demographic, technology, economic, environment, political) and their affect on AML and association clients. This information was first introduced to AML in 2008 by Consultant and Contributing Author of Designing Your Future – Key Trends, Challenges and Choices Facing Association and Non-Profit Leaders. Ms. Pine returned today to AML in to facilitate strategic planning and take the team to the next level. Discussion took place about how in 2009 AML introduced Trends to five of the nine AML association clients (AICI, NALMCO, PDI, IWWA, Midwest ACE), what worked, what didn’t work and where we go from here. Also introduced by Ms. Pine, were key developments from Fast Futures leader Rohit Talwar for the Top Ten Forecasts for the Events industry in 2010. The team discussed current specific examples with AML association clients including: new products explosion, more shorter/cheaper/faster, shared events, gone and maybe forgotten and free or fantastic. Ms. Pine introduced the book Strategy and the Fat Smoker, by David Maister. This book reminds readers that knowing what a company needs to do is relatively obvious; the test for all of us is actually making it happen. The team spent the remainder of the afternoon with an exercise in scenario planning for AML. Presented with two case studies: (1) a rapid 30% company new business growth increase, and (2) an unanticipated 30% decrease in company revenue, the team broke into small groups met to brainstorm solutions to meeting these challenges. Innovative solutions were brought forth during the reporting period and productive conversation was generated. Overall, this first day of the 1 ½ day AML planning retreat was considered to be a home run! We are looking forward to what day-two brings as AML sets goals and objectives for 2010!