MEI is responsive to change!  

We have no cookie-cutter solutions for innovation.  We DO have demonstrated experience in

Designing programs that meet the specific needs of our client associations

NANT experienced record participation in its virtual conference in 2021 (industry exhibitors said it was the best virtual meeting in the industry).  In 2022 it tried a hybrid model that included live-streaming and on-demand after the conference concluded.  Based on these results, MEI learned that live streaming did not work for this group of technicians responsible for direct patient care during the conference.  In 2022, there were 135 technicians live in Las Vegas.  In 2023, due in no small part to the revised content and format introduced in 2022, live attendance grew by 320%. In 2022 I was both disappointed and delighted with DTX - delighted with the format, content, exhibits, and speakers.  My disappointment was that my company did not have more participants.  My company increased our staff attendance by 500% and we're committed to growing that even more next year.

“CMSA was faced with an insurmountable task of pivoting from an in-person to a virtual conference in less than five weeks.  MEI delivered expert consultation in the latest trends, advanced technologies, and elegant solutions to our complex organizational challenges that appeared insurmountable.  Not only were we extremely proud of the programs, posters, content, and speaker engagements; but we were also thrilled with the outstanding feedback received from attendees.  MEI turned an impossibility into a reality, and our Annual Conference, Virtual Edition was a resounding success!    MEI does not set the standard in association management...they exceed the bar!”  

Melanie A. Prince, USAF, Colonel, retired, MSS, MSN, BSN, NE-BC, CCM,
President, CMSA 2020 - 2022

Delivering contact hours in a 24/7 instant gratification world

NANT wanted to expand access to its educational content with free access by its members.  But, the manual process used required hands-on staff time, which resulted in a delay in delivering certificates for completed programs.  MEI developed an automated process that delivers contact hours within 15 minutes of receipt of verification by the participant - at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars less than purchasing an expensive learning management system.

Expanding access to conference content

Based on our experience with virtual meetings during the pandemic (see below), MEI came to realize that a multi-access conference could encourage equitable access to a diverse membership, not all of whom are able to travel to a face-to-face location.  Using a range of virtual platforms and working with several AV companies, MEI clients have expanded their outreach and increased the diversity of participation in educational programs.  Creating a web page only accessible to registrants, with links to a customized learning toolbox that can include videos, PowerPoint recorded presentations, PDFs, Word and Excel documents, and more, supports multi-access for a variety of documents and media that previously was just available for one or two days.

Our Pandemic Pivot

Within three weeks, six of our client face-to-face meetings scheduled from March through June 2020 needed to be changed. Three were moved to virtual meetings, one was canceled (a medical management group whose members were too busy to meet), and one ultimately developed a bi-monthly program that met the needs of both current and prospective members.  The sixth meeting pivoted completely to a weekly chat based on the conference theme.  The spring 2020 results for our clients were dramatic: 

• An ongoing weekly program that drew 20% + of the membership to each session and involved more than 40% of the membership so far – some of whom had never previously participated in any association meeting.
• A virtual conference that exceeded the previous years’ attendance by 50% and the projected revenue/expense by 1200%
• A bimonthly Virtual Collaborations that took a popular portion of our F2F conference as a foundation to create a meaningful way for colleagues around the world to delve into the basics - and to have small breakouts to discuss the applications for their real-life design issues.  These programs will generate a new revenue stream for this client.

One of our best client success stories was the launching of a virtual conference in Spring 2021 that:

• Increased attendance by 400% compared to their F2F conference in 2020
• Garnered support from two key providers who collectively increased attendance by their staff from 120 in 2020 to 634 in 2021
• Provided recorded content to launch a Learning Library that offers instant access to contact hours required for federally mandated certification - and a new revenue stream that will provide financial stability for this client

Here's what our clients say about MEI...

Four years later, now serving as President, I have had the great pleasure of working very closely with MEI in countless detailed activities. After the very quick start in improving our website, inter-member communication, managing our Annual Institute (AI), and recommending changes in our financial management structure, MEI has continued to exceed every expectation, as they go far and above to address our needs. Additionally, they are exceptionally competent and offer a wonderful and friendly management style.

Additionally, their strengths in strategic planning have been a very important aspect of their service. ACHNE had a limited strategic plan prior to working with MEI, and we knew that we needed a more robust plan. MEI led the strategic planning process in an agile and effective manner. The result is an elegant plan based on four key goals – Collaboration, Advocacy,
Leadership, and Mentorship. This acronym, CALM, is emblematic of how MEI has continued to support ACHNE’s evolution and greater involvement with other public health nursing organizations.

MEI helped our very active program committee bring new tools to the proposal management platform for our Annual Institute (AI), our annual conference, resulting in a much easier-to-use abstract submission program that cost considerably less. They also helped the AI move seamlessly to virtual and then, this year, to a multi-access platform that has helped us to have wider participation from our membership. They introduced us to another newer electronic poster platform that increases the information our graduate students and presenters can share. The overall result is a much stronger AI program with less fixed costs, helping ACHNE to increase its revenue/expense from this important non-dues revenue generator.

As President, and on behalf of our Board of Directors, I can say that ACHNE is extremely pleased and grateful for all that MEI has done to support, strengthen, and advance our organization. They are an exemplary AMC. I highly recommend Management Excellence, Inc. to any organization that would like its board to work strategically and achieve overarching visionary goals.

Lori A. Edwards, DrPH, MPH, BSN, RN, PHNCNS-BC
President, Assistance Professor, Program Director
University of Maryland School of Nursing

MEI gets involved!

We encourage each of our staff to be active in professional, community-based, and social organizations.  We firmly believe that it is important for each of us to be in the position that our client volunteers are.  This involvement ensures that we understand how volunteers think or react to communications, board actions, or policies that might appear to be well-intentioned, but somehow miss the goal of inclusivity.

Professional organizations MEI staff belongs to:

• American Society of Association Executives
• Association Management Companies Institute

MEI Staff presentations to the association and meeting management communities:

• Association Management Company Institute
  • Annual Meeting
  • Midyear Meeting
• Association Day at IMEX Frankfurt
• MPI/ICCA Education Program at IMEX Frankfurt

Community organizations involvement:

• Dayton Access TV
  • Treasurer
• Rotary Club
  • Manage multi-access to weekly meetings
• Girl Scouts
  • Troop Leader
• Dayton Philharmonic Chorus