During our November & December in-person events, FSAE is collecting donations for the children at Capital City Youth Services. CCYS provides services that promote the healthy development of youth and families in the Big Bend area and works with homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth. Services include temporary housing, counseling, outreach programs and safe places. Items most needed throughout the year include hygiene and survival items, clothing and home goods/linens.

These are the suggested items that would be of the most value for the youth in CCYS’s programs:

2021 Think Tank White Paper
Culture of Engagement: How to Build Engaged, Passionate Members

In May 2021, eighteen FSAE members gathered at the Opal Grand Beach Resort & Spa in Delray Beach for the first in-person meeting most members had attended in over a year. The two-day event's focus was a deep-dive in member engagement led by facilitator Joshua Evans. Think Tank is an interactive meeting of a small group of association professionals that contemplate a single topic regarding the association management profession. Findings from the event are shared with the community in a White Paper. We are pleased to share the 2021 White Paper with you.

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER

Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach 

Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach offers over 22,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including our 10,632 square foot Dunes Ballroom with pre-function space, designed to host over 700 people and the area’s largest. With a total of 8 meeting rooms, divisible into 12 break-out rooms, we have the ideal space for any size meeting.  

Located less than 30 minutes from two international airports, Clearwater Beach is a top destination on Florida’s stunning Gulf Coast. Our Pallavi Spa is the ideal place to rejuvenate after a day of meetings. And where else better to watch the sunset, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, than at our signature restaurant, Ocean Hai, designed to tempt your palate with exceptional dishes that express the local flavor.

Discover the Palm Beaches

From well-appointed executive boardrooms, timeless hotel ballrooms, private outdoor rooftop terraces and spaces to the sprawling Palm Beach County Convention Center, The Palm Beaches offer a perfect fit for every meeting size and event need. Brandon Hall, CMP, and our award-winning Destination Services Team will be your right-hand in planning, and in finding the community partners who will bring innovative and engaging experiences to elevate your attendee’s experience.  Imagine having an artist producing a live installation in the exhibit hall, or a local coffee roaster serving coffee & tea to order out of an outfitted VW van in the pre-function areas.  It’s all within reach when you leverage our relationships and community to bring a local Palm Beaches touch to your event.

Learn more about the world-renowned hotels and meeting spaces we offer, our vibrant downtown meetings districts and the promotional offers that give you more, for free.  Start planning with us today!

In March, FSAE conducted a survey of Executive Members regarding their meetings this year. We gathered data on 2021 conference plans, anticipated meeting sizes, feelings about travel, and their challenges & needs to better plan for meetings. Also included is information on sourcing RFPs and criteria changes for future meetings.

This survey provides insightful data on the current meetings atmosphere for Florida's association industry, so we are sharing the results. Hopefully this helps you as you move forward with your future in-person meetings.

View Survey Results

FSAE is partnering with Rapid Press to provide members a discount for on-demand signage, decals and floor clings for social distancing, mask usage and other COVID related messaging.

Perfect for your events or office / property, members receive a 10% discount on all orders with the code FSAE10. Plus, Tallahassee members can select to pick up orders locally to avoid shipping fees and any delays.
Click here to view decals

FSAE Foundation Grants Extend Your Budget for Professional Development!

Get the professional development skills and hours you need - with a little help from your friends at FSAE. This year we're pleased to announce over $9,980 - up to 17 grants are available! Learn More

While 2020 has definitely been a challenge, we've been able to increase our virtual/online education offering 100%, provide 80 CAE credits and host our first ever virtual conference and hybrid meeting.

THANK YOU to all our members who have ridden this roller coaster with us! We look forward to seeing you next year.

View 2020 In Review

For 2021 we are planning a mix of virtual and in-person / hybrid events to meet your education needs in the best possible format. Our 2021 FSAE at a Glance calendar is here to help you plan and make the most of your membership!

Our online calendar will have details as events get closer next year.

FSAE is seeking locations for our 2021 events - including our Central Florida Power Luncheons, Roundtables and Think Tank. This is a great opportunity to bring association executives to your property/location to experience it first hand, especially if you've undergone a recent renovation, are a new property or have something new to show off. Please download our 2021 Event RFP (Word Doc) to see if we're a good fit to assist you in your goals for booking association business.

As a hosting event sponsor, FSAE features your property/location in all event-related marketing and communications promotions and event attendees gain firsthand exposure to your property/location - which can result in additional business opportunities for you!

Educate Association Executives for the Next Era in Association Management

Submission Deadline: Friday, Oct 2

FSAE recently conducted a survey of FSAE Executive Members regarding in-person meetings. We gathered data on when organizations will hold meetings, if they are including a virtual component, what their challenges are, and what they need in order to plan successful meetings.

This survey provides insightful data on the meetings atmosphere for the association industry, so we are sharing the results. Hopefully this helps you as you move forward with your future in-person meetings.

View Survey Results

The FSAE Foundation 2020 Auction was held online only on July 21 - 31. Proceeds from the Auction go directly towards funding professional development grants for FSAE members and providing funds to enhance education offered at the FSAE Annual Conference and other events. Thank you to all our Donors and Participants for making this a success!

Auction Highlights:

• TOTAL Money Raised: $26,555
• Donations Received: 165
• Click here to see Auction Donors and Patrons
• Total Bids Placed: 689
• Top Donation Solicitors: Christy Gandy, Stephanie Thomas, Kathy Masterson, Tondra Matthews, Ann Marie Vibbert
• Top 6 Items: (Received the most bids)
  • 3 Day/ 2 Night Stay at the Hammock Beach Golf Resort and Spa
  • 3 Day/ 2 Night Stay at Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa
  • $500 Home Depot Gift Card
  • $500 Target Gift Card
  • 3 Day/ 2 Night Stay at The Iconic Don CeSar, St. Pete Beach
  • 3 Day/ 2 Night stay at Guy Harvey Resort, St. Augustine
  • Weeklong Mountain Getaway to Sapphire, North Carolina
• Top 6 Highest Yielding Items: (brought in the actual value or higher)
• • Toffee from Toffee To Go
  • 2 Tickets to Wild Florida Airboat Tour
  • Bob the Key Fob from Rethreaded
  • $100 Best Buy Gift Card
  • Time for Tea Gift Basket
  • $100 American Express Gift Card
  • We hope you win a LOTTO - Starfish Management Solutions

Thank You To All Our Auction Donors and Participants!

FSAE is partnering with the Michigan Society (MSAE) to offer virtual prep sessions for the Certified Association Executive (CAE) and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) exams. 

CAE Prep Course

 15 Hours - Learn more about CAE Certification

With so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and Florida’s reopening, the FSAE Board of Directors has voted to move the Annual Conference to a fully virtual event.

This was a difficult decision for everyone, with the health and safety of our attendees, FSAE staff and hotel employees paramount in the Board’s decision.

Last week we sent out a survey to our executive and associate members to gauge where members are in regards to your own conferences as well as your comfort level on attending any conferences or meetings, including the FSAE Annual Conference this July. We had 350 participate and we want to thank everyone who gave us feedback!

What we learned from the survey is that members are pretty comfortable (29%), not sure (20%) or nervous about the idea (29%) of attending FSAE20. The biggest concerns are the safety measures that will be in place onsite as well as what happens as the state begins to re-open. Safety is our biggest concern too. We are working closely with the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek staff to ensure social distancing and minimal contact policies are in place, so provided the state is in Phase 3 of re-opening, we will have Annual Conference this July. Register Now

For several years, the FSAE Young & Emerging Professionals Committee has hosted a food drive to support local food banks around the state at our May events. Just because our events are now virtual, they didn't want to cancel the drives - especially now that food banks are used more than ever to support families affected by the economy and schools not meeting in-person. Please join us for the FSAE YEP Virtual Event - Virtual Food Drive to donate to your local food bank.

VIRTUAL EVENT - VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE
Hosted by the FSAE Young & Emerging Professionals Committee

Nominate your peers to be recognized for their service and commitment to FSAE and the association industry.

Deadline: May 8

A message from Frank Rudd:

I hope this email finds you healthy and well during the COVID-19 crisis. This is truly an unprecedented time and our thoughts are with all of our members. We know you are all struggling to find some normalcy in the chaos and that our Associate friends are all struggling to keep the doors open. We have never needed each other more - and I know our association community and FSAE family will emerge stronger from this turmoil.

A Message on the Coronavirus from FSAE President/CEO Frank Rudd:

FSAE, like everyone else, is closely watching the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its effects in Florida and the nation. We understand the concerns for the health and safety of yourself, your staff and your members, as well as the financial impact we all hope to avoid. We know that our Associate Members are feeling the pain of travel cancellations during this busy spring-break season, and our Executives are concerned about meetings planned around the state in the next several months.