More than 1,200 association executives, consultants and industry professionals converged at the 2016 ASAE Technology Conference & Expo for three days of networking, education, insights and information about the latest trends, technologies, and strategies needed to take their organizations in a more forward-thinking direction.

Held Dec. 12-14 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD, the association’s 11^th annual event offered 32 high-level education sessions, a host of networking opportunities and an expo that featured135 exhibiting companies spanning 18,000 square feet of exhibit space.

“This year’s conference focused on how technology is impacting our members, from mobile, strategy, leadership and marketing technologies to infrastructure, security, operations and analytics,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE.

Three Preconference Workshops made their debut this year, including “Digital Convergence: A CEO-CXO Summit,” which explored how industry professions can turn challenges into growth opportunities, embrace risk-taking and keep up with the rapid pace of an ever-changing digital landscape.

“Ctrl-Alt-Del: Dissolving Tech and Marketing Silos,” focused on how to leverage a collaborative culture and convert data into business intelligence and association growth, while “Reboot: Women in Technology,” examined the global tech talent shortage, the importance of digital fluency in leadership competency and the incredible career opportunities awaiting women in the industry today.

As the event’s opening keynote, Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman, author of “Socialnomics” and sitting professor at Harvard & MIT’s edX labs, kicked off the conference by exploring the most cutting edge – and outdated – technology trends, and how association professionals can infuse more innovation into their businesses while staying ahead of the technology curve.

The event’s top-notch education options offered a plethora of topics and interests, from mobile, strategy, leadership and marketing technologies, to infrastructure, security, operations, and analytics presented by leading industry content leaders.

New to the conference was the Futurists Lab, a hands-on learning format that allowed attendees to familiarize themselves with new and trending technologies their associations can use to enhance education, marketing and member engagement, along with demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies including augmented reality, wearables, simulations and robots.

Also debuting this year was a partnership with Byte Back, a nonprofit organization that provides computer training, access to technology and career services to underserved adults in the Washington D.C. area. Besides offering complimentary conference registrations and exposition space, the ASAE Technology Section Council also provided onsite mentorships to five students.

On the final day, closing speakers Dr. Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, senior security leaders at Uber’s Advanced Technology Center and renowned “white hat” hackers, revealed how they identify vulnerabilities in various technologies and devices, and what that means for industries, organizations and individuals.

“The was a lot of buzz around business and predicative analytics and the ability to use data as a foundational aspect of strategic decision-making,” said ASAE CIO Reggie Henry, CAE. “Also highlighted was the ‘API’ economy we are now in, and how connecting best-of-breed tools together to form better solutions for members is a growing priority.”

He continued, “Finally, the realization that the level of change we are facing is the new normal spawned conversation about adjusting our and our members’ expectation about their technology futures.”

The 2017 Technology Conference & Expo will return Dec. 12-13 to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.