Many of us have thought about what our return on investment is like for our members and conference attendees, but have you focused on your ‘return on relationships?’ According to Cvent, that is going to be one of the top priorities for 2025. Building strong relationships has always been important but human connection is becoming more crucial with the rapid advancement of AI.
Ted Rubin, the co-author of Return on Relationship: Relationships are the New Currency: Honor Them, Invest in Them, and Start Measuring Your ROR, notes that ROR “is the value (both perceived and real) that will accrue over time through connection, trust, loyalty, recommendations and sharing.”
How are you connecting with your members and conference attendees? Creating a culture of customer service and treating people well will feel welcoming to new attendees and help them make connections.
How are you connecting with your hotels and vendors? Being a good partner and fair in your dealings is a good way to start. They will want to go the extra mile for you.
Strong relationships give people a sense that your association has value (perceived or real) and these individuals will eventually become proponents and work with you and for you.
These stronger connections can ultimately be measured by ongoing engagement with the association over time, especially following an event like an in-person conference.