Gregg Talley discusses how associations are managing events amid the pandemic.

The "glory days" of international conferences are probably over, says Gregg Talley, CAE, FASAE. As president and CEO of Talley Management Group, Inc., which manages 35 international associations, he's been helping clients launch virtual events in the short term and organize hybrid meetings in the longer term. Two months ago he told Northstar that COVID-19 would force associations to rethink their business models. Now he's helping them tackle that challenge.

The pandemic is just one factor driving change. Deepening economic pressures, health concerns, political issues and civil unrest are cracking the foundation of traditional association business models. In a recent conversation, I asked Talley, "Do associations need to reinvent themselves completely?" His answer: "You hold your values in place, but yeah, I think it's all brand new now."
 
Talley does see a silver lining amid today's challenges: the much-needed opportunity to reset our personal priorities, rethink how we live our daily lives and reinvent how we meet.

Gregg Talley discusses how associations are managing events amid the pandemic.
The "glory days" of international conferences are probably over, says Gregg Talley, CAE, FASAE. As president and CEO of Talley Management Group, Inc., which manages 35 international associations, he's been helping clients launch virtual events in the short term and organize hybrid meetings in the longer term. Two months ago he told Northstar that COVID-19 would force associations to rethink their business models. Now he's helping them tackle that challenge.
The pandemic is just one factor driving change. Deepening economic pressures, health concerns, political issues and civil unrest are cracking the foundation of traditional association business models. In a recent conversation, I asked Talley, "Do associations need to reinvent themselves completely?" His answer: "You hold your values in place, but yeah, I think it's all brand new now." &nbsp; Talley does see a silver lining amid today's challenges: the much-needed opportunity to reset our personal priorities, rethink how we live our daily lives and reinvent how we meet.

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