Hundreds of association professionals networked and watched keynote speeches and awards ceremonies on big screens in D.C., other cities

Three hundred were registered for the ASAE annual meeting's 'Community Pop-UP' in Washington, D.C., on Monday, part of a hybrid event that also had in-person gatherings in four other cities during the day. Shown above, author Baratunde Thurston delivered a remote keynote address shown on several large screens.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The ASAE Annual Meeting officially got underway on Monday, with a mix of virtual and in-person events, including "Community Pop-UPs" in Washington, D.C., and four other cities.

About 300 association executives and others registered to attend the D.C. event, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center's Studio 801, a ballroom converted to a multimedia facility to accommodate hybrid events.

In-person attendees in the five cities began the morning watching prerecorded awards ceremonies, a speech by outgoing ASAE board Chair Steve Caldeira, CEO of the Household & Commercial Products Association, and a video tribute to outgoing ASAE CEO Susan Robertson. The awards segment included the acceptance of the Key Award, ASAE's top honor for an association executive, by Chicago Association of Realtors CEO Michelle Mills Clement.

The other pop-ups took place in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas and Fort Lauderdale. The meeting runs through Aug. 18, with additional pop-ups to be held Tuesday in Cleveland, Palm Beach, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Wednesday in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.

Speaking with CEO Update from the D.C. pop-up, American Association for Anatomy Executive Director Shawn Boynes said honoring his friend Mills Clement was a key reason for him to attend the pop-up, along with the opportunity to network.

"I've come to the ASAE meetings for well over 12 years now, and I really missed it last year," Boynes said, referring to the fact that the in-person ASAE annual meeting was canceled last year.

"Having the opportunity to come together as a community this year is bittersweet because I know the pandemic has not gone away," he said.

Boynes noted that Mills Clement is the first African American to win the Key Award in 40 years. Both are members of a group called "Texts to Table," which started as an informal group of four Black association CEOs sharing experiences in group texts following the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Now, the four CEOs have been joined by others for podcasts on the topic of race relations.

Baratunde Thurston, comedian, cultural critic and author of the book "How To Be Black," gave a remote keynote speech on racial equity shown on several large monitors in Studio 801. The speech was followed by a Q&A session.

Later in the day, virtual attendees participated in prerecorded Learning Labs on subjects such as diversifying revenue sources, successful marketing strategies and improving digital experiences for users.