Meeting planners enjoying a moment at ASAE 2022. See more photos in our September 2022 digital edition. Photo by Nick Hagen Photography

One thing the nearly 5,000 association professionals, industry partners and consultants who attended the recent 2022 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition could likely agree on: It was great to meet in person again! The attendees at the event, held in Nashville, embraced its theme of turning the disruption of the pandemic and other industry-changing events into opportunities to learn, reconnect and advance the powerful association community.

The meeting exceeded all expectations for ASAE’s first in-person Annual Meeting & Exposition since 2019. The attendance breakdown included 4,912 total attendees — the highest number of association professionals since 2018 in Chicago, at 2,699 — 1,638 exhibitors and 575 others, which included guests, staff, vendors, volunteers and press.

“After three years, it was absolutely magical to see the ASAE community reunite again at this conference,” says Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, ASAE president and CEO. “The ASAE Annual Meeting is our flagship event for delivering next-level content, community and connection, and I hope our attendees left reenergized and ready to take their own organizations to new heights. The city of Nashville delivered an outstanding experience for our attendees, and we could not imagine a better city or better partners to help welcome back the ASAE community to the face-to-face Annual Meeting experience.”

The show floor at ASAE 2022. See more photos in our September 2022 digital edition. Photo by Nick Hagen Photography

Attendees of the 2022 ASAE Annual were able to design their own educational experience during the meeting, with more than 100 innovative learning sessions and Main Stage speakers selected for their unique perspectives on leadership, innovation, change management and finding one’s authentic voice. At ASAE’s Association Solutions Marketplace, also known as the Expo, attendees had a one-stop destination for finding the right products and service providers to help their associations achieve success.

The 2022 Annual was also loaded with new engagement opportunities, including Community Pop-ups for under-represented communities to build on relationships formed virtually over the last couple of years, and ASAE’s first-ever Global Summit on the State of the Association Community, which brought together nearly 100 international association leaders for knowledge-sharing and collaboration on common issues and challenges faced by the global association community.

Music City delivered an Opening Celebration at the Ascend Amphitheatre with performances from renowned guitarist and vocalist Regi Wooten and Grammy, ACM, CMA, AMA and People’s Choice Award-winning super group Little Big Town. The ASAE Research Foundation’s The Classic was a sold-out affair at the Wildhorse Saloon, with performances by Wendy Moten and acclaimed country artist Phil Vassar. The Closing Celebration at Fifth + Broadway, Nashville’s newest downtown development, featured special performances by Joe West and pop singer/songwriter Ben Rector.  | AC&F |