Acronym

When Lisa Junker contacted me about guest blogging for the Annual Meeting, I was excited, but also a bit nervous. Even after five years in associations and nearly ten years as a (gulp!) working adult, I wondered if my perspectives and insights might be interesting enough to my colleagues in the association world. I've been checking Acronym and trying to screw up the courage to write something. But what?

Inspiration struck this morning, when I got an email from Rebecca Myers thanking me for volunteering to be an Annual Meeting Ambassador. I responded immediately. Professionally, I know these programs make a difference. At my last association, our member representatives formed lasting friendships from the colleagues they met at the Annual Conference. So many of our members fondly recounted to me meeting more tenured members at their first meeting, and how just one person making the effort to personally welcome them and offer assistance set them on a path of involvement and leadership. I'm still getting my feet wet here at my current association (I’ve been here one month officially today!) but I'm sensing it's the same type of environment here. Making new members feel welcome and valued isn't just the right thing to do from a human perspective. It also grows your potential pool of future leaders, as well as drives loyalty to the Association.

But being an ambassador also touches me on a personal level. I remember my first Annual Meeting in Boston. I got off the plane, checked into my hotel, and, while trying to get my bearings in the convention center, somehow missed new member orientation. Oops. In the hustle and bustle of my first Meeting, I felt a bit lost and not sure who I should approach for dinners or at sessions. I spent a lot of time on my own. However, I was also determined to be a part of the ASAE & The Center Community, and I introduced myself, exchanged cards, and learned how I could volunteer.

Cut to Chicago, a year later. I’d been involved with the Membership Section Council and the Young Professionals Committee for much of the year. I’d made connections with a number of colleagues, and it was such a joy to spend time with the colleagues I’d been chatting with on conference calls, exchanging emails with, etc. I felt what my members must have felt—a sense of community and connection. And I made an effort on my end to informally check in with people who, like me, might have felt a bit overwhelmed at their first Annual Meeting. Sometimes they just wanted to be left to their coffee. Other times, I’d like to think they were grateful for the company, and for someone taking the time to see how they were doing.

So, yes, I am so ready to be an ambassador for the San Diego Annual Meeting. I know keeping new members active and excited is essential to the success of ASAE & The Center, and I’m happy to do my part to make this happen. But, mostly, it’s because I know somewhere out there, there’s someone coming alone to their first Annual Meeting. They’re excited, but maybe feeling a bit daunted. They’re me, circa August 2006, getting off the plane, riding over to the convention center, and saying, “Gosh, what do I do now?”

I hope they’ll come find me.