This morning, as I was sitting on my porch drinking coffee and enjoying a rare moment of silence, I looked up and noticed that the leaves at the very top of my favorite tree are already turning a magnificent shade of red. The year is flying by and the seasons are about to change. September 22nd marks the autumn equinox, when day and night are of equal lengths; it marks the beginning of fall; and it also marks the date when there are exactly 100 days left in the year! ​

Growing up, fall signified to me a time of excitement and change — new teachers, new friends, and new adventures. Over the years, the season has evolved for me. It has gone from a time of exhilaration to one of reflection. I see it now as an opportunity to look back on the past months, to focus on areas of achievement and growth, and a time to set priorities for the remainder of the year. Fall gives me inspiration to make changes that will bring me closer to achieving my goals.

As our dedicated AMADC Board of Directors and volunteers are busy rolling out events and experiences that provide programming to the needs of our diverse membership, this fall we are also looking back on the prior year and reflecting on how far we’ve come and where we will continue to take the chapter. Under the leadership of AMADC Immediate Past President, Mike Gardner, the Chapter Excellence Committee has compiled an annual report that encapsulates the 2015-2016 year that now provides us with a solid foundation to grow.

This past year, AMADC did something monumental: We came to terms with the fact that “A one size fits all” approach to membership, programming and sponsorship would need to be reconsidered, and we decided to focus on delivering relevancy, quality, and value to each of our member segments. While we continued to offer relevant programming for our mid-career professionals, we also developed new programming specifically focused on Young Professionals (District Current) and Senior Executives (CMO Leadership Circle).

With this fresh focus on programming relevancy, we saw an increase in membership engagement. In the prior year, 30% of AMADC members attended a program. This percentage grew to 48% in 2015-2016. Our goal is to continue to cultivate this particular metric, to welcome more members to our events, to build on the 2015-2016 foundation, and to bring our AMADC mission of “fueling in our members a passion for marketing, a spirit of innovation, and the pursuit of knowledge, career, excellence and success” to life.

As autumn blooms in shades of red, gold, orange, and brown, it is a time to slow down, to reflect, to gather strength, and to push through into the new year.  It is a time to look back on where you’ve been and where you’re going. At AMADC, we look forward to reflecting on what we leaned last year and applying that into everything we do this year!

Here is to reflecting, growing, and making the most of the next 100 days!

Happy autumn,

Regan Lamb