From Siloed Events to Strategic Portfolio: Why Your Next Conference Could Be Your Revenue Game-Changer

Every year, association executives invest six-figure budgets into events that deliver great experiences but fail to drive sustainable growth. The difference between those who struggle with declining attendance and those who build waiting lists isn't the quality of their speakers or the appeal of their destinations—it's their approach to portfolio integration.

Event management isn’t a new conversation at InspirEd. But offering event support is the next step in providing our expert hands to implement an integrated portfolio of learning.

Walk with Me

When I established InspirEd I went on a speaking tour to test ideas about a new strategic approach to professional development. I started leading discussions on the first iteration of my 25 drivers that would become the Education Enterprise Scorecard in 2016, and this became one of my most requested sessions.

The vision resonated.

If you’re new to my Scorecard, I’ll give you the quick and dirty. It’s a three-level benchmarking tool comprised of 25 drivers for a competitive, profitable, and sustainable portfolio of learning. The Scorecard helps us assess our condition and prioritize investments to align with our growth goals. The three levels are: 

• Strategy: What’s required to set our strategic heading and optimize for growth

• Portfolio Management: How to reduce silos between events and education and implement an integrated business model that amplifies earning potential

• Learning Design: How to operationalize, design, and mature transformational learning that excites learners with a higher value proposition that can claim higher price points

The Scorecard became the focus of my book and consulting intensive, and it’s been radically shifting how associations view their program offerings. We’ve been partnering on implementing strategy, market analysis, learning design, and virtual program management – but we haven’t supported event design and management, until now.

Portfolio Perspective

Operational and product silos are revenue disruptors. And not in a good way.

Every program in your portfolio – annual conference, events, virtual workshops, webinars, eLearning, microlearning – has the potential to contribute to reaching your strategic objectives as both a unique contributor and in collaboration with other programs in the portfolio. Instead of one-offs, we offer continuity. Instead of see-you-next-year (we hope), we offer a next step right now. Instead of learners having to piece together bits and pieces within our offerings, we assemble learning pathways that deliver transformative results they tell their colleagues about. 

It's what members want. It’s what differentiates you in your market. It’s a value proposition professionals will pay for. But it doesn’t just happen. You have to design it.

And now we do.

Whether it’s a destination retreat, twelve-month leadership program, full-day institute, multi-day learning and networking event, or large-scale conference and expo – we are prepared to not only wow your participants but operationally integrate into your portfolio of learning to drive deeper results and returns. Our team is strategic and relational, ensuring humans are at the center of everything we do. Our accessible and inclusive first design approach, that’s been an InspirEd cornerstone, is a value proposition we bring to events now too.

Why InspirEd Events? Because this natural next step for our team is a fresh opportunity to claim your competitive advantage.

What’s Next

We’ll meet you where you are. Here are options for taking the first step:

• Explore the Education Enterprise Scorecard in my book, Competitive Advantage

• Enroll your team in my 6-week consulting intensive 

• Reach out to me to talk about your events and how InspirEd can help you reach your revenue and impact goals

• Read my PEAK framework article before we talk to begin the brainstorming process

We’re excited to connect with you!