Association Innovation Lab: AI Immersion for Association Professionals Education

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Opening Session (9:00 AM - 10:00 AM)

Lead the AI Shift: What Association Executives Must Do Now to Stay Ahead

Rob Wenger, CEO, Higher Logic

Now is a defining moment for association executives. As AI transforms how members engage and how associations stay relevant, AI adoption needs clear vision from the top.

During this executive session with CEO & Co-Founder of Higher Logic, Rob Wenger, you’ll hear why he thinks associations are uniquely positioned to lead in the age of AI and why execs who act now will set the pace for long-term success.

Learning Objectives:

Use AI to scale personalized member experiences without extra resources.
Boost content reach and credibility through AI-optimized strategies.
Achieve 2–10x efficiency with automation and streamlined workflows.
Turn your community into the go-to expert for your members with AI-powered search.
Empower staff to embrace AI safely with examples of what Higher Logic has been doing.

Breakout Workshops Advanced or All Skill Levels (10:15 AM - 12:00 PM)

Advanced AI Workshop

Build Your Own AI Assistant: Creating Custom GPTs for Staff and Members

Lori Gracey, CAE, Executive Director, TCEA

This hands-on session shows association professionals how to design and deploy custom GPTs tailored to real staff workflows and member services. Participants will move beyond basic prompting and learn how to create AI tools that provide consistent, on-brand, task-specific support for everyday operations.

Note: A paid ChatGPT account is required to FULLY participate in this particular session ($20/month).

What Participants Will Learn:

How custom GPTs differ from standard AI chat tools
How to define a clear purpose and role for a GPT
How to upload knowledge sources and control responses
How to write system instructions that produce reliable results
How to safely test and refine a custom GPT for real use

What Participants Will Leave With:

At least one working, custom GPT built during the session
A reusable framework for building additional GPTs
A checklist for governance, privacy, and accuracy
Ready-to-use prompts for staff operations and member support

All AI Skill Levels Workshop

AI Prompting Made Simple (Without the Hallucinations)

Miguel Guhlin, Director of Professional Development, TCEA

Generative AI can streamline communications, planning, and member services—but only with clear, structured prompts. This session gives TSAE members a practical method for writing prompts that produce accurate, low-risk results. You will learn how to shape AI output with roles, constraints, and examples; how to reduce hallucinations; and how to verify responses quickly. We’ll apply the approach to common association tasks such as event messaging, policy updates, and board materials.

What Participants Will Learn:

How to write clear, structured prompts that improve accuracy
How to use roles, constraints, and examples to guide AI output
How to spot, prevent, and reduce hallucinations
How to verify AI responses quickly and effectively
How to refine prompts through simple iteration
How to apply these techniques to TSAE-relevant tasks like member messaging, event planning, and policy drafting

What Participants Will Leave With:

A simple framework for reliable prompting
Strategies to prevent and spot hallucinations
Prompt templates tailored to association work

Lunch & Peer Roundtables (12:00 PM - 1:30 PM)

Applied AI: Architecting Proven Workflows: Turning AI Hype into Actionable Association Strategy

The shift is complete: The strategic challenge is no longer if to use AI, but how to implement it best. This highly practical, table-based working session is designed for peer-to-peer validation, where you will join colleagues to analyze, deconstruct, and confirm successful, high-impact AI workflows currently being deployed across the association sector.

Join colleagues at your table for a series of organic discussions on how your peers are using AI in their daily work.

Learning Objectives

Collaborate with peers to identify and validate high-impact, reproducible AI workflows for immediate implementation in either Marketing, Membership, or Administrative functions.
Explore practical strategies for integrating generative AI tools that ensures consistent organizational brand voice and messaging.
Construct a clear, peer-vetted framework for staff to ensure the secure and ethical use of AI when handling proprietary association data.

All AI Skill Levels Workshops (1:30 PM - 2:30 PM)

Event Tech Trends: Using AI-Powered Tools to Level Up Your Attendees’ Experience 

Louis Layton, SVP, Event Technology, Freeman

AI-powered event technology is transforming how we plan, execute, and measure success. This session will focus on three critical areas where these tools can make a measurable difference at your association events.

Elevating the Attendee Experience: Discover how AI-enabled tools can increase retention through personalization recommendations, streamline content planning, and create more engaging interactions for exhibitors.
Optimizing Sponsorship ROI: Learn practical applications to deliver sponsorship insights that increase your event’s value.
Empowering Organizer Efficiency: Explore how to automate time-consuming tasks and use predictive analytics for better decision-making.

You'll leave with actionable best practices, real-world examples, and resources you can implement immediately that will free you to focus more on strategy and creativity. No matter your comfort level with technology, this session will help you create more impactful events while reclaiming valuable time.

Learning Objectives:

Discover AI-enabled event technology trends that enhance attendee experiences, optimize sponsorship ROI, and improve organizer efficiency.
Gain practical knowledge of tools that personalize engagement, demonstrate sponsor value, and automate time-consuming tasks.
Identify actionable best practices and resources to confidently and immediately implement event tech strategies in your planning process.

Creating Cohorts: Using the Power of Peer Learning to Build and Share AI Skills

Carlos Cardenas, CAE, AAiP, Senior Strategic Consultant, Technology Management, DelCor
Tobin Conley, CAE, CIP, Director, Project Strategy and Leadership/Senior Strategic Consultant. DelCor

While many options exist in terms of available AI tools, many groups struggle with figuring out how to promote their adoption across the organization. An increasing number of associations have established small, focused learning groups (cohorts) who meet regularly to explore the use of AI tools, sharing their successes (and failures) in a safe space. This session will unpack the benefits of setting up a program that applies new tools to existing problems and extends the power of new technologies for your staff to use and share.

Learning Objectives:

Session participants will learn how using AI tools requires a different approach from the standard ‘training’ models for other types of IT.
Attendees will learn how other associations have benefited from creating Copilot Cohort groups, AI Learning Circles, and other methods of AI skills building.
Participants will learn how to set up their own cohort-based programs to foster an atmosphere of peer learning and knowledge exchange.

Closing Session (2:30 PM - 3:00 PM)

Association Innovation Wrap-Up: Turning Today’s Insights to Action

This closing session synthesizes key AI concepts from the program and focuses on practical application within association environments. Participants will assess relevance, determine priority use cases, and outline immediate next steps to support responsible and effective AI adoption.

Learning Objectives

Assess the relevance of AI tools and strategies to their association’s strategic and operational needs
Prioritize high-value, feasible AI use cases for near-term implementation
Outline a short-term AI action plan with defined next steps and success measures
Identify resources and peer-learning opportunities to support continued AI skill development

Anticipated CAE Hours: 4-5

Register

TSAE is a CAE Registered Provider. This program meets the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Certified Association Executive credential. Every program that we offer that has been approved for CAE credit will clearly identify the number of CAE credits granted for full participation. We will maintain records of your participation in accordance with CAE policies. For more information about the CAE credential or Registered Provider program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.