Category: Event

One of 2017’s acquisitions has a curious twist

Ssshhhhh! There’s a secret about one of last year’s acquisitions in the association technology market. One that gives the acquiring company a significant advantage over its competitors on an emerging technology that many futurists predict will revolutionize the business world and transform society.

That emerging technology is called Blockchain, and I’ll reveal the secret connection (and the vendor that stands to benefit from it) during an Association Trends webinar next week, called Bitcoin, Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies: What are they and how will they affect your association?

The webinar will also cover:

  1. The basics of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchains
  2. Professions, industries, and institutions that are most likely to be disrupted by blockchain technology
  3. Current and planned blockchain applications that are likely to affect or compete with associations
  4. Examples of established associations that are embracing and researching how blockchain will affect their members
  5. Critical questions about blockchain that association executives should be discussing with their senior teams and boards of directors

My co-presenter is anti-money laundering expert Doug McCalmont, founder of BlocAlt Consulting, which specializes in helping nonprofit organizations leverage blockchains to achieve their missions.

Register for the webinar today.

M&A and Investment Panel finalized for AMS Fest

Before there was Community Brands, there was the dynamic duo of AMS Fest & theNIRD, leading the conversation about M&A, investments, and consolidation in the association technology market. For more than 14 months now, we’ve been informing association executives on how high finance affects the association technology landscape before anyone thought it mattered, and we’re just getting started.

Our next collaboration is coming up November 13-14 at AMS Fest in Washington, DC. We’ve convened an all-star panel of CEOs to discuss how different financial models affect their customers, and ultimately, their customers’ members. Expect a spirited debate as privately-held and private equity backed AMS CEOs go toe-to-toe on provocative questions about their financial posture. The panel includes:

  • JP Guilbault, President of St. Petersburg-based Community Brands. The blockbuster Community Brands deal, which consolidated four leading AMS platforms in March 2017, lent new energy to the M&A and investment conversation that AMS Fest and theNIRD started. Community Brands is backed by private equity firm Insight Venture Partners. And JP is excited about it, too (see his recent Facebook post).
  • Charlie Vinal, CEO of Euclid, a privately-held company based in Bethesda, Maryland and purveyors of the ClearVantage AMS. Euclid boasts that “90% of the company is owned by Euclid employees. This means that Euclid answers to its clients, not venture capital or private equity firms, many of which put short-term profitability ahead of long-term client satisfaction.” How’s that for an opening salvo?
  • Sarah Asterbadi, CEO of MemberNova, a relatively new entrant to the AMS market, based in Toronto. MemberNova is privately-held, with backing from a successful parent company, Club Runner, that specializes in club management software. I was recently introduced to Sarah by phone, and — hang on — after our conversation, I’m convinced she’s a firecracker who’s going to light a spark that’ll blow the lid off of this conversation.

But wait, there’s more!

We’ve also got an association CEO on our panel to bring the perspective of how “the big cheese” should be thinking about M&A and investments.

  • Mark Dorsey, CAE is CEO of the Construction Specifications Institute, based in Alexandria, Virginia. Mark brings a well-rounded perspective to the panel as a CEO who has experienced the effects of M&A and investments on associations he has headed, and negotiated the sale of a business owned by his association employer. He’s also highly respected in the association management field, and an ASAE Fellow.

Hold on! Still more electrifying goodness to share: During the session, we’ll reveal the results of a survey on association executives’ attitudes towards the various funding models at work in the association market. You can take the three-minute survey now, if you haven’t already.

Register for AMS Fest now — there are only a few seats left — to catch this panel discussion and other cutting-edge sessions on blockchain, EU data privacy laws, digital transformation, and Uberization. Plus a few you’ll-never-guess surprises.

Register now. Seriously; you’ll regret not attending.

Catch theNIRD at AMS Fest, Nov 13-14 in DC

AMS Fest, the no-holds-barred association technology event that was recently acquired by Association Trends, will be held at the National Association of Home Builders in just a few weeks. Once again, I’ll be moderating a panel discussion on the impact of M&A and investments on associations’ members and missions. With a recent flurry of new merger and acquisition activity, there will be plenty to discuss.

AMS Fest has evolved into the must-attend event for anyone wanting to stay ahead of the association technology curve. It’s the event where anything can happen, and there are big surprises in store for attendees.

Some of this year’s featured speakers include in-demand keynote speakers such as Shelley Alcorn, Ian Khan, and Tom Morrison. Attendees will also be able to watch up to eight lightning-fast demos from some of the industry’s leading AMS platforms.

AMS Fest has grown every year, and there’s a chance it could sell out. Register now, or you might regret it!

AMS Fest acquired by Association Trends

As predicted on theNIRD, Association Trends announced the acquisition of AMS Fest today. Read the press release.

Full disclosure: The founder of AMS Fest and ReviewMyAMS, Teri Carden, is my partner.

Thirty on Thursday Webinar with .orgCommunity this week

I’m presenting a webinar for .orgCommunity this week on mitigating risks that may arise from your technology vendor being acquired, merged, consolidated, or invested in. Click here to register (free for .orgCommunity members and a small fee for non-members) and for more information.

The webinar is this Thursday, July 13, 2017.

Call for companies to visit on The Power Trip at ASAE Annual Meeting

At ASAE’s 2016 Technology Conference, I hosted The Power Trip, a guided tour of the trade show floor to introduce participants to CEOs of leading association technology companies with various funding models, and to learn about how their funding philosophy affects product delivery and support.

I’m going to do round two of The Power Trip at ASAE’s 2017 Annual Meeting in Toronto, August 12-15, 2017. Today, I’m calling all technology companies that would like to have a handful of highly tuned-in association technology executives and consultants delivered straight to your booth for a meet and greet, and to tell the story of why your funding model makes your company awesome.

Requirements:

  1. CEO must be present in your company’s trade show booth at an appointed time to greet participants. I’ll work with you to arrange a time that agrees with your schedule.
  2. I’m looking for a good mix of privately-held, private equity backed (majority and minority owned), and venture capital backed companies.

Complete this form to raise your hand and express interest:

No investment or M&A activity announced at AMS Fest

Sometimes a rumor turns out to be just that. There were no investments, mergers, acquisitions, or consolidations announced during the Hot Off the Press segment at AMS Fest. Watch the archived Facebook Live broadcast.

Watch “Hot off the Press” at AMS Fest on Wednesday, June 7

If you like what you’re reading on theNIRD.org, you may be interested in “Hot off the Press,” a segment of AMS Fest that will be broadcast on Facebook Live at 1pm CDT on Wednesday, June 7, 2017.

There’s a strong possibility that some significant announcements will be made during this 15 minute session, and by tuning into the Facebook Live broadcast, you’ll be among the first to know about them.

Want to join the excitement? Go to Facebook, like the ReviewMyAMS Page, and then visit the ReviewMyAMS page as we go live for “Hot off the Press,” this Wednesday at 1pm CDT during AMS Fest.

Color commentary on Community Brands during Association Chat today, April 11

On Association Chat today at 2pm EDT, join me, KiKi L’Italien, JP Guilbault, Loretta DeLuca, Reggie Henry, and Layla Masri as we discuss the recent Community Brands consolidation of YourMembership, Abila, and Aptify. RSVP now.