There’s an awful lot happening in the greater environment that impacts associations. Here are three issues association leaders will want to be aware of:  

Temporary Payroll Tax Deferral

Several weeks ago, President Trump signed an Executive Order issuing a temporary payroll tax deferral for the employee portion of Social Security taxes from September 1 through December 31, 2020. The order applies to "any employee the amount of whose wages or compensation, as applicable, payable during any bi-weekly pay period generally is less than $4,000, calculated on a pre-tax basis, or the equivalent amount concerning other pay periods." The EO has created many questions for employers. How does one define an "eligible employee"? Is eligibility affected by employees holding more than one job, employees changing jobs, the employer opening or closing during the period, etc.? How are wages or compensation defined - inclusive of bonuses, vacation payouts, overtime etc.? While Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has said the order is voluntary, voluntary for whom - the employee or the employer? The US Chamber has stated that, in the absence of further guidance, it's unlikely employers will implement this order...

Over the last few months, we’ve all likely spent a considerable amount of time on Zoom calls. If you’re at all like me, you’ve quickly realized that virtual meetings and events quickly separate attendees who know how to be engaging and prepared participants from those who, well, very much aren’t.

[In-person meetings appear to be being pushed farther and farther out on the horizon. Complete information on ASAE’s Impact Research can be found here.]

For the average association without some qualifying circumstance, the proportion of overall revenue generated by meetings and education in associations will likely never return to its pre-COVID state. While I hope this isn't true, I suspect it is, and here's why. 

IN-PERSON MEETINGS 

In the years to come, in-person meetings and education will be hindered by several key limitations. In-person meetings will be more expensive to host due to necessary virus precautions. Attendance is likely to decline due to fear of inherent risk, restrictions on business travel, and, paradoxically, undesirable expectations on attendees (face coverings,etc.).  I am not suggesting that in-person meetings won't still be an important business line for associations but rather a less prominent one. And, this problem is not solved by just shifting to virtual meetings. 

VIRTUAL MEETINGS & EDUCATION 

Association virtual meetings and education as a significant business line are also under threat. The first threat is cost - taking content online in a meaningful way requires investments in staff training, software, and technology that associations with diminishing reserves may not be able to make. In the short term, association members have tolerated a somewhat awkward foray into virtual, but their patience will run thin. This will be hastened by contrast with the most significant disruptive threat...

Virtual events are ubiquitous this summer. But will that trend stick around?

More than 175 industry professionals joined us for the Safe Meetings in Michigan Virtual Conference, held June 16-17. It was a truly fascinating learning experience, which sought to discuss and address the gorilla in the room; what would the future of conferences and meetings look like for the rest of 2020 and beyond? 

Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, ORGPRO was always going to look different in 2020. On our call, we went over why we’re offering a hybrid conference, with a virtual experience to complement the option of attending in-person. The conversation was enlightening in a variety of ways, but in two polls we conducted during the call, it was clear that many executives share similar attitudes and concerns about the future of their events.