It’s time to get ready for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition taking place Aug. 15-18, 2026 in Indianapolis, IN.

Built around the theme Driven by Purpose, this year’s meeting will bring association professionals together for more than 100 educational sessions, an expansive Expo Hall, and four days of opportunities to learn, connect, and explore the ideas shaping the future of associations.

The ASAE Annual Meeting is filled with energy, fresh perspectives, and interesting people. It is a valuable place to strengthen professional relationships, explore new approaches, and find potential answers to the questions keeping association leaders up at night.

It can also be overwhelming.

It is tempting to dive into everything the meeting has to offer, but trying to attend every session, meet every person, and explore every corner of the Expo Hall can leave you exhausted before the closing celebration.

A better approach is to arrive with a personal strategy.

By deciding what you want to learn, whom you want to meet, and which organizational problems you hope to address, you can make your ASAE experience more focused, productive, and enjoyable.

As you build your schedule, we invite you to stop by Dennison & Associates at Booth 1133, near the ASAE Hub, to discuss your association’s technology, data, AI, or implementation questions with our team.

Planning for the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting

Planning allows you to prioritize the sessions that are most relevant to your work, reserve time for important activities, and arrange meetings with people you would like to know.

It can also reduce the stress of last-minute decisions and help you navigate a large and busy conference environment.

Before building your agenda, consider these three questions:

1. What problem are you trying to solve?
2. Who would you like to meet?
3. What will you do with what you learn?

Your answers can help you determine which sessions to attend, which vendors to meet, and which conversations deserve space in your schedule.

What Problem Are You Trying to Solve?

Are you considering a new association management system? Are you trying to improve your data quality? Are staff members struggling with disconnected systems or inefficient workflows? Are you exploring AI tools but unsure how to evaluate their value or risks?

Whatever issue you are working through, define it before you arrive.

A broad statement such as “We need better technology” will not give you much direction.

A more useful problem statement might be:

“Our membership team cannot see a complete record of member engagement without pulling information from three different systems.”

Or:

“Staff members are experimenting with AI tools, but we do not have clear policies, approved use cases, or ownership.”

Specific problems lead to better questions.

They also make vendor meetings more productive. Instead of asking a provider to walk you through every available feature, you can ask the provider to demonstrate how its platform would address a real workflow or operational challenge.

Before ASAE, consider:

• What outcome are you trying to improve?
• Which staff members or members are affected?
• What is happening in the current process?
• What workarounds have staff created?
• How will you know whether a new approach is successful?
• What internal capacity will implementation require?

Your success at the meeting will depend partly on the work you complete before arriving. It starts with being able to clearly explain the problem.

Who Would You Like to Meet?

The ASAE Annual Meeting provides an opportunity to connect with association executives, technology providers, consultants, speakers, and other professionals who understand the challenges facing the association community.

Once you know who will be attending, research the people and organizations most relevant to your goals.

Prepare questions in advance and request meetings before schedules fill up.

Your list might include:

• A peer whose association recently completed a similar project
• A consultant with experience addressing your particular challenge
• A technology provider you are considering
• A speaker whose session relates to your strategic priorities
• A current partner you rarely have the opportunity to see in person
• A professional connection you would like to strengthen

Not every meeting needs to be formal. Some of the most valuable conversations happen over coffee, during a reception, or while walking between sessions.

ASAE’s 2026 schedule also includes an Opening Celebration at White River State Park, the ASAE Research Foundation’s Classic at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and a Closing Celebration at Lucas Oil Stadium. These events offer additional opportunities to build relationships outside the educational program and Expo Hall.

Leave some flexibility in your schedule for unexpected conversations. A brief introduction can sometimes become the most valuable connection you make during the entire meeting.

How Will You Evaluate Technology Vendors?

The Expo Hall is an excellent place to learn about emerging platforms and services, even when your association is not actively purchasing technology.

However, an engaging demonstration is not the same as a successful technology fit.

Before meeting with a vendor, prepare two or three real workflows you would like the provider to demonstrate.

For example:

Membership

Ask the vendor to show how a member’s profile, renewal history, engagement, and communications appear in one workflow.

Events

Ask how registration, attendance, pricing, continuing education, and follow-up information move between systems.

Finance and operations

Ask the vendor to demonstrate a report that currently requires manual reconciliation or multiple exports.

Technology and data

Ask what implementation, integrations, data cleanup, security review, and internal support will be required.

Also ask about:

• Total implementation costs
• Data migration responsibilities
• Integration limitations
• Training and change management
• Customer support
• Data ownership
• Contract terms
• Product roadmap
• References from comparable associations
• The internal time and staffing the project will require

Your goal should not be to select a system from the Expo floor.

Your goal should be to gather comparable evidence, identify unanswered questions, and determine whether a formal technology assessment or selection process should come next.

What Should You Ask About AI?

AI will likely appear in platform demonstrations and conversations throughout the meeting.

Rather than focusing only on what an AI feature can generate, ask how it would work within your association’s actual operating environment.

Consider these questions:

What problem does the AI capability solve?

Ask for a specific use case. A general promise to “increase efficiency” is not enough.

What data does it use?

Find out what information enters the tool, where that information is stored, and whether it may be used to train external models.

Where does human review occur?

Determine who reviews the output, approves decisions, and remains accountable for the result.

How will success be measured?

Ask what a realistic 90-day pilot would look like. Success might include faster response times, fewer manual steps, improved completion rates, or greater staff capacity.

Who will own the result?

A successful AI initiative needs a business owner, a technical owner, trained users, and a governance process. The software cannot own the outcome.

What happens when the tool is wrong?

Ask how errors, bias, inaccurate information, security concerns, and inappropriate outputs are identified and addressed.

A compelling AI demonstration may inspire ideas, but your association still needs clear requirements, responsible ownership, and a practical implementation plan.

What Was Your Lightbulb Moment?

If the meeting addresses your priorities, you may leave with five or six exciting ideas.

The challenge begins when you return to a full inbox, unfinished projects, and your regular responsibilities.

Instead of trying to implement everything, identify one meaningful takeaway.

Your lightbulb moment could be:

• A small process improvement
• A new question to bring to leadership
• A technology requirement you had not considered
• A new professional connection
• A risk that needs further evaluation
• An idea worth testing through a limited pilot
• Confirmation that your association should not pursue a particular option

Write down your takeaway before leaving Indianapolis.

Then identify one action, one owner, and one reasonable deadline.

A conference idea is more likely to create value when it becomes a specific next step.

Practical Suggestions for ASAE 2026

With your strategy in place, you are ready to build the details of your conference plan.

Here are a few practical recommendations:

• Select your highest-priority sessions in advance.
• Arrive early when a session is especially important to you.
• Write down one question you want each session to answer.
• Schedule priority vendor and peer meetings before the conference.
• Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers.
• Stay hydrated and make time for meals.
• Leave some open space for unplanned conversations.
• Schedule short periods of downtime.
• Bring portable chargers for your devices.
• Take notes in a format you can easily review afterward.
• Ask vendors to demonstrate your workflows, not only their preferred features.
• Avoid making purchasing commitments based solely on an Expo demonstration.
• Be open to meeting people outside your usual professional circle.
• Use the conference as a learning opportunity for your own events and member programs.
• Follow ASAE’s official social channels and use #ASAE26 when sharing your experience.

The 2026 main-stage program includes mentalist Oz Pearlman, leadership scholar Amy Edmondson, and CNN host and producer Van Jones. The Opening Celebration will also feature Grammy Award-winning artist Babyface.

Visit Dennison & Associates at Booth 1133

Be sure to include time for the Expo Hall in your schedule.

Even when you are not actively searching for a new vendor, the Expo can help you better understand available technologies, emerging capabilities, and the questions your association should begin considering.

Dennison & Associates will be at Booth 1133, near the ASAE Hub.

Stop by to speak with our team about:

• Technology strategy and assessments
• AMS and technology selection
• System implementation
• AI readiness, governance, and adoption
• Data and integration challenges
• Operational improvement
• Application management
• IT project services

We will also be joined by trusted industry partners, including Halmir, Intellidata, and Beacon, giving attendees an opportunity to explore a range of association technology expertise in one place.

Bring us the technology question your team has been struggling to answer. We would be glad to help you clarify the problem and identify a practical next step.

Make Purpose Your Conference Strategy

The theme of ASAE 2026 is Driven by Purpose.

That same idea can guide how you approach the meeting.

You do not need to attend every session, collect every brochure, or schedule every hour. You need to understand why you are attending, what you want to learn, and how the experience can support your association’s mission.

Arrive with questions.

Gather evidence.

Build relationships.

Then return home ready to turn one important insight into action.

At Dennison & Associates, we want to help you determine what your technology needs are and how best to meet them. Contact us if you’d like to find out how.