Business travel is so overrated! The glamour wears off all too soon as endless hours on planes and in hotel rooms equates to less time with family, fatigue and a propensity for sickness. However, it has provided me with the opportunity to connect with colleagues, listen to wonderful presentations and reflect on purpose in life, work and priorities.
My current travel schedule is an abstract analogy to how far AuSAE has come in the past few years and the potential for ongoing improvement.
Highlights have included the success of our two conference and exhibitions (ACE in Canberra and LINC in Auckland), our ongoing networking lunches and workshops, the reintroduction of our monthly webinars and our commitment to leverage relationships for mutually beneficial outcomes.
The AuSAE Leadership and Mentoring program was launched in mid-October and is delivered in partnership with Art of Mentoring. After 14 months of planning, testing and promotion, 20 mentoring pairs kicked off a program which I hope will be enduring and beneficial for all concerned.
So, what’s in store for the future? How do we decide which products and services to develop next? It’s all about value. Value to you, the people we represent, value for AuSAE and value to anyone we might partner with.
Our purpose is clear. It’s about connecting you with great people and great ideas, contributing to your success and therefore the success of your organisation and enhancing the value and recognition of the association sector. So, look out for a couple of new initiatives in the coming months including AuSAE publishing the first book specifically for Associations in Australia and New Zealand – The Future of Associations written by Omer Soker.
And getting back to the travel analogy, AuSAE is a plane on the verge of taking off. AuSAE flight 747 has fuel, passengers, crew and cargo. It’s speeding along the runway and the wheels are about to leave the ground. Safe travels everyone. I hope you’ll stay on board with us for the ride…
Brendon Ward
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Society of Association Executives
