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1 week ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
Teaching builds trust. That’s one of the main lessons I took from reporting on AI trends for the latest batch of Associations Now Deep Dive articles. Distrust of AI is understandable—there are plenty of outsize claims that the technology will decimate industries, shut off our brains, and doom us all. But the associations that use it recognize its limitations, while doing more to ensure that their people are comfortable with it.
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1 week ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
Association membership has held steady in the past year, according to a new report, but many organizations remain anxious around their value proposition, innovation, and AI. Those findings come from Marketing General Incorporated’s2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, released last week. The report, now in its 17th year, is based on a survey of more than 500 association professionals, conducted in January and February this eyar.
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2 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
This is a tricky inflection point for associations when it comes to AI. Organizations have gotten more comfortable with using it for low-hanging-fruit situations—content generation, chatbots—and increasingly recognize the importance of communicating its value and dangers to their membership. But the next step is to determine whether they want to use it more dynamically.
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2 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
With a collection of world-class venues, rejuvenating resorts, award-winning restaurants, and outdoor adventures, meetings, conventions, and special gatherings at The Palm Beaches are masterpieces. VIDEO
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2 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
A new report challenges association leaders to expand beyond member-focused adjustments and think more broadly about their potential customer base. Business Model Innovation: Fuel for an Association’s Mission was published last month by the consultancy McKinley Advisors. The report recommends that leaders look at their revenue model through the lens of five elements: value, revenue, community, reach and operations.
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3 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
Change is good, we like to say. But employees may have a few thoughts about that. A recent survey on change management, published in April and conducted by the firms TalentLMS and WorkTango found that employees don’t respond well to change when there’s a lack of communication and training around it. Half of the 1,200 people surveyed—all people at companies who’ve “went through an organizational change”—said their experience negatively impacted their trust in leadership.
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3 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
Conference attendees are seeking more personalized and hands-on experiences when visiting tradeshow booths, according to a new report. Unpacking XLNC: The Future of Commerce for Trade Shows and Conferences, a report released in late April by the events production firm Freeman, is based on a survey of approximately 1,000 conference and tradeshow attendees and approximately 1,000 exhibitors.
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4 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
Organizations thrive on outside perspectives: Sometimes it takes the participation of somebody who isn’t in your association’s bubble to see where your challenges are. The entire consultant industry is built on this notion, and though just about everybody can share a story where that outside perspective was ill-informed or even tin-eared, the process generally helps organizations avoid insularity and identify blind spots.
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4 weeks ago | 
associationsnow.com | Mark Athitakis
When choosing a destination for their association’s next meeting or event, planners are looking for more than just a venue; they want an experience that will have attendees leaving feeling inspired, enriched, and well-connected. From accessibility and infrastructure to atmosphere and culture, every detail matters. Greater Fort Lauderdale delivers on all fronts.
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1 month ago | 
washingtonpost.com | Mark Athitakis
Want to understand today’s culture wars? Look to the 1980s. (washingtonpost.com) Want to understand today’s culture wars? Look to the 1980s. By Mark Athitakis 2025052912000000 Why did Gen X break for Trump? The question consumed pundits after last November's election, when Xers voted disproportionately MAGA.
