As we enter the second half of the second year of the worst recession the travel industry has ever experienced, we know that associations—and their meetings—may never be the same. Scrutiny of business travel, of membership dues, of whether or not to send an employee to his or her annual association event have created downward pressure on most meetings. Increased competition from the Internet, information overload from ever-expanding sources, and the explosion of social media that allows the building of communities that connect like-minded people and professionals means associations no longer corner the loyalty market.

Events in April, May, and June—ash that closed entire airports, oil that threatened an entire region’s ecosystem, and a state’s meeting industry labeled incapable of hosting meetings due to political agendas beyond its control have exacerbated the plight of association meetings.

We asked some of the best minds in association meetings to give us their views on a variety of topics—where we are and where we’re headed.

Jump to an interview:

American Library Association's Deirdre Ross on Innovation

Glen Ramsborg, Kendall College, on Design and Education

Dave Fellers on International Attendance

ICCA's Martin Sirk on Globalization

Susan Sarfati on Learning Communities

Terri Breining on Return on Investment

IAEE's Steve Hacker on the State of the Exhibitions Industry