Course Description: 

Association executives must rethink what business they are really in at a time when LinkedIn, AI, peer networks, and on-demand platforms like YouTube have become their members’ default teachers. This session makes the case that associations no longer compete on content or events, they compete on their ability to cultivate real-world capability, professional judgment, and trusted communities of practice. Participants will explore how learning is already happening in the flow of work, why traditional program models are losing gravity, and how forward-looking associations are redesigning themselves as living learning ecosystems that drive relevance, loyalty, and long-term impact. Executives will leave with a clear framework for identifying their association’s most critical practice gaps and a concrete experiment they can launch to begin shifting from episodic programming to continuous professional growth.

Learning Objectives:

Diagnose the real competitive threat to your association

Distinguish between a “program provider” and a “learning ecosystem”

Reframe member engagement as a learning-in-the-flow-of-work problem

Envision a next-generation role for your association