Summer unofficially kicks off this weekend as Memorial  Day once again ushers in the season of barbecues, beaches, and decisions about what to wear to work in the heat. For some association pros, summer is their busiest season, but for others, it can be a refreshingly slow period where sneaking out of the office a little early on Fridays is totally OK.

Summer is boating season, and our mission is to make sure that people can have a safe time on the water.

To get into a warm-weather mood, we asked our readers how they would describe the summer they hope to have—at work or at play. Below, find a few of our favorite responses.

Gail Kulp, CAE

Executive Director and CEO, Sea Tow Foundation

Summer is boating season, and our mission is to make sure that people can have a safe time on the water. This means getting our 400-plus life jacket loaner stands stocked and ready for boaters to borrow and encouraging all boaters to take the pledge to be or to designate a sober skipper for every boating trip.

Allan Freedman

Chief Operating Officer, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

Balanced. Drop the puck with a long weekend at the beach for Memorial Day with my wife and two kids. The summer will be busy shuttling a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son to various camps and activities, but the highlight is our two weeks at the beach with extended family in August. Allied with the fun is a full summer of work, including upgrading our Balanced Scorecard System and continuing implementation of a Quality Management System while maintaining an authentic 35-hour workweek.

Jill Hronek

Director of Marketing and Communications, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening

This summer our office will be entirely virtual while we wait for our new office to be ready right after Labor Day. I hope to find a creative way to work outside at least part of the day and take advantage of the two to three hours a day I’ll save by not commuting. Working from home should allow me to take advantage of some early after-work concerts in the park, get an earlier start on weekend camping trips, and amp up my weekday workouts!

Audra Hopkins

Inbound Marketing Specialist, Web Scribble

I’m looking forward to a summer full of exploration—not just outside of the office, but inside too! Summer doesn’t have to be all about relaxing and shifting your focus off of work. Taking new, career-driven leaps and furthering my community is the perfect summer adventure for me. I hope to have a summer that leads me to brand-new connections in my industry and that propels me forward in all of my career goals while also showing me how fun it can be to network. After all, it’s the perfect weather to get out there and meet some brand-new faces!

Jesmarie Johnson

Executive Director, Planning Accreditation Board

Since we work with universities, summer is generally a slow period at work. It’s a great time to catch up on projects and think strategically for the upcoming academic year. Personally, I plan to spend a lot of timing relaxing and spending time with my 3-year-old.

What’s on your summer agenda? Share your plans in the comments below.

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