It’s an exciting time to be an AMADC member! Three weeks ago, we had the opportunity to come together as a chapter for the third annual All Member Meeting. This annual member-only event was of course designed to create opportunity for us to connect, but also to create an environment that allows you (the member) to understand the breadth of resources available at the local level and across AMA national. This year’s event theme – Engage in the Journey – was a continuation of the path the Board embarked upon last year with a new focus on each and every “Personal Journey.”  For those in attendance, that journey pushed forward that very evening during the interactive portion of our program where we invited members to take a walk with AMADC board members and explore all the offerings and opportunities across the chapter through a series of six “LOUD Sessions.” The LOUD Sessions were created to spark conversation, share ideas and discuss benefits and programs with fellow marketing professionals. The sessions focused on six topics: Enhancing Your Career, Growing Your Knowledge Base, Learning from Experts, Expanding Your Professional Network, Embodying Thought Leadership, and Allowing Members to Explore Where They Are as a Marketer.

Tying directly to member benefits, we announced several new professional opportunities:

• AMADC has partnered with AMA National to offer all AMADC Members with an additional $20 off all exam rates for AMA’s Professional Certified Marketer® program.  There is no better time to test your marketing savvy.  Grab your code and register today.
• The OneAMA Chapter Alliance, which is a unified partnership across the Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Washington, DC chapters (which officially launched yesterday), allows AMADC members to receive reciprocal pricing benefits for any and all live events hosted by each respective chapter.
• The Collegiate Connection is a renewed commitment by AMADC to engage with marketing students at area colleges and universities and connect them with professional opportunities across AMADC, including AMADC’s Young Professionals Group: District Current. The pilot program is set to launch in early 2018.

We also leveraged the All Member Meeting to introduce members to our new AMADC identity, which included the unveiling of our refreshed chapter website (www.amadc.org)—featuring members from across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC celebrating AMA’s identity. Everyone attending the event also received a “greater than” icon to showcase how AMADC helps to make them “greater” using the hashtag #OneAMA. This is part of why the AMADC identity—now more than ever—is much more than a logo. AMADC is what it represents: the collective voice of a thriving community of marketing professionals. We are connected. We are committed. We are advanced. We are One AMADC. We are One AMA.

Footnote: Learn more about our AMADC brand’s journey from our Chief Creative Officer, Debbie Bates, in her latest blog at http://bit.ly/2yNgjtj.