OAK BROOK, Ill.
SPIN, the Senior Planners Industry Network, is suspending its membership dues and registration fees in 2016, the association announced at its annual SPiNCon meeting.
“In an industry first, we are making 2016 about each of you, the members,” Shawna Suckow, SPIN’s founder and chairwoman, told attendees. “There are no more dues and no more registration dues for anything, including SPiNCon.”
Suckow told attendees that the decision stemmed from a strategy meeting the association had in September, and she was still hesitant to follow through with the decision even in the days leading up to its annual meeting, held in the Chicago area at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center.
“It’s never been about the money,” Suckow said. “It’s about creating a community about planners and for planners.”
Outgoing SPIN Executive Director Sara Vanderbilt said that the move is possible because SPIN, a 2,500-member association comprised of meeting planners with more than 10 years of industry experience, is primarily funded by sponsors.
Mike Vennerstrom, SPIN’s director of strategic planning and interim executive director, added that the majority of programs provided to its members are created and administrated by volunteer members, thus keeping overhead low.
For more information about SPIN, planners can visit www.spinplanners.com.
