Total Credits: 1.5
Looking Forward® 2025 Solutions is yearly research that tests 120 strategies currently being implemented by associations to discover the ideas that association leaders believe are most critical to success. Dean West, FASAE, president of Association Laboratory and a leading Futurist for the association community, will provide you with the first look at the data from Looking Forward® Solutions, the most current and comprehensive examination of association strategy.
Attendees will:
From membership to meetings, to advocacy and education, this is the most current and comprehensive dataset on strategies association leaders consider essential to success. This presentation will provide you with an interpretation of the 2025 data--with some benchmarking from last year--and an understanding of why the association sector is pursing these strategies.
We will also hear from a panel of association professionals to hear their take on the data and what they're seeing at their respective organizations.
In addition, you will be provided with complimentary access to the Looking Forward Dashboard. This online, customizable dashboard allows you to create custom reports unique to your needs. You also have the ability to review and customize the data from Looking Forward Impact an examination of more than 75 factors influencing members, their relationship with associations, and the challenges they create for strategy, as well as the Challenges study, which collects insights from the association sector challenges currently being faced by associations trying to execute on their strategies.
Nucleus is the official Data Analytics Solution to the Association Laboratory Research Alliance.
Built on modern data lake technology, Nucleus brings together the vast amounts of member data currently stored in different systems used by associations (AMS/CRM, email marketing, events, learning/certification, online community and more) and makes insights into this data available to everyone: staff, leadership, components, the board – and even members.
When you browse a Looking Forward Dashboard you are using Nucleus, a version specially configured to deliver the results of this industry research in an easily-explorable format. We are thrilled to have been chosen as the official data analytics solution of the Association Laboratory Research Alliance and hope you enjoy this new way to delve into findings from this and other Looking Forward studies.
We invite you to browse the Analytics for Associations Success Kit to learn more about Nucleus
Looking Forward Challenges 2025 Executive Summary (503.8 KB) | Available after Registration |
Looking Forward 2025 Executive Summary and Discussion Guide (1.4 MB) | Available after Registration |
Dean West is the founder and President of Association Laboratory Inc. He leads client engagements and is a frequent speaker and facilitator for national and global association leadership meetings.
Mr. West is a former association executive with experience as executive director, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer for both national and international membership organizations. He has been a consultant to the association community since 1992, and has provided services to hundreds of state, national, and international organizations.
Dean West is a nationally recognized expert in association management. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives. Mr. West authored the chapter on Membership Research for the ASAE book, Membership Essentials and the chapter on Marketing Professional Development Programs in the ASAE book, Core Competencies in Professional Development.
Mr. West is an experienced volunteer leader familiar with the demands of volunteer leadership. He is Past Chairman of ASAE’s Professional Development Council and has served on the ASAE Membership Council and the Editorial Board for the ASAE & the Center for Association Leadership Journal of Association Leadership. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Association Forum of Chicagoland.
Nikki Golden, CAE, is a strategist with Association Laboratory, which helps associations make strategic business decisions—on everything from membership to strategic planning to educational programming/certification—using state-of-the-art research. Previous to this position, she was the executive director of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery.
Nikki has been recognized for her work in the association world, making the inaugural list of Association Forum of Chicagoland/USAE Forty Under 40 list. Nikki is an active member of Association Forum of Chicagoland, where she has served on the Editorial Working Group and Content Planning Committee, chaired the CAE Working Group and Membership SIG. She also frequently facilitates for the Association Forum’s CAE Study Course and its Association 101 program, has presented at Forum Forward and has been a contributor to FORUM magazine.
Nikki built her association career working in both marketing and membership, with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Roofing Contractors Association.