[Workshop] Unlocking the Value of an Online Community for Your Members | 27 February 2025

Do you work at a trade or professional association? And have you had building a digital community on your to-do list for a long time, but never got around to it? We often see trade and professional associations that have a lot of digital ambitions, but don’t know where to start, or don’t have the time due to the demands of the day.

To help you get started, experienced community strategist and association expert Mathijs Vleeming has set up a workshop in which you will get a flying start on your community strategy, in just two hours. So you can start the new year by taking your first steps towards a digital community!

Interested? Then read on quickly!

Practical information

• Date: Thursday 27 February
• Time: 14.00-16.00 CET
• Location: online
• Cost: €59 excluding VAT

There is room for a maximum of 3 participants. This way we guarantee personal attention for everyone. Full = full!

Don’t wait any longer, register now!

What will you learn?

During this inspiring and interactive online workshop, you will research together with experienced community strategist and association expert Mathijs Vleeming how an online community adds value for your members.

You will discover how to use digital channels to increase the involvement of your members and connect them more quickly and easily. You will also work on a concrete step-by-step plan for your target audience.

In short, you will learn how to activate and connect your members via an online community in a smart way.

What to expect?

An interactive online workshop, in which you work on the foundations of an online community plan for your member- or knowledge organisation with personal attention and in a small group.

Program

• What do the changing needs and expectations of members look like?
• What role do digital channels play in (re)engaging members and how do you use them successfully?
• Practical examples of successful association communities.
• How do you activate your members and supporters? How do you facilitate and enhance existing processes and use content, conversations and events to actively engage members?
• Definition of success: discover success and failure factors and useful frameworks to identify community ROI and organise your online community.

Inspiring examples from practice

More and more associations are already making smart use of a digital clubhouse so that members can find each other, help, cooperate and share knowledge more easily.

The workshop will focus on the examples of the associations listed below:

• Knowledge platform KUBR successfully connects professionals in the Installation Industry around industry themes.
• The Dutch Soccer Association KNVB makes it easier for club officials to find each other and share knowledge with Een tweetje
• VBO real estate agent members successfully integrate events into online regional groups for members.

Experience of others

The online workshop on Community Strategy really helped me to discover the concrete added value of an online community for NOG. The information is very insightful, and it’s great that Mathijs, with his experience in associations, truly thinks along with my organization rather than just offering advice from a sales perspective. An excellent workshop!

Corina Moerland, Dutch Ophthalmic Society (NOG)

Other organisations before you with an online community

For who?

Association professionals who are responsible for activating and connecting their members. Consider the following roles: association manager, communications manager, membership manager, programme manager, sector, or department manager.

About the trainers

Mathijs Vleeming: Community expert at Yard | Digital Agency

Mathijs believes in the power of communities to create change. He is passionate and enthusiastic about helping membership organisations increase their impact through digital communications. As an experienced online strategist in the association sector, Mathijs has in-depth knowledge of associations, events, marketing and online communities.

With 20 years of experience ‘at the heart of the professional community building sector’ in the international association and events industry at ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) as Director of Marketing and 3 years as Community Strategy Consultant, he is on a mission to increase the impact of mission-driven communities.

In his role as Associations Consultant and Digital Communities Trainer at De Nederlandse Associatie (DNA), he helps professional and trade associations discover the value of an online community. Together, he develops online community strategies, guides the launch of online communities and encourages interaction and engagement within these platforms.

Mathijs is also a board member of the Community Consultants Collective (https://www.communityconsultants.life/) and ‘Expert Contributor Online Communities’ for Association Meetings International (https://amimagazine.global/).