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By the end of 2026, Millennials and Gen Z will make up nearly three-quarters of the workforce, yet many associations struggle to turn younger attendees into long-term members and engaged volunteers. In this on-demand session, Rich Vallaster, CEM, QAS, AAiP from Momentive Software is joined by leaders from ASLA’s nationally recognized emerging professionals program to unpack what younger professionals actually want from association events, how ASLA built a successful pipeline, and practical steps you can take to strengthen engagement before your next event.
Moderator
Michelle Baughman is a veteran business events strategist with 25+ years driving growth at large-scale conferences through audience development, experiential design, and revenue innovation. In the past, she has helped associations win over Gen Z and Millennial attendees by translating preferences into measurable outcomes—developing content and activities that appeal to this audience segment. Her work spans end-to-end conference marketing, modern program formats (short-form, participatory, career-relevant), and partner activations that add value to this mission-driven attendee type.
Moderator
Daniel Martin, Honorary ASLA, is the Managing Director of Development at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), where he oversees non-dues revenue growth and marketing strategy. With 18 years of executive marketing leadership at a leading manufacturer in the landscape architecture industry, Daniel brings a practitioner’s perspective to his role, leveraging this experience to build durable, mutually beneficial partnerships between the Society and industry, expand sponsorship and revenue opportunities, and grow association membership.. Daniel is passionate about aligning ASLA’s mission with industry innovation to create long-term value for members and partners alike. Throughout his career, Daniel has been awarded with several high-fives.
Moderator
Rich Vallaster, CEM, QAS, AAiP, is Senior Director of Industry Strategy at Momentive Software. His career, deeply rooted in the events and association industry, has seen him collaborate with some of the most prominent associations, organizations, tradeshows, and events. A former Chair of the CEIR Research Council and IAEE board member, Rich is a recognized industry voice featured in The New York Times and leading trade and association publications. He regularly speaks at major conferences and serves as faculty for the IAEE CEM program.
Your membership pipeline looks different than it did three years ago. So does your donor base, your staff’s relationship with technology, and the revenue model you’ve relied on for decades. You already know something fundamental is changing. The question is what to do about it.
The organizations moving forward have realized technology has already far surpassed where anyone predicted, and that industry leaders must adapt to change without getting left behind. These leaders are having honest conversations with their organizations about the gap between where they are and where they need to be—and closing it with intention.
This four-part series draws on original research from three separate studies of association leaders, nonprofit executives, and association members. Each session tackles similar pressure points across different themes: generational change, AI adoption, revenue sustainability, and donor trust. Together, they give you a grounded picture of what’s shifting and a practical path forward.
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