September 3rd, 2026
Debrief: What We Actually Learned Walking the ASAE Annual Expo Floor
ASAE Annual in Indianapolis has come and gone, the swag is unpacked, and the follow-up emails are piling up. Now it’s time to make sense of it all.
This month, we’re pulling together an association exec and a consultant — both fresh off the expo floor — for an honest debrief on what they actually saw, heard, and learned while walking the aisles of technology vendors at ASAE Annual. No sales pitches, no recycled press releases — just two perspectives comparing notes on what stood out, what surprised them, and what’s actually worth following up on.
We’ll talk through the tech categories that seemed to dominate the floor this year, which vendor conversations turned into real next steps versus polite small talk, and how an exec’s read on a vendor differs from a consultant’s. If you missed Annual (or spent the whole time in sessions instead of the expo hall), this is your shortcut to knowing what’s out there and what’s worth your attention.
What You’ll Learn:
- 🔍 The technology trends and vendor categories that stood out most on the floor this year
- 🤝 How an association exec and a consultant size up the same vendor differently
- 🚩 What separated a genuinely promising conversation from a forgettable pitch
- 📋 Smart next steps for following up on vendor conversations before momentum fades
- 💡 What surprised our panelists most — good or bad — about this year’s exhibitors
Whether you were there in person, following along online, or catching up now, this episode will help you turn Annual insights into action.
Tune in for the real debrief — the one you don’t get in the post-conference survey.
EXTRA 30
Due to the popularity of this topic, we’re adding an EXTRA 30 minutes with the panelists from 3:00 to 3:30. This is your opportunity to ask questions and share ideas on the AMS Selection process with the other participants and panelists.
The CIO Hour is NOT just for CIO’s!
The CIO Hour is a monthly webinar designed specifically for non-tech association staff to boost their IT-IQ.
How to Submit Questions
- Register for the program and submit your question/s in the registration form.
- Think of additional questions after you register? No problem. Just email additional questions to theciohour@501works.com during the month to have new questions added to the next month’s 501 CIO Hour.
- Ask questions during the program via the chat function.
The CIO Hour will be recorded each month in case you miss it. However, we hope you attend and engage with the industry experts and other participants regularly so you continue to boost your IT-IQ.
Speakers
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Annie ColdstreamExecutive Director for the League of Association Technologists.Annie Coldstream is a 25+-year veteran of the Massachusetts Bankers Association and the Florida Bankers Association where she most recently managed their Associate Membership and Sponsorship programs. Annie has worked across many departments during her career and currently serves as the new Executive Director for the League of Association Technologists.
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James MarquisCIO, 501WorksJames is a seasoned senior executive with more than 20 years of experience working with associations and non-profits of all sizes. James possesses excellent communications skills allowing him to function as a trainer, technology evangelist and to bridge the divide which frequently exists between functional business units and information technology specialists. Coupled with his ability to deep-dive into technology, these key skills allow James to operate across department lines and organizational levels to better integrate technology with the strategic and tactical needs of an organization
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KenjieThe AMS GuyKenjie, The AMS Guy, is an Associations Management System (AMS) guru with over 19 years of dynamic experience selecting, building, managing, enhancing, and increasing the impact this critical software has on an organization. He has mastered multiple AMS platforms and surveyed countless others over his career. He learns new systems quickly, intimately, and figures out how to make their features work for your unique organization.
