Ready to Become a Certified Association Executive? Join Our CAE Info Session!

If you're aiming to earn your Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, this is your chance to learn more! 

Join our upcoming Q&A session to get answers to all your questions about eligibility, requirements, and the benefits of the CAE credential. We'll provide a detailed overview of the program and how it can help you take the next step in your association management career.

Bring your questions and discover how the CAE can elevate your professional journey.

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion where experts from Higher Logic and AuSAE come together to explore what matters most to members heading into 2026.

This session will unpack what members really want from their associations. Drawing on data from thousands of association professionals, we’ll compare trends in member engagement and community behaviour to highlight what’s unique about the Australian landscape and what lessons we can learn globally.

Key Takeaways:

• Insights about what members value most from associations 
• Success stories from associations meeting evolving member needs.
• Practical strategies to use data for improving retention and satisfaction.

Join us for a complimentary 1-hour webinar and gain insights and strategies for 2026!

Meet Our Presenter

Kelly Whelan 
Content Marketing Manager at Higher Logic

Our Panel Members:

Toni Brearley, CAE
Chief Executive Officer at AuSAE

CAE Exam between 1 - 14 May 2026 This course is for the May 2026 examination *Please note that the exam registration through ASAE is separate and is the delegates responsibility. AuSAE is here to help

Course cost - AuSAE Member $750 

Non member / Business partner  $950 includes  

• Course material ( Professional Practices in Association Management, 4th Edition)

• Cliff notes with practice exam questions for each domain

• Study group learnings and exam questions

• Practice exam exam

The Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential is an International marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.

Have you got what it takes to go to the next level, AuSAE is here to help you!!
Applications close with ASAE 21 February 2026 for the exam

Program Starting Friday 20 February 2026

Week 1 20 February : CAE Orientation session and Systems thinking

Week’s 2 - 9: Covering the eight domains 1 hour each week (Friday)

• 27 February: Domain 1 Governance
• 6 March: Domain 2 Executive Leadership
• 13 March: Domain 3 Organisational Strategy
• 20 March: Domain 4 Operations
• 27 March: Domain 5 Business development
• 2 April: Domain 6 Member and Stakeholder Engagement and Management
• 10 April: Domain 7 Advocacy
• 17 April: Domain 8 Marketing and Communications

Week 10: Wednesday 22 April Practice exam in exam conditions (100 questions) 2 hours
Friday 24 April Open forum ( 1hour 30 mins)

• CAE Exam fee is separate and paid through ASAE when applying for the exam. Member cost $500 USD

Associations are constantly launching, refreshing and promoting products, programs, campaigns and advocacy initiatives, however achieving consistent cut-through across members and stakeholders remains a challenge.

This practical, hands-on skills lab is designed for association professionals responsible for engaging members and stakeholders through communications, events, marketing and campaigns. It is particularly relevant for those working across membership, advocacy, education and events.

Participants will learn how to:

• Refresh existing products, services and campaigns using refined language and positioning.
• Repackage and bundle offerings to improve clarity, relevance and uptake
• Plan and launch integrated campaigns with impact (programs, advocacy initiatives, awareness weeks)
• Move beyond membership renewals and benefits, to campaigns that build value, relevance and connection
• Create brand-aligned campaigns that look and feel distinct, even with limited budgets
• Integrate campaigns across digital, events, newsletters, social and websites for greater reach and consistency
• Decide what to stop doing, what to simplify, and what to double down on
• Improve member communications, event marketing and content – what’s working, what isn’t, and why

Using real association examples and practical frameworks, participants will leave with tools and approaches they can apply immediately within their own organisation.

Key takeaway: Practical methods to plan, launch and refresh integrated association marketing and campaigns with confidence.

Meet Our Presenter

Debbie Bradley, Group Account Director, Zadro
Debbie is a strategic communications and campaigns specialist with extensive experience delivering integrated marketing, advocacy and engagement initiatives for associations and purpose-led organisations. She works closely with clients to translate strategy into practical, high-impact campaigns that connect with members and stakeholders and drive meaningful outcomes.

Session Overview:
AI is moving quickly from experimentation to expectation. For association leaders, the real question is how to be ready to use it in ways that genuinely improve member engagement and decision-making.

This session explores what AI readiness looks like in a practical association context - focussing on the data foundations, systems alignment, and organisational habits that make smarter engagement possible. Using familiar scenarios across membership, events, education, and communications, we’ll examine how better-connected data enables more meaningful networking, more relevant learning experiences, and more timely engagement, and why fragmented data limits insight and impact.

Rather than focussing on tools or trends in isolation, the discussion connects strategy to day-to-day reality, helping association executives understand where to focus their attention first and how to build momentum over time. Participants will leave with clearer priorities, shared language for internal conversations, and actionable yet simple next steps.

Key Learnings:

• A clearer view of what AI readiness means in an association environment
• Insight into how connected data supports more relevant and timely member engagement
• A practical way to assess the strength of their current data foundations
• Guidance on where AI can add value now - and where it’s not yet realistic
• Clear next steps to strengthen data, systems, and engagement outcomes

Meet Our Presenter

Over the last 30+ years Paul has worked with more professional bodies, industry associations, charities and fundraisers than most people would gather in several lifetimes. He is passionate about helping Not-For-Profits and Associations reach their goals, through adopting new and innovative solutions to help them run more efficiently. He is Managing Director of ASI Asia-Pacific which has more than 600 Not-For-Profit clients in the region. Paul enjoys working everyday with great staff and great clients and is rewarded by seeing great things ASI clients do in and around the community and knowing that ASI is able to contribute to that.

An Immersive Retreat for Women
in Association Leadership

5 - 8 May | Christchurch, New Zealand

Join us for an exclusive 3.5-day retreat set in Canterbury's breathtaking high country at Fable Terrace Downs Resort.

Over the 3.5 days you will experience a transformational leadership retreat facilitated by Lauren Parsons, CSP.

The WIAL Retreat includes:

• 3 nights accommodation in beautiful, tranquil surroundings (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suites. Single supplement available at additional cost).
• Facilitated leadership & personal growth program;
• Nutritious, locally inspired daily meals;
• Return Christchurch transfers.

What you'll gain:

• Strategic clarity to lead with sharper focus, purpose and impact;
• Stronger executive presence and communication to influence and inspire;
• Tools to prevent burnout and sustain high performance through busy seasons;
• Emotional intelligence and decision-making skills for complex environments;
• Brave boundary-setting to protect your time, energy and attention; and
• Proven culture-building frameworks to lift wellbeing and results.

Why This Retreat Stands Out

This is not a conference. It is an intimate, high-trust environment where learning goes deeper and breakthroughs happen faster.

You will work closely with Lauren Parsons – award-winning leadership expert, TEDx speaker and author of Thriving Leaders, Thriving Teams. Each participant will receive a personal copy of the book to reinforce long-term change.

Located at Terrace Downs – “a place that reinvigorates the mind and soothes the soul” – you’ll reset, recharge and realign with what matters most.

The Results

You will leave:

• Re-energised, centered and future-focused
• Equipped with a clear leadership roadmap and practical tools
• Ready to lead with greater energy, empathy, confidence and influence

Spaces are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first-in, first-served basis.

* Open to women currently working in an association or not-for-profit organisation.

Earn CAE Credits

All education sessions at the Retreat are CAE-eligible and attendees may earn up to 10 CAE credits for attending the event. 

Click here for a draft program and timings.

Payment by installments is available - please email elaine@ausae.org.au and we can assist.

Proudly sponsored by: