Association Roundtable

Abstract

Insights and advice from leaders of local and state biomedical associations“In 2014, we heightened focus on our website as a central location for information relating to HTMA-MW. Not only is it the place for members and corporate partners to join our group, but a place for them to find out what we are planning and have already accomplished. Since most of our meetings take place in a university auditorium, we have used the technology available to both record the audio of the meeting for podcasts and the video to link through our site for those who cannot make it to the meetings.”Chris C. Coleman, President, Healthcare Technology Management Association of the Mid-WestWhen managing a biomedical association and an associated conference, it is very important to have an up-to-date one stop shop for information and communication among team members. Information that is synchronized over Wi-Fi between personal computers and mobile smartphones is important. Google has tools we need such as gmail, a drive for document storage, a calendar to schedule meetings, and a contact application to create group lists for members, the biomedical engineering community, and vendors. This further enables website administrators to post the most current public information as needed to increase activity.Matthew Savoie, President, Biomedical Associations of Wisconsin“CABMET has spent the last couple of years investing resources into our website. By upgrading our website, we have been able to streamline many of our operations. We can electronically send out our newsletters and other items to our members. All meeting information and member information can now be found on the website. This has allowed us to save time and resources by going green. We are also accepting membership dues and study group payments through PayPal, which has greatly reduced the time spent logging check and cash payments. In conjunction with accepting payments online, parties interested in attending the study group can register and participate in the webinar through the website. This has allowed our study group to continue to grow and help people from around the world with their certification goals.”Richard Marshall, President, Colorado Association of Biomedical Equipment Technicians“The Georgia Biomedical Society uses a membership management software package to manage the organization's website, membership database, and e-mail sending. Online membership applications and payments for dues and events are features used to be more effective and efficient. We also use card swipe for accepting payments, conference calls, and ebash for communicating with members.”Horace Hunter, Executive Director, Georgia Biomedical Instrumentation Society