Over the last few weeks I have closely watched a number of organizations announce how successful they have been in quickly changing their communications and transitioning their meetings from in-person to virtual. I realize that quick changes are often infrequent in the association space and therefore I do offer praise to any organization that has been able to become more nimble in their decision making.
As I have been listening to stories much of the discussion is around pricing of events and membership. I have heard many stories about how associations are currently offering free, or discounted, access to their offerings and having great results. I agree that this could be a time where money is tight for our customers and members, but I have also been wondering how much these quick decisions are going to impact business in the future.
Everything an association does with their pricing and how they communicate with members and customers will impact the levels of success in the short-term and in the long-term. Are associations taking the time to develop scenarios that look past the current crisis so that the likelihood of future success is part of current decision-making process? If they aren’t, they really need to be.
Being nimble and making quick decisions is awesome, but it should not be done in a way that puts the future at risk. I hope that as things are getting a little less fuzzy associations are taking the time to take a breath and develop a deeply thought out strategy that will help them today and going forward.