Attracting International
Members or Going
Global?
Peter Rush
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kellen Company
Peter Turner
Bus. Dev. Director - US Institutional Market, MCI

Agenda
• Evidence of global growth
• What’s fueling this international expansion among assns
• Signs your client may be ready for expansion
• Ingredients required to be successful
• How to assess a reliable market opportunity
• What success looks like – examples of other
associations
• Tips on how to manage the process
Are your clients ready to go global, or do they aspire to be global?
Are you ready to lead them through the process?

Evidence of Global Growth
• 24/7 Global Project Management – requiring
interoperable standards & practices from body of
knowledge to practices
• Outsourcing (Asia) spreads to white collar (BPO)
• Asian skill “gaps” in knowledge application
• Customer service expectation is global whether NY,
London, Dubai, Singapore
• Massive fluctuation in youth and aged groups with
new consumer habits, learning modes, and supply of
labor
• Workforce mobility & diversity acceleration – global
expats; cultural assimilation
• Emerging market’s growing middle class demands for
goods and services
• Knowledge becoming more diffuse (Asia)
• As standards of living rise demand for \"non formal\"
education grows

Indian university system
couldn’t supply enough
“qualified” engineers
On WIPRO Campus
300 professors
350 new employees every
MONDAY! (constant 3150
students)
Track 1: 12-14 week mandatory
programs
Track 2: “graduate level”
voluntary (career dependent)
Weeds out, builds “project
ready” ppl, reduces staff
turnover to 1%

What’s fueling international expansion
among associations?
Certification Audience
265,000
84,000
80,000
64,000
SHRM 96,300

Signs your client may be ready for
expansion
• A growing presence of non-US
– Customer product consumption
(e.g. certification)
– Attendance at US meetings
– Author contributions to
publications
• More reliant on international
members and customers to
maintain revenue growth
• Regional members, customers,
partners and leaders demanding
your client be more “present and
engaged” in their region

Signs your client must be
international
• Global Issues and regulations
– Environmental
• CO2 Emissions
• Cradle to Cradle recycling
– Product Safety
• Children’s Products
• Food Safety
– Global rules
• REACH

Ingredients required to be successful
• Lack of local experience and knowledge
• Weak local volunteer leadership support
• Better local marketing and business
development
• Recruitment of affordable, business services
staff
• Scalability of resources to project and serve
region
2008 MCI - Abu Dhabi Survey
US and EU-based Association Executives

Ingredients required to be successful
• Market Analysis – “in the field” market data to determine your potential,
competitive threats, and opportunities
• Financial Analysis – business model needed to deliver the value your
client’s customers say they want (level of investment the association ready
to make overtime)
• Operational Analysis – what’s required to deliver effectively and efficiently
within the region
• Product Audit - sell them what they want not what you have… adapt
product to local need
• Leadership Franchise - cultivate local/regional help to deliver meaningful
value
• Member Services - regional and local infrastructure - the right
competencies & thinking to execute repeatedly while mitigating risk
• Advocacy - whether it’s regulatory issues, philanthropic outreach, or social
responsibility
• MarCom - it isn’t just translating your material but adapting to local markets
• Meetings - develop strategy for marketing, product design, risk mitigation
(e.g. currency), etc.

How to assess a reliable market
opportunity
• Define Market Potential
– Audience segmentation model
– Market research to define
local need and opportunity
– Growth expectation
(attendees and exhibitors)
– Regional Economic, Business,
Social, Technical Trends
– Country analysis – to confirm
best event location
– Competitive Analysis
– Comparative Analysis
• Business Plan
– 3 year financial model, etc.

What success looks like
• US market growth trends
– Non-US purchases, attendance, membership
– Non-US contributions to IP development
• Regional market growth trends
– Sustained increase in participation (e.g. volunteers, activities, etc.)
– Chapter expansion
– Revenues equal or exceed expenses
– Original product design & mgmt
– Media coverage
• Global trends
– More non-US leaders on Board and committees
– Non-US experience and expertise contribute to core strategy
– Policy and procedures become more global

Kellen Experience
• Full service management • American Health
and partnerships with Information Management
clients and other AMC’s Association (Europe)
• Membership • Global Acetate
Development Manufacturers
Association
• Chapter/subsidiary start-
up and management • International League
Against Epilepsy
• Meetings/trade show
• International Formula
• Regulatory Affairs
Council
– European Union
• Drug Information
– China
Association (China)
• Communications /Issues
• International Copper
Management
Association

MCI Experience
• Traditionally, AMC clients
required regional
constituent services Seminar marketing & Manage a Network of
– Membership communications Service Providers
Event logistics
development & admin Volunteer leadership
mgmt
Event strategy
– Meetings management Create European member
PCO
experience
– Chapter management Member services
Scope: Europe, ME
Scope: India, ME, LA,
– Publishing Europe, China
• Today, business driven
by “product first” strategy

Tips on how to manage the process
• Collect evidence of non-US demand for product/service/membership
• Consider how your vision encompasses a global mission?
– Are you a US assn with non-US members OR an intnl assn based in
US?
• Define a clear expectation for growth among core leadership
• Invest in market analysis to determine opportunity
– Percent of members, customers located in targeted region
– Clear sense of need, issues, concerns among customer base
• Form a business plan based on a sustainable 3 year financial model
– e.g. budget, KPI’s, product/service mgmt, operational plan
• Secure “start up” funding
• Locate regional volunteer leader support
• Find regional management support integrated to HQ

For more information