A key association-world benchmark finds that discounted events bring in lots of new members. The problem? Keeping them around.

By Ernie Smith

Here’s a not-so-secret fact about events like annual meetings: They’re a killer membership recruitment tool.

They are one of the most widely used strategies to bring in new members, second only to email and above social media, according to Marketing General’s 2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. (For folks not in the association space, this report is seen as the gold standard for tracking membership trends.)

There’s just one problem: Getting those members to stick around is harder than getting them to sign up, says Tony Rossell, Marketing General’s Senior Vice President and one of the study’s authors. The reason for this, simply put, is that discounted membership is often tacked on as something of way to attract new members to the fold, a strategy more than half of respondents to the report use.

Looking at some key reasons members don’t renew, per the report—a lack of engagement with the organization (52%), a lack of value (24%), and simply joining for that discount (20%)—it’s hard not to worry about churn.

“There’s a risk, especially if you have an installment billing cycle, that people will sign up, get the discount, and bail on you after a month or two,” Rossell says.

This isn’t a particularly new concern, says Amplified Growth’s Kiki L’Italien, who recently left her longtime role running Association Chat. She says that back in her membership department days, concerns of churn were constant.

“An event can sometimes be a one-and-done sort of thing,” she says, adding that interested members may not have the ability to go every single year because of time and financial considerations.

The good news is that an event is an excellent way to kick the tires on a new association and its membership opportunities. Between the expo hall, the education sessions, and the after-hours parties, you can grasp the vibe of the organization—and whether it fits your needs. “There’s a renter vs. buyer mindset there,” Rossell says.

What does that mean for associations? L’Italien, who is receiving ASAE’s Academy of Leaders Award later this month, suggests sitting in the seat of the newbie, who may be younger than the superfans who have shown up every year for the past decade. (Those newbies also may be less likely to drink, reflecting recent social trends.)

“We need to address this and be very real about the fact that people just don't want to feel awkward,” she says. “How do we make it as easy as possible, as quickly as possible, for people to feel more at home and comfortable when they're going into a new environment?”

Who knows—with a little hard work, those newbies might become superfans someday.

A few other considerations for association pros:

Don’t underestimate young professionals. Another popular strategy for attracting new sorts of members involves offering discounted or even free attendance for student or young professional attendees, a strategy about a third of associations use. Rossell says these people are primed to be highly engaged members if managed properly. “I personally would let them in for free, just to engage them with the organization,” says Rossell. However, it’s important to understand that these attendees may have less tolerance for feeling left out, L’Italien says.

External factors. One other thing to keep in mind is that the ground is shifting a lot right now—especially around international travel and for government workers that once might have dominated your event. Plus, there are the tariffs of it all. “Most companies are eating the tariffs right now, as in my understanding, but they've got to cut spending someplace,” Rossell, who has been keeping an eye on potential membership declines, says. All of this could affect your attendance numbers in the months to come. L’Italien suggests that, depending on the organization, it might lead to some events happening outside of U.S. borders. “I have to admit, I'm really curious to see what this next year will bring,” she says.

The value proposition. Low value can make people feel like they aren’t getting much out of your organization—and a low-value meeting can be ground zero for a non-renewal if you’re not careful. L’Italien says that it’s important to emphasize that these events do more than just give professionals an excuse to party. “I do think that that's gotten even more serious, and I think that professional development dollars and how they’re spent has become much more important,” L’Italien says. (That’s especially true for employers, who are becoming less likely to pay for travel.)