Research Study Spurs Launch of Education Programs Focused on Staying Relevant in the Digital Age
Ashburn, Virginia—May 13, 2015—HighRoad Solution, the only digital agency focused exclusively on associations to offer email, automation and inbound services announced the launch of their 2015 HighRoad U Innovation Seminar Series. The live events will run throughout 2015 and were developed in response to the groundbreaking 2014 State of Digital Marketing in Associations study.
The Study, conducted by Demand Metric, concluded that the association industry significantly lags behind corporations in their ability to effectively market and grow in today’s world. The findings of the study predicted a dim outlook for associations and encouraged organizations to update their business models and practices to address the expectations of today’s consumer.
Suzanne Carawan, CMO of HighRoad Solution, took the Study’s conclusions as an immediate call-to-action to develop several educational initiatives. “One key finding is that associations spend inordinate amounts of time involved in tactics, but lack marketing strategies,” stated Carawan. “This is of particular concern to organizations that need to grow. The strategies, skills and techniques needed today are typically not present in associations. HighRoad wanted to be a resource to the community to help build capacity.”
In late 2014, HighRoad launched a free, educational platform called HighRoad U to offer content on hot topics in digital for all levels of experience. “The popularity of our programs showed that we were making headway, but we wanted to do more,” stated Carawan. “The need for education was so great that we decided to fund a live, complimentary seminar series to run throughout 2015. The comprehensive event covers the hottest topics in association management including staffing, technology, marketing, education and events in the digital age. Additionally, we launched a monthly hybrid event called Inbound Lunch Bunch to help associations understand the shift to from push marketing to inbound.”
The 2015 HighRoad U Innovation Series features top speakers, including John Follett, CMO of Demand Metric, Steve Mackenzie, VP Global Channels of etouches, Tom Morley, Principal of Snowflake Consulting, Neil Ashizawa, CEO of InReach, Ronald McGrath, CEO, and Suzanne Carawan, CMO of HighRoad Solution. The live seminar kicks off on May 15th in New York City and makes stops in Chicago, Toronto and Washington, DC throughout 2015.
During the seminar, results from the 2014 State of Digital Marketing in Associations Study will be reviewed and participants invited to participate in the 2015 Study which is currently underway. The results of the 2015 State of Digital Marketing in Associations Study will be released at the American Society of Association Executive’s Annual Conference in August, 2015 where HighRoad Solution is an endorsed eMarketing business partner of the ASAE Business Services.
About HighRoad Solution
HighRoad Solution provides email, automation and inbound marketing solutions to the association and non-profit market. Utilizing BlueHornet for email and HubSpot for inbound, HighRoad connects these enterprise platforms using our +Plus automation product line to the leading association management, content management and event management platforms. Our digital communications work won us the endorsement from ASAE Business Servicesand powers the award-winning Associations Now Plus email newsletter from ASAE. HighRoad is a full service digital agency, with both the strategic, creative and technical expertise to deliver the right elements needed for award-winning solutions.
