Lisa Furfine is the Associate Publisher of SportsTravel magazine.

She is responsible for marketing and key relationships for SportsTravel magazine and the TEAMS Conference & Expo, which has been named one of Tradeshow Week magazine’s 50 fastest-growing shows for four years.

Lisa’s 20 years of experience includes fundraising for foundations and the promotion of professional athletes. Her background also includes advertising agency work for sports- and travel-related clients, including Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

Known for her creativity when it comes to accomplishing her clients’ marketing objectives, Lisa is an avid sportswoman herself and recently took up tennis.

She can be reached by e-mail at Lisa.Furfine@SchneiderPublishing.com or toll-free at (877) 577-3700.

The current economic downturn has affected every area of the nation’s economy. With reports of cancelled corporate meetings becoming too numerous to track, it seems that the modus operandi for American businesses is to draw in their horns as they try to ride out the storm. Fortunately, we have not yet seen such a dramatic retrenchment in the association meetings market.

Indeed, in previous downturns, the association meetings market—especially the state and regional association meetings market—has remained incredibly strong in comparison with corporate meetings. That’s because in times of economic uncertainty, the value of association meetings and face-to-face interaction with peers from your profession or industry becomes even more important.

A recent article in the newsletter of the International Economic Development Council included the following suggestions for positioning your organization for success during these difficult times:

1. Given current economic circumstances, review your strategic plan for opportunities and challenges. What was relevant to your organization two to five years ago may not prepare you for today’s challenges. Do your homework, make adjustments and invest more where your efforts are going to make the biggest difference.

2. Work to solidify your organization’s value proposition. This is where a strong catalog of past successes and outcome measures prove their value. Craft a sharp message that builds on your efforts to date and provides a convincing argument for continuing them.

3. Meet with key supporters to secure your funding base. Now is the time to meet with those who provide your organization’s funding to convey the importance of maintaining—if not increasing—investment in your organization. It is important that the message you send in these meetings is one that is clear and confident. The key message should be: You can’t cut your way to prosperity!

• The time to invest is now. If you don’t stay invested, you lock in your losses and miss out on the rebound.

• Investing now is an opportunity to differentiate yourself. As others cut back on marketing and promotion, companies and organizations that stay in the game have less competition and more opportunities.

Whether your organization is an industry association, professional society or convention bureau, the applicability of these suggestions from the International Economic Development Council should help drive home the fact that associations of all kinds are, on some level, involved in economic development.

Embracing and communicating that aspect of your association during this critical period should help increase your relevance, not only among your members but also in the wider communities in which you work. For further information, please visit the International Economic Development Council’s Web site at www.iedconline.org.

On behalf of the staff of Association News, SportsTravel and the TEAMS Conference, best wishes for the holiday season and for health and prosperity in the coming year!

Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company