Dunedin’s successful bid for the World Congress of Herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) has helped put the city on the map as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand, bringing with it a host of academic and economic benefits.

The congress, which will take place in 2020, is expected to showcase the scientific research out of the University of Otago, as well as local ecotourism experiences and iconic wildlife, to an influential international delegation.

The 9th World Congress of Herpetology will be hosted by University of Otago’s Department of Zoology, and Professor Phil Bishop says: “This is a fantastic win, not just for New Zealand, but specifically for Dunedin and the University of Otago. We will have the opportunity to showcase our university and city to hundreds of international biologists, as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand.”

Moreover, the event is expected to attract up to 1,000 delegates to the city, translating to up to 6,000 room nights and bringing an estimated $2.1 million to the local economy.

The benefits will provide a major boost to the city, especially given that Bishop hadn’t previously considered bidding for an international conference. “I had no intention of ever taking on something like this, but our vice-chancellor and Tourism New Zealand hosted a lunch and there seemed to be a lot of support and enthusiasm for bringing large conferences like this to New Zealand,” he says. “I am very proud of New Zealand and Dunedin and thought this would be a good opportunity to showcase what we do to my colleagues.

“I think it's going to be a tremendous boost to the university's reputation internationally, and it’s a good chance for our students and those working on amphibian and reptile research around New Zealand to interact with an international audience.”

Dunedin won the event over competing bids from Kenya, Hungary, Morocco and Australia. Bishop notes: “We might not have as many species of reptiles and amphibians, but what we lack in quantity we make up for in quality. The species we do have are iconic, unique, and very unusual. Scientists like to tick things off their list. Tuatara is an order of reptiles that you cannot see anywhere else in the world and we also have amazing geckos, skinks and native frogs.

“Plus, New Zealand has an international reputation of being beautiful, clean, green and sustainable, and a wonderful place to visit. When I delivered the bid at the 8th World Congress in Hangzhou, China, a lot of people said: ‘Great, New Zealand’s on my bucket list, we’d love to come’.”

Bishop adds: “The support I received from Tourism New Zealand and Enterprise Dunedin, both financially and logistically, took all the hard work out of preparing the bid and together we produced highly professional brochures and an amazing presentation which blew away the competition! Tourism New Zealand printed all the bid documents and even had them posted to the hotel in China. They also helped me put together an event budget, which was important for the selection committee.

“Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme contributed to both my airfare and accommodation in China to present the bid. That support is extremely helpful in today’s economic climate where funds for conference participation are limited.”

Bishop says a tailored approach to the target audience would hopefully deliver international tourists to lesser-travelled destinations such as Stewart Island, Fiordland and Invercargill. “Our bid document really helped with the message ‘it's not as far away as you think’, and we provided lots of information about touring New Zealand, with amazing photos of animals you can see here. The main part of the conference will take place in early January, and we hope a lot of people will decide to come for Christmas and spend their break here. We will run tours in the greater Dunedin area to see reptiles and geckos, but we’ve suggested wider pre and post tours geared to scientists and biologists, not just typical tours, whether that is going to see the yellow-eyed penguins, national parks, Kaikoura, Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch, or the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown.

“Tourism New Zealand has offered further support in assisting with attendance at other conferences to promote the event, to keep it alive and active in everyone's mind that they will be coming to Dunedin in 2020.”

If you would like to find out more about Tourism New Zealand, please visit www.businessevents.newzealand.com

Health insurers funded an additional $100 million in healthcare in 2016 as more Kiwis took out health cover, according to the latest figures from the Health Funds Association (HFANZ).

Claims paid for the year jumped 9.4 percent to $1.136 billion as insurers funded record levels of elective surgery, HFANZ chief executive Roger Styles said today.

“Insurers have reported strong growth in elective surgical claims over the year, as more operations are being funded by health insurance. This is a huge jump and reflects the sizable contribution private health insurance makes in the New Zealand healthcare system,” Mr Styles said.

There was also a surge in the number of New Zealanders getting health insurance – up nearly 20,000 over the year – which Mr Styles said was the strongest growth in a decade. The total number of New Zealanders with private health insurance cover stood at 1.36 million as at December 31, an increase of 1.4 percent on figures from the end of December 2015. In the December 2016 quarter, lives covered rose by 5900, or 0.4 percent.

“People value the fact that health insurance provides certainty and timely access to treatment. Taking out health insurance means they are making a positive contribution to their own healthcare, at the same time as helping to relieve pressure on the public system,” he said.

“New Zealanders with health insurance are literally saving the Government hundreds of millions of dollars each year.”

Today’s release was the first time HFANZ had included in its data a category for minor medical policies, which offered a more limited range of medical cover at a lower cost. These typically covered some reimbursable items such as glasses, physiotherapy and GP visits but had limited or no cover for major surgery. Such policies accounted for around 50,000 lives covered – around 3.5 percent of those with health insurance.

ENDS (Full release and four-page statistical summary can be found by clicking link below)

Read full summary here

This Media Release was originally sourced from Scoop.

The world is changing, and because of that, associations are facing several obstacles that they’ll need to overcome. Also: How to create content optimized for short attention spans.

Change is hard. But we all know associations have to adapt to industry and societal forces to stay relevant and valuable to members.

While organizations may be straining against change for hundreds of reasons, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting’s Midcourse Corrections Blog points out six common 21st-century challenges that many associations are struggling to meet.

The unrelenting digital transformation of the modern world is the biggest pressure point that many associations face.

“Our association’s success or failure hinges on digital tools and ultimately becoming digitally mature organizations,” writes blogger Jeff Hurt.

While the digital revolution has us more connected than ever, there is a downside to that information overload. “Connectivity—the measure at which people are connected to each other, networks, and the internet, and the ease or speed at which they converse—is replacing knowing,” Hurt contends.

He goes on to say, “In a world where information is commoditized and is boundless, associations can’t compete with just dispensing information. What’s scarce is feedback, understanding, and application.”

Associations must keep up with what people want to learn, because there’s a lot of competition out there. “Associations have to compete with other possibilities that are frankly more compelling, creative, and social than marching through a passive, one-way webinar, outdated newsfeed, lecture, or recording,” he says.

These days, attention spans last for mere seconds on average, and your group may not even get access to those precious seconds unless your content can rise above the messy fray. What is your association doing to create content that your audience will want to read?

HubSpot provides several ways to make sure you’re creating engaging content that will provide value to your members.

Ask yourself if you actually need to write that blog post. Writer Sophia Bernazzani says associations should validate content topics first by doing “industry and persona research and selecting keywords to target.” She says to audit your competition to learn what types of content have performed best across your industry.

Bernazzani also recommends meeting your readers halfway. They may give you only a few seconds of their time, so give them content that they can digest quickly. Use bullet points, headers, and bold fonts to make blog posts easy to read. Clearly indicate your takeaway section so readers can find it quickly when skimming.

Read more here.

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and written by Raegan Johnson. 

It’s no secret that in this day and age, everything’s going digital. Meetings, events, methods of communication - you name it, it’s all going online.

That said, is an online event, such as a virtual conference, something your association should consider? What exactly are the benefits of hosting a virtual conference versus a traditional, in-person event?

Well, as it turns out, there are several. Take a look!

Benefit #1: They allow more people to potentially attend

Sometimes, in-person conferences can be difficult for people to attend. First, there’s the issue of having to get away from the office. Some people simply can’t swing that. But then, there’s also the issue of travel and hotel costs. Depending on where the conference is, some people can’t afford and/or justify that. A virtual conference eliminates those barriers, allowing more people to register and attend. (Plus, when it comes to networking, virtual conferences can be much less intimidating than in-person events - another draw for some people.)

Benefit #2: They can save you time and money, operationally

Think about how much time and money you spend planning an in-person conference. It’s a lot! Sure, virtual conferences still cost money, but not necessarily as much money. With a virtual event, you can cut back on costs for hotel room blocks, conference center rentals, food and drinks, onsite signage, and more.

Benefit #3: They leave you with evergreen content (and something to leverage)

Last but not least, virtual conferences provide you with valuable content to use in the future. Because virtual conferences take place entirely online, everything can easily be recorded. That means your association can then use that content and information for years and years to come. Your attendees should, of course, be able to access that content for free, but as far as non-attendees go, you may want to consider leveraging that information as a source of non-dues revenue for your association.

Ok, let’s say you’ve decided to host a virtual conference. What now? Where do you even begin when it comes to planning and executing?

Allow us to help! Check out our free guide, How to Plan a Virtual Conference at Your Association, below! It’s a step-by-step guide to ensure your association’s online event (from the content to the technology) is a MAJOR hit!

This article was originally sourced from Association Universe and written by Callie Walker.

Did you miss these? Jamie’s Association Success posts in December focused on the visible parts of culture….

The Link Between Office Design and Culture

Several years ago I saw a presentation from an association CEO who had recently redesigned their office space. He started by talking about the core values of the organization, which included one on “Having Fun” (or something of that sort). This was a place that viewed fun as an integral part of getting their work done.

He then showed a photo of their old work space (pre-redesign), that looked remarkably like many association offices I’ve seen: a sea of grey cubicles enveloped by fluorescent lighting. As he pointed to the photo, the CEO was really clear about his message:

You can’t claim that you’re all about fun, and then make your people work in an environment like that.

>> Read more

Redefining Dress for Success

Whether or not you have a written policy about it, all organizations have a dress code. It’s a part of your culture—the kinds of clothing that you are expected to wear (or not wear) actually says something about what is valued internally at the organization.

But honestly, I don’t think most organizations realize this. They choose their dress code based on some vague understanding of WHY the code is required. I hear that we want a “professional atmosphere” or are concerned that certain items of clothing are “unprofessional.” Um, okay. But what does that really mean? And who gets to define it?

Because I know for a fact that my previous boss (a former Ambassador) would not have accepted someone coming into work with a suit jacket, suit pants, collared shirt, BUT NO TIE—yet such an outfit is a staple for companies today with very formal dress codes. And don’t get me started on the definition of “jeans” (if you pay $200 for them, and that keynote speaker you hired was just wearing them, can they really be called jeans?).

And before you start debating the no-tie thing or the jeans thing—stop. The deeper you get into that conversation the more folly it becomes. There is no right answer once you get into the details. It’s all debatable. And trying to figure out whether something is a sweater or a blouse is a huge waste of time, because it’s avoiding the underlying question: what purpose does your dress code serve? Or, put another way, how does your dress code drive the success of your organization?

> Read more

What Does Your Annual Meeting Say About Your Culture?

In the association world, we tend to think of our annual meeting in terms of what it delivers to the members. It is typically a crown jewel type of program—that part of our annual calendar where it’s all hands on deck because a large number of our members get a LOT of their networking and education there (two pillars of your strategic plan). And all that is certainly true, but there’s another piece that you might be missing here:

Your annual meeting defines your culture.

Well, not ALL of your culture, but part of it. Remember, your culture is the collection of words, actions, thoughts, and “stuff” that clarifies and reinforces what is truly valued inside your organization. So how you run your annual meeting can have some important implications about what is valued, yet we often don’t make decisions with that in mind. That means you’re shaping your culture WITHOUT intention, and that can be a problem.

> Read more

This article was originally sourced from Social Fish and written by Maddie Grant.

Onboarding is an essential piece of the membership engagement puzzle. While many associations have an onboarding campaign that includes targeted messages, it can be easy to overlook the value of making face time with new members.

The new relationship—is there anything more exciting, and at the same time terrifying, than getting to know someone for the first time? Associations, like people, spend a lot of time and money on the process.

Onboarding programs are tactical efforts that “show the love” to new members, says association consultant Ed Rigsbee, CAE. He recently wrote a blog post that shows what an onboarding program can look like. In his “relationship banking” approach, associations need to put in sufficient relationship currency, or deposits, to justify the member making a withdrawal.

If there’s one thing we know about associations, it’s that they’re pretty good at making those transactional deposits. According to Marketing General Inc.’s 2016 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report [PDF], a majority of associations surveyed are sending new member communications in the form of email welcomes or welcome kits.

But a smaller fraction take the time to gain intentional face time with their members: 21 percent of associations said they hosted a new member reception or orientation event as part of the onboarding process. While events like these can happen in a number of ways, association consultant Lowell Aplebaum, CAE, says that face time can be particularly valuable for creating a deeper experience.

“There has really been a shift in how associations onboard new members,” Aplebaum says. “And it’s one that favors more experience-based membership. And at the heart of that experience is the creation or feeling of a sense of belonging to the organization.”

In other words, putting a name and a face to your member is just as important as sending information about membership benefits and opportunities. That might mean changing your meeting approach slightly.

“Associations can use existing events, like their annual conference or chapter meetings, and take a proactive step toward welcoming new members,” Aplebaum says. “So that by the very first time the member participates, they feel a part of the organization; not apart from the organization.”

NEW MEMBER MINGLE

One way in which associations can build experience into the onboarding process is through a “micro-involvement” event, Aplebaum says. These usually work best in associations with a chapter setup and are opportunities for first timers to ask questions, sign-up for an event, or possibly volunteer their time.

The Kansas City chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry hosts micro-involvement events monthly, through a series called New Member Mingles.

“In our welcome message, we invite each new member to attend an upcoming Mingle,” says Jan Burchett, NARI Kansas City’s executive director. “Most of the time people are just curious. We try to bridge that curiosity gap. It’s also an opportunity to network in a small group setting.”

The incentives to attend are a pretty small, but turnout is strong, Burchett says. Attendees come for coffee and doughnuts or cookies. As they leave, each attendee receives coupons, which can be used in their first year of membership for special discounts on educational programming, events, and membership renewal.

“Our goal is to get them to attend an educational program, join a committee, and eventually renew their dues,” Burchett says. “Renewal is always our biggest challenge and biggest goal.”

The chapter hosts two Member Mingles per month: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Much of the program’s success is due to the fact that NARI Kansas City’s onboarding process revolves around member participation.

CONFERENCE BUDDY SYSTEM

But what if you’re a national association that doesn’t have a chapter structure that allows for face time with new members? Aplebaum says there are a number of ways for associations to use existing events, like your annual meeting, to target and engage new members.

That’s exactly how the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) tweaked its semiannual meetings to pay closer attention to student members. One of their biggest problems was getting student members to convert to the professional membership status.

AMCP’s membership department decided to implement a conference buddy system that paired student members with existing professional members. The pairings are marketed as a career mentorship, and it’s helped to incentivize meeting attendance for younger members.

“The buddy system model is something that I see as fairly common amongst associations now,” Aplebaum says. “The ones that are doing it successfully are changing their program, from a buddy who will inform you about membership benefits, to a buddy who will listen to your problems.”

AMCP’s mentors volunteer their time and serve as membership evangelists, says Susan Noell, assistant director of corporate relations and membership. In three years, the program has grown from 27 to almost 150 pairings. Now, AMCP’s biggest challenge is managing a program that has grown in size and popularity.

“It’s so big that we have tapped other departments for help,” Noell says. “Our goal is to make sure that the student and professional have a good fit. We want to plant seeds for a mentorship to take root.”

REMOTE HANGOUTS

Of course, the world is a big place, and your membership might be spread across several countries, making it virtually impossible to do face-to-face meetings. That’s the main issue for the Control System Integrators Association, which counts members in 27 different countries. Face time for Tony Veroeven, CSIA’s exchange community manager, means signing on to Skype.

“My job is essentially to welcome new members and give them that warm and fuzzy feeling through the platform of their choice,” he says. “Everyone joins an association for a different reason, so I try to listen and see what that individual has to say.”

No matter if it’s Europe, South America, or Australia, Veroeven will make time to meet with members, and he says it’s important to be platform agnostic—most recently he used Google Hangouts to host a meeting.

These individual and remote hangouts prove valuable for associations, particularly if they coincide with their automated email campaign. Essentially, you’re giving the member a chance to ask questions, Aplebaum says.

“In the end, everyone wants to see their onboarding program boost engagement and membership loyalty,” he says. “An automated email campaign can only go so far. Why not recognize and invite the individual to connect personally? Those follow-ups can often be the easiest way to advance the relationship.”

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and written by Tim Ebner.

Our recent reader poll may have seemed like it was penned by Captain Obvious, but our staff enjoys getting back to basics every now and then and taking a look at the foundations of association life. One of those foundations is why members attend events, which often play a central role in an association’s operations.

Events are a major conduit for members to meet and grow professional relationships and friendships. They are a major way for members to take in continuing education.

They are just plain fun, too: What member, for reasons other than budget or time constraints, has said “No thank you” to an association awards night, a pre-conference brewery tour, or a charity event that benefits their own community?

On the association staff side, events provide a way to become more personally familiar with the membership. Knowing members personally hones the ways in which staff can better strive serve them. Serving members better leads to more membership renewals and the creation of association ambassadors, which leads to new members. Better-served members who enjoy quality events also leads to repeat attendance at such events. Both increased membership and repeat attendance leads to more non-dues revenue, and a financially healthy association that can afford to make desired changes in the industry that benefit its members and stakeholders.

That’s a lot of potential success riding on events!

Going back to our spirit of getting back to basics: With so much potential riding on a successful association event, we wanted to know: What is the main reason your members attend your events?

Out of four potential choices, our readers responded accordingly:

Not too surprisingly, networking (46%) and education (36%) were the top two reasons chosen for event attendance. These choices reflect the basic reasons many professionals join associations; that is, to connect with like-minded individuals in their industry and to grow their professional knowledge beyond their formal education.

Sharing ideas/expertise and simply getting out of the office tied for third place as the reasons members attend events. Closely related to networking and education, sharing ideas is another foundational reason many members join an association. Younger members can offer insight into current research or technology they may have been taught while earning their recent degree/certification. More seasoned members have the benefit of years of experience in the field, and often want to share that knowledge with others just starting out in an effort to pass on the same type of professional kindness and guidance they were shown when they began their careers.

And who can blame members for wanting a change of scenery every now and then? Simply getting out from behind the desk for a midday lunch program such as TSAE’s Learn@Lunch program can be a breath of fresh air for some. For others, a longer event in an alluring destination, such as NAFA Fleet Management Association’s Institute & Expo, to be held in Tampa this year, can provide a professional jolt of ideas along with a mental and emotional rejuvenation that leaves a member refreshed and ready to tackle their next challenge.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our polls. A new poll is up in the sidebar and on our Open Polls page: For what type of project are you most likely to work with a third-party vendor?

This article was originally sourced from Association Adviser. 

Every board needs to consider the appointment of new directors and it is important to have a board succession plan to help with the recruitment of the new directors. Here are some things to consider in developing a succession plan and undertaking a director search.

Step 1: Know the requirements of your governing documents and legislation

What does your association’s constitution say about directors’ appointments? Does it specify things such as: term limits; a specific list of skills; geographical representation (eg, a director from each State/Territory) or other representative requirements; and/or minimum and maximum board size. Also must a director be a member of the association? This information will set some of the parameters for the succession plan.

You should also consider any requirements in associations or companies legislation. For example a company limited by guarantee must have at least 3 directors on the board, or an incorporated association in NSW must have three committee members

Step 2: Identify the skills needed on the board

It is important for the board collectively to have the range of skills required to manage the association. This can be established through the board undertaking the following exercise:

A. Identify the skills that the board would like to see sitting around the table. A useful aid is to refer to the current strategic plan – eg if the association has a focus on fundraising, you might decide that a director with an understanding of fundraising or relevant networks is important. You might end up with a list of eight or more skills required.

B. Once you know what you want, you need to look at what you have already. Have the current directors assess their skills and knowledge against that list. This will highlight any gaps.

But my constitution requires us to have a representative board!! If this is the case, this is still a useful step. Even within a representative board, you may be able to find people to be directors with the desired skills.

Note that the skills required may change over time and it is worthwhile undertaking this exercise every few years.

Step 3: Prepare a director position description

Prepare a position description for the role of director and include information about expected time requirements, travel, remuneration arrangements (if any) and the specific skills sought. Also include background information on the association.

Step 4: Finding a director

There are various options for sourcing new directors:

- Director networks; where directors tap into their network for likely candidates.

- Advertising; there are places to advertise for directors for free. When using this type of service, it is important to be very specific about the types of skills required. Otherwise you may be overwhelmed with generic applications.

Your plan should outline the proposed process for recruitment of new directors.

Step 5: Put the succession plan in writing

Capture the work you did in the previous steps as the succession plan and have it approved by the board and review it every few years. That way, you have already done the critical thinking on the type of director and how you will go about the recruitment process when board vacancies arise.

Corporate Companion is a boutique provider of corporate governance advice, services and training specialising in the not-for-profit and charitable sector. Corporate Companion can provide practical advice for a value-for-money price to your association.

Contact Charlie Robinson on 0400 404 929 or charlie.robinson@corporatecompanion.com.au for more information

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) has developed a new governance code that reinforces the importance of member representation on the boards of superannuation funds and aims to keep profit-to-member funds positioned at the leading edge of governance practices.

The draft code –which has a proposed start date of 1 July, 2017 and has been circulated to AIST’s membership for feedback and consultation –will apply to more than 50 profit-to-member funds with recommendations that exceed existing legal and APRA regulatory requirements on Australian super funds.

This will ensure the continued protection of millions of Australians’ retirement savings.

The code has been developed separately but in tandem with the Fraser review and follows a commitment made by AIST and Industry Super Australia to the Australian Senate.

AIST CEO Tom Garcia says AIST’s code – modelled and built around the ASX Corporate Governance Principles - reflects the importance of safeguarding members’ retirement savings through robust governance practices.

“Despite the overwhelming legal and regulatory requirements that already apply to super funds, AIST believes more can be done to safeguard members’ compulsory retirement savings,” Mr Garcia says. “We are asking our member funds to sign up to a code that recognises the key role that the equal representation system plays in delivering superior results for members.”

The code covers a broad range of governance issues, with 22 recommendations including recommendations on member engagement opportunities; equal director voting rights; strong risk culture; board renewal, chair appointment, disclosure, transparency and remuneration.

The code requires funds to maintain an equal representation governance structure (involving both member and employee representation) whilst also allowing the appointment of up to one third independent (nonrepresentative) directors.

Mr Garcia says the code recognizes that a host of factors contribute towards best practice governance.

“You can’t sound-bite good governance – it doesn’t come down to one factor,” Mr Garcia says. “Good governance is fundamentally about a group of people making good decisions, having the right skills and also having a strong commitment to the members they serve. AIST’s code provides a framework to ensure this continues to be front and centre to profit-to-member superannuation practices.”

This Media Release was originally sourced from AIST. 

All government agencies should follow the lead of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and release details of their spending on contractors, the PSA says.

MBIE’s annual report shows the ministry spent $38.9 million on external contractors and consultants in the 2015/16 year.

PSA National Secretary Glenn Barclay says although that’s down from the $46 million spent in 2012/13, it’s still far too high.

"This multi-million-dollar spend is a direct result of the government’s cap on public servant numbers," Mr Barclay says.

"Since National came into power in 2008, pay and working conditions have deteriorated, so that many people with in-demand skills choose to leave permanent jobs and become contractors.

"A healthy and vibrant public service should be able to provide good jobs which are fairly rewarded, and these figures show that’s not happening."

Mr Barclay says all public sector agencies should follow MBIE’s lead, and the government needs to explain why ministries are becoming increasingly casualised.

"New Zealanders expect good public services to be delivered by dedicated employees.

"Instead, millions of dollars is going straight into the private sector’s coffers.

"I notice the new Economic Development minister Simon Bridges has issued a ‘please explain’ to MBIE.

"We would ask him to photocopy that letter and send it to all government agencies, asking them to justify their use of contractors instead of permanent, well-trained staff."

This Press Release was originally sourced from Scoop.