I met with the president of an association last week in Washington DC that finally gets “it”. And I knew it the moment I walked in the door. The receptionist was cheery and professional but with a great personality. The office was bright, lots of glass and had a contemporary vibe. And on the reception area walls hung beautifully framed, oversized photographs of Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger and Luciano Pavorati rather than the typical wall of photographs of association executives long gone. It felt like the offices of a Hollywood film studio rather than a national trade association for insurance companies.
As I walked through their offices on my way to meet the president, I could see and feel the same excited, friendly vibe everywhere I looked. And as I sat for nearly two hours with the president and several members of his senior staff I knew that I the entire outlook and demeanor of this association was something that is quite rare in the world of associations.
Their mission blows by the typical and tired association mantra of “serving the needs of our members” and goes to a new level of success achieved by creating the ultimate level of “experience” for their members. While this association delivers all of the “knowledge, conferences, publications and tools” that every association must, they view their members not just as members but as a valued audience that must be made to feel special, excited, entertained and enlightened by their connection to the association. To accomplish this, the CEO sets the tone and challenges his organization to think in terms of the member “experience”. Everything that the association does must add to the richness and excitement of that experience in an integrated and endless crescendo.
Like great companies such as Apple, Disney, Starbucks and Cirque de Soleil, this association gets it. They view their members as guests who have lots of choices and deserve the very best in service, quality and value all wrapped up in an “experience” that will keep them coming back for more.
Is that how your association or organization thinks and treats your members?
Maybe it’s time to think about recreating your member experience!
Interesting. But if they’re so great, why not tell us their name?