Sterling Raphael

Impressive… Enlightening… Inspiring…

These are the words that start convey my experience in San Diego at ASAE’s 2008 Annual Meeting. A few days ago I posted prelim on my hopes and expectations for the event. Every expectation I had was exceeded…

The conference begins! Unfortunately we missed the opening session, but we wanted to make sure we were all setup when the exhibit doors opened. And when it did, it was everything we expected and more! We were delighted to speak with dozens of associations about our solutions at NFi Studios, specifically MemberFuse. And it was a honor that Chris Williston, Ursula, and Mary from our client IBAT were able to come by and see us (though we missed Kerry)! Later that night I went to the CalSAE (California’s ASAE) to meet up with the SEMA crew! We look forward to our future endeavors with their highly regarded organization.

About now I start realizing there’s some special things transpiring at this event. With two days left at the conference most of our goals had already come to fruition. But wait… There’s more!

Day 3….

Our exhibit continued to prosper wonderful opportunities for NFi, not to mention a few long-term friends! The fun kicked off later that evening starting with a reception with Avectra. The team at Avectra were very kind and welcoming (thanks guys!). But the night at this point had just started. Elizabeth and I were decked out in 80’s gear (me looking like Don Johnson), and we proceeded to the much anticipated YAP 80s/90s party. What a blast we had!!! Maddie, Lindy, Ben, Jamie, Jeff, Renato Sogueco, Tom Morrison, and more… joined us in a sensational time. The night was very “Fogdirog.”

Day 4….

And just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, our final day was a slam dunk. We continued the party at our booth! Some people from the YAP team joined us at the NFi Studios / MemberFuse booth as we rocked out to more 80’s/90’s music (graciously provided by Maddie Grant). In addition to Maddie… Ben Martin, Matt Baehr, Jamie Notter & Lindy Dreyer all stopped by to spend some time with us.

After that I took a quick cab to meet about another project. Coincidently our friends at Kludge were in town working with TheLift on an active NFi project for Dakim. It was great to stop by and meet with everyone!

And then there was the reception….

ASAE took over Gaslamp in San Diego. Sensational! The city was ours! The leaders in the association industry took the streets and enjoyed great food and excellent music. After some great entertainment and conversations… we got the YAP crew back together for a bit more dancing! It was a wonderful night to cap off an unbelievable and successful trip.

The ASAE staff did a sensational job running this event. The venue, the planning, the execution, and the education… everything about it was wonderful.

Overall (and to summarize), the conference was a definite success. Great success, even! I’m are proud to be working for the association industry and are truly inspired by the individuals I met at this event. At NFi Studios, we want to make a difference. And as daunting as a statement as it seems, after this event we know we can help change the world, one association (industry) at a time.

Thank you to our awesome team at NFi to make this all possible. We look forward to joining the others who we now call friends in continuing to make an impact in our world!