Why Are Executives Leaving? Jennifer Hanson MBC Final Project May 2008

Membership Challenges Executive-level members are not attending programs Program attendees ask, “Are you a younger group?”

Importance to Organization Knowledge and prestige of executives Profits through program revenue Increased satisfaction and renewal rates

What I Wanted to Learn from Executive Members Professional development experiences Attitudes toward programs and benefits Opinions on future programs

Research Question Would specific programming encourage executive-level members to return?

Methodology Surveyed 209 executive-level members Mailed 35-question paper survey Included quantitative and open-ended questions

Response Rate 76 completed surveys returned 36% response rate

Demographics 67% 35–55 years old 81% have worked in marketing or sales for 10–20+ years Surveyed the correct group of members

Participation in Professional Development 88% have participated in past year 51% have participated 2 or 3 times

Professional Development “I don’t have time for professional development” Of those who do participate: 36% agree 51% disagree Of those who do not participate: 78% agree

Professional Development “A marketer always has room to develop professionally, regardless of career stage.” 95% agree

Attendance at Programs 39% attended zero programs 28% attended one program 67% low attendance How many MN AMA programs have you attended within the past year?

Satisfaction with Programs 58% satisfied 9% dissatisfied (25% have no experience with programs) What is your overall level of satisfaction with the MN AMA programs you’ve attended?

Satisfaction & Attendance How many MN AMA programs have you attended within the past year? Of those very satisfied with programs 58% attended 2 programs 33% attended 1 program Of those very dissatisfied with programs 67% attended 1 program 33% attended 0 programs

Importance of Benefits 63% said that this benefit is very or somewhat important To what degree do MN AMA educational offerings play a role in your decision to renew your membership?

Most Important Benefits 43% chose Networking as top benefit 22% chose Career Development as top benefit 18% chose Industry News/Updates as top benefit

Program Topics Requested 1.New media and e-marketing 2.Industry trends 3.Market research 4.Branding 5.Strategic planning 6.Networking opportunities

Interest in Program Formats Executive Networking—79% Special Interest Group—68% Online Strategy Forum—57% Web Seminars—54%

Challenges of Marketers Time and budgets Hiring and developing employees Keeping up with industry knowledge Learning about e-marketing “Selling” marketing within company List three challenges you face in your current job role:

Answering the Question Yes!

Recommendations New Program Formats - Executive-member networking New Program Topics - Marketing trends - E-marketing approaches - Time management strategies - Developing employees

Future Research Conduct focus groups or interviews Survey every two years Post-event evaluations

Thank you!