Three thousand cheers for ASAE for producing a fabulous conference! I learned so much; I connected with terrific new people; I hugged and hung out with old friends from everywhere (it was particularly great to see Alfons Westgeest, from Brussels, again); with my best animal-loving girlfriend, Dawn Latham, I baked treats for and fed sweet dogs at the rescue center; I had my first Ignite experience (wow!); I bought books from the bookstore; thanks to my husband, I went to great special events; I danced every single night except Thursday; I cheered on the award winners, including good friends Mark “Gordon” Golden and Jodie Slaughter; I set a new key personal goal and helped a colleague set one for herself; and I celebrated the wonderful profession of association management.
And if the 5,000 of us participants weren’t already super-impressed with St. Louis, we got a final taste of the city’s incredible hospitality as we were leaving for home. CVBers greeted us at the airport to bid good-bye and give us a parting gift. I learned a lot in St. Louis about surprising and delighting your customers.
I’m sure that all of my conference co-participants with jobs woke up this morning with a mix of fulfillment and dread. Batteries: recharged! Backed-up work: waiting! The same goes for those of us who are job hunting. I am so energized by the ASAE experience, yet at the same time overwhelmed by the job-searching work ahead…which now feels more intense since I have so much more information, advice and ideas from the ASAE conference to use in my search and interview efforts.
The best tip I have this morning comes from the lovely association executive who spoke at one of the Ignite sessions about yoga and association management: Breathe.
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