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The Strategic Plan 2010 – 2013
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CEMA is a platform for collaboration between Event Marketers and Industry Professionals by providing strategies, resources and solutions.
This document will serve as an evolving guide to allow for change which mirrors the industry it serves, and it will be evaluated annually by the CEMA Board of Directors. This plan is based on input from the Board and feedback from members, event marketers and industry professionals who have shared their thoughts, ideas, suggestions and opinions. Out of this compilation of knowledge, critical issues and opportunities have been identified, and this plan serves as the focal point of strategies to meet established goals and make CEMA a voice in the industry.
Vision
- CEMA will serve as a resource for all who are actively engaged in event marketing, marketing communication on both the EM and IP side.
- Values
- CEMA values its members and strives to increase its community base.
- CEMA values trust and seeks to earn its members’ long-term professional investment.
- CEMA values education and strives to promote new and inventive ways of thinking
Target Audience
- Primary Target: Core of the association
- Event Marketers: Directors, Managers, Senior Individual Contributors
- Industry Partners: Principals, Senior Contributors
- Strategic Partners: Professional Associations, Press
Goals
CEMA is the premiere community for technology and event marketing professionals. It is an industry hub that promotes professional networking opportunities, valued resource for industry education and a facilitator of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Through information sharing, expertise, and experience, those who are engaged in CEMA will enjoy new opportunities for professional and personal growth.
- Voice of the Industry: A thought leadership association that is aware of event professional’s top of mind challenges. An advocate for the value of event marketing as a key component of the marketing mix. Driver of event marketing industry standards.
- Membership: Expand outreach, member acquisition and retention touting benefits and collaboration via the website, face-to-face events, publications and industry specific discussion.
- Education and Events: Foster interaction and communication among Event Marketers and Industry Professionals through education and face-to-face events.
- Awareness: Increase awareness through media relations, speaking and education.
- Organization Management: Be viewed as a trusted and viable source based on sound association management and financial strength.
Strategic Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: Voice of the Industry
A thought leadership association that is aware of event professional’s top of mind challenges. Provide a platform for marketing professionals across the technology sector to receive more data and industry trends so they can excel in their careers.
Be an advocate for the value of event marketing as a key component of the marketing mix.
Strategies:
- Work with membership and Board members to understand what are their challenges.
- Understand key challenges and give viable options within the marketing communications field.
- Supply research and data to support specific challenges.
- Provide a platform for marketing professionals across the technology sector to receive more data and industry trends so they can excel in their own careers.
- Cross – market and promote affiliate member and partnering organizations meeting and events.
Goal 2: Membership Base
Expand outreach, member acquisition and retention touting benefits and collaboration via the website, face-to-face events, publications and industry specific discussion.
Strategies:
- Work with Board Members and Industry Professionals to secure exhibitor databases that will benefit from resources offered by CEMA.
- Maintain and updated membership directory accessible to all CEMA members.
- Promote availability of the Industry Job Board for both employers and job seekers.
- Promote newsletter content and collaboration to both event marketing and industry partners
- Involvement and use of membership base for committees, content and outreach
Goal 3: Education and Events
Foster interaction and communication among Event Marketers and Industry Professionals through education and face-to-face events.
Strategies:
- Generate net revenue for CEMA Summit, the association’s primary face-to-face event, through registration fees, sponsorships, and other promotional opportunities conducted and offered by CEMA.
- Present multi-level, educational content at CEMA Summit, educational events and study tours by offering high-quality, strategic courses, roundtable discussion and workshops.
- Develop “Master Series” which would be a series of advances or selected professional advanced level programming and education to specific groups in the event marketing, Industry Professional or communities that support these functions i.e. purchasing.
- Offer local venues for CEMA members with local members being potential sponsors to gain new membership.
- Utilize emerging technologies often and as appropriate.
Goal 4: Increase Awareness
Increase awareness through media relations, speaking and education.
Strategies:
- Publish and disseminate monthly newsletter.
- Use customer stories to tell the client story to target media audience; which could be used in lead generation outreach and on the website.
- Byline Articles/Press Releases: Place articles authorized by IP’s or EM’s to showcase them as experts in the industry
- Share company news with target media to inspire them to write about CEMA
- Research and track target publications’ editorial calendars to pitch CEMA for their customers as a source for feature articles or vendor written articles.
- Track award speaking opportunities
- Facebook, Linkedin and other appropriate Social Media venues.
Note: Like byline articles and user success stories, press releases are a tool to attract media and customer attention. We will use User Success Stories and other company milestones as news hooks for the press releases which are a piece of collateral to share with reporters, current/potential customers, etc. Press releases are useful, but are not the Holy Grail of a solid PR/Awareness Strategy.
Goal 5: Organization Management
Be viewed as a trusted and viable source based on sound association management and financial strength.
Strategies:
- Identify new sources of financial support through sponsorships and advertisements.
- Define specific goals and complete them within the time frame allotted so membership constantly see value.
- Expand on the communications between membership, board members and executive staff.
- Identify a website committee to help with content and flow of site.
- Outsource Newsletter management
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