Conference Circuit: A Healthy Host for a Holistic Association

The American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) is hosting its annual conference in Minneapolis  (opens in a new tab) from September 18-21. So why did the organization choose Minneapolis over typically lavish, buzz-generating host cities like Las Vegas, New York, or Chicago? It’s all about aligning the host with your organization’s purpose.

Minneapolis, as it turns out, is among the most health-conscious cities in the entire country. And AHMA is more than aware of that fact, presenting the city’s hosting credentials right on the conference website  (opens in a new tab).

Among the city’s claims to healthy fame are its parks, which occupy more of the city, per square mile, than any other major city in the U.S.; its farmers markets, which are twice as plentiful as the top 10 percent of U.S. cities; and, most of all, its citizens.

Minneapolis is the second-healthiest and fittest city in the entire country, according to the American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index  (opens in a new tab). In 2013, the city took the top spot. Plus, Minneapolis/St. Paul ranked number one in cleanliness among readers of Travel + Leisure magazine  (opens in a new tab) in 2013.

All of this perfectly aligns with AHMA’s conference events, since most of the days begin with an hour-long yoga session  (opens in a new tab).

The Week Ahead

Sept. 14–17: Hats off to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for its 100th annual conference  (opens in a new tab), which will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. ICMA has been a longstanding source of educational and networking tools for community managers worldwide, but 100 years? Now that’s a milestone.

Sept. 14–16: The American Lighting Association is cranking up its wattage for its annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee. And ALA deserves kudos for its”Paper Light” initiative, which encourages attendees to reduce paper waste by keeping their conference documents on mobile devices. And, as you may know, Nashville is a great place to host a conference.

Down the Line

Sept. 28–30: The annual conference of the American Bankers Association  (opens in a new tab) will be held in San Antonio this year, and by looking at the conference program, it’s obvious that the question of millennials and younger members stretches across all association boundaries. The final breakout session includes an event focused solely on “Engaging the Next Generation & the New Customer Experience  (opens in a new tab).”

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