Naylor’s New Benchmarking Report Reveals How Associations Are Adapting During the Pandemic 

September 17, 2021

Naylor Association Solutions, a leading provider of innovative association tools and services that strengthen member engagement and increase non-dues revenue, recently unveiled the findings of its "2021 Association Communications Benchmarking Report.” 

The 10th annual report analyzed survey data from 500 senior executives at North American trade associations, professional societies and association management companies, providing an inside look at how associations are navigating the impacts of COVID-19 on member engagement and communications, live and virtual events, staffing and non-dues revenue generation. 

In a COVID and post-COVID world, professional and trade associations remain vital to their members and markets, according to Alex DeBarr, president and CEO of Naylor. 

“No other entities can offer such diverse value to members as bringing them together for events, helping them grow and succeed in their careers and setting and validating industry standards for safety, quality, ethics and social responsibility,” DeBarr said. 

He continued, “Obviously, COVID has had a significant impact on associations and all of us, but we're heartened to see many associations adapt their strategies and tactics to speed their recovery and their ability to be a catalyst for recovery and reinvention for the markets they serve.”

The benchmarking report revealed four takeaways: Virtual events continue to be a viable option during the pandemic; staffing is rebounding but remains a challenge; generating non-dues revenue is a pressing concern; and while association communication is increasing, a targeted, balanced approach remains a struggle. 

Virtual Events 

As live events slowly return in 2021, virtual and hybrid events remained an important option for member learning and engagement among associations. While associations continued to express challenges rebuilding pre-COVID attendance levels and maintaining pre-COVID levels of advertising and sponsorships, there were improvements in transitioning or augmenting legacy events to hybrid events.

Thirty-nine percent of respondents had difficulty transforming their legacy events into virtual events, a significant improvement over the 80% who said the same in 2020.

Sixty-four percent of respondents consider virtual conferences and events very or extremely valuable, compared to 56% in 2020.

Additionally, while 82% of respondents rated face-to-face interaction at live events as the best way to gauge member needs, 73% also rated surveys as an efficient way to learn what members want and need from an association.

Staffing 

The report examined understaffing sentiments across various functions, with 51% of associations overall feeling understaffed. Staffing concerns were felt even more among social media teams (45%) and publishing and content teams (49%), a trend that continues from past years of the survey.

Respondents’ perceived value of social media is increasing, with platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter being used for almost half of their monthly member messages. 

Nearly 50% of associations cited that they would invest in improving content strategy and content curation if their communications department received a 50% budget increase. Thus, hiring more team members for content and social media teams is critical.

Non-Dues Revenue Generation

With live events once again cited as the top source of member engagement, non-dues revenue and brand awareness in 2021, navigating the impact of COVID-19 on in-person events remains challenging.

According to the report, only 25% of respondents saw improvement in non-dues revenue generation, and almost half feel their inability to generate non-dues revenue from their communication channels is a serious or significant challenge. 

As virtual and hybrid events remain more common than live events, nearly half (46%) of associations expect difficulty rebuilding pre-COVID levels of advertising, sponsorship and exhibit sales. With the gradual return to in-person events, 61% of respondents expect lower non-dues revenue overall this year, and 30% of respondents expect non-dues revenue to decrease by 11% or more this year.

Associations face a choice of diversifying and becoming more creative with their non-dues revenue streams or relying upon the uncertain timeline for in-person events to return to pre-COVID frequency and capacity.

Member Communication 

The report found an increase in association communication, which has reached a record high in 2021, but revealed that associations continue to grapple with efficiently and effectively communicating with current and prospective members. 

According to the report, there was a sharp increase in the use of digital communication channels, virtual conferences/events seeing the most significant gain (up 10%), followed by LinkedIn (up 9%) and Twitter (up 3%). Meanwhile, there were declines in communication via online member directory (down 3%), video (down 2%), digital member magazines (down 21%) and podcasts (down 33%), and print member magazine messaging also decreased (down 31%).

Additionally, there were no improvements in nine out of the 11 big-picture communication challenges, with "combating information overload/cutting through the clutter" (72%) topping the list. "Communicating member benefits effectively" (68%) was cited as the second-biggest challenge, followed by "customizing for member segments" (59%).

To download the 2021 "Association Communications Benchmarking Report," go here

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.