Clarion launches association cooperation

Chicago — North American Cabaret Events Launched a new strategic partner program – Clarion Events Collaborative: Elevating Association Events – to help associations maximize the value and impact of their event approach and management.

Led by Liz Irving, president of Clarion Events North America, and Chris Brown, head of Level Up Event Strategies and former executive vice president of global connections and events for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the initiative provides associations with opportunities to partner with for-profit organizations to Leverage its expertise, resources and global network.

“I think what separates us from other organizers is the structure of the deals we can implement,” Irving said. “The deals we have worked with associations in the past and will continue to focus on are giving associations the opportunity to remain involved in events so they can be involved. I think the deal structure all depends on the association, the needs and the outcome, but the goal is really something Clarion doesn’t want Full ownership. We want to create a partnership where the association and Clarion have the decision-making power.”

Owen said there are huge synergies that can be realized by partnering with organizations in industries Clarion is already involved in, such as the energy industry.

“But we’re also open to high-growth markets or markets that are being disrupted, but every deal is going to be different,” Owen said. “It comes back to there’s no one way of doing things at Clarion, but what do we need to do from an entrepreneurial perspective to help drive and enable accelerated growth. We have the resources and we’re going to leverage them. What do we articulate from a holistic perspective? What’s best for groups, associations and events, and how can we really leverage our experience or our partnerships and move them forward.”

By leveraging the resources of Clarion Events through this program, associations can elevate their event levels and improve membership return on investment while maintaining ownership benefits. It can also open up opportunities to increase your income.

“Associations must have the opportunity to tap into the resources of (Clarion), where there will be in-depth information that the association may not have access to,” Brown said. “Liz’s team has done the research and work; they have in-depth background and trend work that will benefit the association. The association will bring its own message to the table, but industry alliances are a big deal. Every partner The more they understand and invest in the industry, the better their chances of long-term success.”

Why now?

Owen said she sees so many opportunities in the industry right now and feels the tide is changing, opening up new types of partnerships in the trade show world.

“We have an opportunity to enrich the industry, whether it’s your association or a for-profit, but to do that you have to really engage with the customer. I think Clarion has a competitive advantage, we’re very customer-focused, we have a very strong culture, but we are also open and flexible about different deals that we can come up with and I hope that the association can open up the dialogue and let us discuss possible opportunities because I believe in what we are doing.” Owen said. “With the support of PE (private equity), we have the ability to invest.”

related. The importance of industry engagement: 10 questions from Liz Owen

driven by common goals

Despite the assumption that for-profit organizers and associations have different goals, Owen and Brown said they have more in common than some might think.

“I think the real secret is our commitment to our customers, which can be conference or event users or members,” Owen said. “Our purpose is at the center of everything we do. Decisions are made with how we serve the communities in which they exist. How do we cultivate those communities and how do we drive accelerated growth and shared learning? It’s not just about making a profit; It’s about making the industry we serve stronger and more connected. There’s always a financial responsibility with any organization or any business, but it’s really about making these events better opportunities to bring the industry and the community together. ”

Brown gives his perspective based on his experience at NAB.

“Our goals are not that different,” Brown said. “From the association’s perspective, it’s in their best interest to drive growth, drive profits, all of those things are in their interest. The more money they can bring into the organization, the more they can provide to their members. A lot of organizations have sizable staffs on the association side and they operate with a for-profit mentality… There’s more commonality than people realize and it’s really just having a conversation, building some trust and then moving forward together around something that makes sense.”

early positive feedback

“We view this as a real initiative and opportunity, but there isn’t any immediate timeline. It’s going to be exploratory and there’s going to be a lot of dialogue and opportunities to dig into it and we hope to learn,” Brown said. “This will be a learning experience in the early stages and we will be able to build on it. Liz and the team see this as something that can really benefit Clarion and the industry and are excited about it.”

The initiative’s approach has been implemented with a number of association partners, including Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa, the National Grocers Association in Las Vegas, the Indian Gaming Association in San Diego and the International Consumer Technology Association in Germany.

“Some of our partners, vendors have said to me, ‘Hey, I’d love to be a part of this and how can we help support this.'” We also have great partners, so the feedback we’ve received so far is early on I’m very encouraged by the signs,” Irving shared.