The American Society of Association Executives held its 2014 CIO Pre-Conference Workshop and Technology Conference & Expo Dec. 15-17 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, Md.

With a total of 1,203 total participants, this year’s event was one of the highest attended conferences in its history.

Participants took part in 30 high-level practical education sessions within five pathways, a sold-out Expo Hall and learned about new technologies and how they could possibly use them within their organization.

The final attendance breakdown for this year’s conference: Execs (Assn Execs, Consultants, CEO/CIO Pre-Conference Program) 663, Exhibitors (Exhibiting Booth Staff, Artisans) 408, and Other (Industry Partners, Press, Speakers, Staff, and Vendors) 132.

The ratio of buyers and sellers at this year's meeting was 55 percent buyers (association staff) to 34 percent sellers (industry partners) and 11 percent others.

During the two-day conference, participants took part in five educational pathways: Content, C-Suite, Leadership & Management, Next Generation Learning, and Platforms & Applications.

“Due to the success of last year’s five learning pathways, we continued with the same format and focused on the trends and strategies impacting our members and the technology sector,” said ASAE President & CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE.

He added, “Attendees were able to create their own mix of learning, engage in interesting discussions, and came away with new strategies they could implement into their organizations.” 

On Dec. 15, 48 CIOs’ participated in the CIO Pre-Conference Program called, “Innovative and Entrepreneurial Thinking: Emphasizing a Different Approach for the IT Organization of the Future.”

Patricia Guinan, associate professor of information systems at Babson College, led a conversation around innovating thinking, the importance of developing innovation solutions internally, and concerns about the competitive landscape moving forward. The pre-conference was sponsored by High Road Solutions. 

Kicking off the Technology Conference Dec, 16 was Opening General Session speaker Peter A. High, president of Metis Strategy, LLC.

He stressed the importance of organizations needing to focus on the external customer experience. Attendees learned seven lessons on how to build an innovative IT department. High is an IT strategist, author of “Implementing World Class IT Strategy: How IT Can Drive Organizational Innovation” and Forbes columnist.

During the Closing General Session, ASAE’s CIO Reggie Henry, CAE, showcased a variety of new technologies including: a drone, a 3-D printer, using beacon technology inside meetings, a virtual presenter and social access management.

The 2015 Technology Conference & Expo will take place Dec. 15-16 at the Gaylord National^® Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.