The Association for Strategic Planning (ASP, www.strategyplus.org) awarded its 2011 Chapter of the Year Award to its Northern California chapter. The Chapter of the Year award is given annually by ASP to the chapter that contributes most significantly to the growth of its members during the previous program year.

The Northern California Chapter of ASP (ASP NorCal) was the recipient of the 2011 Chapter of the Year award for their innovative approach to conducting and delivering meetings that led to increased attendance at a time when other professional associations were experiencing declines. The chapter used event survey responses and information from outreach phone calls to members to evaluate how to better deliver program content.

Based on feedback from the survey, ASP Norcal chose late afternoon and early evening for event times, which resonated better with attendees who needed to be in the office during peak business meeting times. The chapter carefully chose speakers and content to reflect the "current mood" of the membership base, and it used Cisco's TelePresence technology to simultaneously broadcast to three local cities (Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Milpitas) where attendees could interact both with the presenter and each other, with full visual and audio connectivity in high definition.

According to Jim McComb, Senior Vice President, Finance, Bank of America, and Chair, ASP Awards Committee, "By stepping out of a traditional meeting format, the Northern California Chapter was able to deliver content to more than 60 attendees, roughly double the typical attendance. The chapter was energized by the new approach to meeting."

The Association for Strategic Planning (ASP) is the preeminent professional association for those engaged in strategic thinking, planning, and action. ASP currently has members in 40 states and several foreign countries, as well as active chapters operating in 14 metropolitan areas. Several others are currently in formation. The chapters serve the local area with networking and educational programs geared to the subject of strategic planning. For more information about ASP, please contact ASP's Executive Director Janice Laureen.